Spoiler
Probably at the hardware store picking up more Phillips head screws.
this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2026
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Phillips is bad enough to start with, but then they started making Pozidriv, which looks almost identical but isn't actually compatible - making it even more likely to tear out.
I wonder why Canada seems to be the only country in the world that understands Robertson screw head supremacy?
There's a lot of history around the Robertson and Philips screw heads back when assembly lines were becoming a thing.
tldr: licensing is why Robertson didn't spread to the US.
Robertsons are the Pinnacle screwhead. Torx and hex are also acceptable
Not Hex, I've stripped those a few times.
Yeah, hex is only a few obtuse angles away from being a circle. And that means it strips into a circle surprisingly easily.
When a hex goes circle it's time to break out the triple squares and a hammer! Poor man's extract set lmfao
I've found a couple that just didn't seem to be snug enough from the start. Like 6 hex screws on this bike trailer thing. 5 of them fit a 6mm hex wrench perfectly, but on one it just spins and the next size up was too big. Either it wasn't to spec or it warped at some point or something. I think other fastner heads would be more forgiving in this regard.
Robertson wanted to be paid for his good design. Henry Ford didn't want to pay, even if it was a tiny amount.
Ford was willing to use an inferior screw design that could cause production issues rather than pay a license to use the superior design. And, even though the patent expired a long time ago, these decisions have momentum.
I would bet that Torx is more popular than Robertson even though it's a much newer design. Is it a better design? To me, Robertson seems to have the edge when it comes to simplicity, but Torx could be better for industrial applications because multiple lobes that have a surface perpendicular to the direction of torque probably gives it more control. Also, thanks to Ikea, I'd bet that hex-head bolts are incredibly common. They share most of the benefits of Robertson. I suspect they're a little less efficient though because the closer you are to a circle shape, the less the faces of the screwdriver tip align with the direction of torque. I wonder if there are advantages of hex over square, since you see hex so much more often.
I’ve learned recently, by buying pozi head screwdrivers, that they’re not so bad. But it is unnecessary. Torx or Robertson please.