this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2026
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Where my iT’s A fEaTuRe homeys at? (aussie.zone)
submitted 1 day ago by joelfromaus@aussie.zone to c/memes@lemmy.world
128 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

SpoilerProbably at the hardware store picking up more Phillips head screws.

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[–] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Don't feel bad, it's the PH design who's at fault. For some reason, someone decided PH should have tapered flanks, so that the bit has a constant tendency to slip out of the screw unless you push the bit into it with absurd amounts of force.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 day ago (2 children)
  1. They're not a great design
  2. Screws are made as cheaply as possible
  3. People assume their drivers last forever. Just a tiny bit of tip damage and they're grind up any screws.
  4. Philips in impact drivers is a sin.
[–] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago
  1. Philips in impact drivers is a sin.

No doubt, but in my own amateurish experience, the only way I can deal with PH is by using a power tool at very low speed while also applying pressure on the screw to prevent slippage (ideally one that also lets you set the torque).

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago

People assume their drivers last forever. Just a tiny bit of tip damage and they’re grind up any screws.

I had honestly never even considered this possibility...

[–] currycourier@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The one on the right is actually "Pozidriv" (PZ), which is a little better than regular Phillips at least.

[–] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

You're right, I should've mentioned that PH is the one on the left. The pic is from a Wikipedia article that compares PH with PZ.

[–] iocase@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The cam out is a feature not a bug for when these were invented. They were made well before we had electric torque control cheaply and easily, so assembly lines developed Phillips to control torque using the driver and fastener. It's literally designed to cam out on its own at a given torque setting.

[–] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

AFAIK, this is a myth. The original patents don't include the tapering, and someone else in the comments quoted the relevant parts from Wikipedia.

[–] iocase@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago

Nevertheless, the tendency of the Phillips screw to cam out easily was later found to be advantageous when used with early power tools, which had relatively unreliable torque-limiting clutches. In this context, cam-out helped protect the screw, threads, and driving bit from damage caused by excessive torque.[4]: 85–86  A follow-up patent in 1942 further refining the Phillips screw design describes this feature and argues that if screw-driving clutches were perfect, a screw recess with zero vertical contact angles (and thus no axial cam-out force) could be utilized. However, it noted that such designs had proven unsatisfactory on assembly lines, as the driving bits would not disengage in time to prevent damage.[5

Cam out source

You're right it wasn't originally designed for it but later patents and iterations on the Phillips head driver specifically designed it in which is where I think the confusion comes from. I had always heard it was originally designed that way but I guess not.