Then there's the Japanese Industry Standard (JIS) Philips, which is different from everything else. Without a JIS driver/bits, the head will strip.
I'm all for Torx and External (Inverted) Torx screws.
this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2026
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Also plastic clips on laptops, monitors or any small electronic, pretty much every time I open up something with those clips one of them just snaps apart.
The problem with using phillips is selecting the correct size. If you have the correct size its much harder strip the threads.
HA! Amateurs.
Looks like the next guys problem.
Tool steel screw and mild steel bit.
Is that how drillbits are born?
*shorn
Because Philips screws were supposed to cam out, to stop overtightening on airplanes.
Maybe we shouldn't use Philips screws for non-aviation purposes.
I've read this was the justification after the fact.
The only reason they’re so common is because of Henry Ford. Ford wanted Robertson screws, but Ford also wanted to make his own screws in-house. Robertson wouldn’t license them, Philips would, the rest is history. Robertson screws are much more common than Philips up in Canada (where they’re from).
Torx is great until you can’t really see the bolt in question and think you have the right bit but actually it’s slightly small and rounds off the bolt entirely.
It is a good idea in general though.
As someone who has spent far more time than I want to think about removing screws and bolts that other people fucked, Robertson is the second most popular fastener to get brought to me with Torx in hot pursuit.
Philips head screws that are messed up come in two types. Soft cheese metal versions and the insidious Japanese style that are just ever sooo slightly different and require their own special driver. And most of you can't tell the difference or even care.
Plus, Y'all buy cheap ass "turn screws" as the British used to call them. When you buy dollar store quality tools you deserve what you get and I don't feel sorry for you.
Philips and JIS are interchangeable; it’s Pozi that’s not.
Have you ever turned these screws personally before? They are not perfectly compatible, just barely passable if the screw is in good shape and not too stuck.
So, I wanted to go at the guy for not reading your article but in reading it myself I did find possibly missing something. Like, they talk about them fitting within one another but then show that there are definitely differences. Maybe it’s a case of the same number screwdriver not being equal but +/- 1 number gets you back on track, I dunno.
The article definitely isn’t fully selling me on what they’re saying, though. I own a 1986 Ninja 1000 and have done extensive work to it(engine in half, whole bike in pieces at one point) and there was definitely something up with the bolts. I replaced them all with new button-head and socket-head hex bolts and life was much easier.
Tell that to guys with Japanese motorcycles. I still get people bringing me engine parts to remove the messed up screws. It costs real money to get me to fixture those parts in my mill and indicate the hole in and then very carefully remove your stupid.
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Robertson is the supreme screw!
I try so hard not to overtighten them but always fail
Funny thing is, torx was invented by apple out of greed so no one could open their devices. Turns out it's the best system, as it has the highest force distribution possible. It's the best screw system out there, so apple actually invented something good. Yet still they did it out of greed. After many got torx bits, they added a pin in the middle to make sure everyone's bits didn't fit anymore. This proves apple is, even though they invented the best screw system out there, still a shitty company.
Literally no part of your statement is true.
Are you thinking of pentalobe screws? Which also do not have a security variation like you describe? Also Apple made no such claims about being the best force distributor or anything like that. They were very upfront and blatant about it being an anti-repair move and nothing else.
Yes, Apple, a company founded in 1976, invented torx in 1967.
You may be thinking of Apple's Pentalobe screws, which are inferior to torx and have no real business existing.
Americans will do anything to avoid admitting Robertson was earlier, better, and easier to make.
My experience with Robertson is only electrical stuff made with softer steel. You can really reef on it, but it will hang on to your bit. Nice when you need a second hand, annoying when my 10-in-1 becomes an 8-in-1
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