# The TRIANGLE HEAD screwdriver?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-triangle-head-screwdriver/741412>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 26, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-triangle-head-screwdriver/741412 "2015-12-26T19:43:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-triangle-head-screwdriver/741412/21 "2015-12-27T16:24:02Z")

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> [@crypto](#):
>
> I have never seen one of these, nor do I own anything that will turn them. And I have a set of screwdriver bits that covers any number of screw types (over 100 bits) including torx (star shaped), torx with a raised dimple (these are often used for anti-theft, because most people don’t carry this type of screwdriver around), square heads, etc. NO triangle-heads.

The battery cover for a toy, I can agree that its probably an anti-litigant measure, but try using google and search for the model of the toy and hacking, see if anyone is doing anything with it, that extends the lifetime or functionality of the toy, or something it was never envisioned doing.

The above quoted is the reason that they are using those screws, at least until the new bits get reverse engineered and a new set of screw tips comes out, with those proprietary heads.

Some companies do not want devices that are user maintainable. So on a laptop or tablet, you can’t swap out the hard drive , ram or battery. Usually you have to send it in to a dealer and get quoted a proprietary amount, rather than a third party who might charge a lower amount.

You also can’t reprogram the eprom in a furby to rage against the machine

Declan

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**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-triangle-head-screwdriver/741412/22 "2015-12-27T17:14:45Z")

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Ah, Illuminati Screws. They’re triangular, and they don’t want you do see what’s behind them.

But yeh, try Count Blucher’s method. A tinier hex bit that’ll get three of its sides to juuust fit.

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**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-triangle-head-screwdriver/741412/23 "2015-12-28T00:42:37Z")

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[QUOTE=crypto]  
Apparently, they are called “tri-wing” screws. Never saw one before, and am kind of pissed they are on the battery compartment. Does everyone except me have a set of these in their tool box?  
[/QUOTE]

Tri-wing screws look like a Philips missing one arm, and were a product of Boeing a handful of decades ago. (Note how they resemble an airplane propeller.) Believe their purpose was to keep well-meaning fools out of delicate or calibrated airplane parts.

Triangular recess screws are just a triangular hole, and as noted elsewhere, can often be opened with a hex driver. No idea who to blame for those, but they’ve been around for a long time.

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