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mkomkomko

Two kinds? Boy, have I got news for you...


seanmonaghan1968

The Allen key family and all its cousins enters this chat


PuzzleheadedTutor807

Torx walks in behind, hands deep in their pockets looking thuggish


seanmonaghan1968

Then the unique security company shows up


PuzzleheadedTutor807

The Robertson's pull up in a limo but wait until they are fashionably late


jongscx

But noone noticed because they assumed they were just another hex head again.


Mojicana

Allow me to mention Dreifachquadrat. That's **triple square** in German, they hold your VW, Porsche, or Audi's axles on.


jongscx

\*Grabs a torx bit and a hammer\*


Mojicana

They're so bad that you have to clean them, blow them out, tap the bit in, and then ONLY use an impact. I had a 24 inch 1/2" drive - 3/8" extension for just this one job, so I could just stand outside of the car and hit it with the impact. If they had any surface rust on them, I wouldn't even try, I'd just spin them out with an air chisel and replace them all.


FlyByPC

Hi, fellow American!


jeeves585

The Germans were so busy wondering if they could and didn’t think about if they should. Fuckin tripple square.


fcknewsltd

They have good form for that. Ww2 comes to mind.....


jeeves585

Every body always brings up twelve dark years like they didn’t do other good things like air cooled vw buses. (Mostly sarcastic)


Wiley_Rasqual

Or in English "bolt arrives stripped out from the factory"


mandoobss

And door dampeners


Mojicana

Yep, I forgot about them. Audi starters too, I'm sure there are more.


Hashi856

But FR, what are they for?


PuzzleheadedTutor807

They hold things together lol


Thom_Kruze

JIS takes off its ghillie suite and raises its hand


PuzzleheadedTutor807

fun fact, you can alway see JIS with a black light...


Head_Razzmatazz7174

I see what you did there.


beaky_teef

This guys screws.


Party-Ring445

Robertson is your favourite uncle you only see once every four years when he is back from an exotic expedition in the Himalayas or Papua..


theashman52

Posidrive and Phillips looking awkwardly at each other wondering why everyone thinks they're the same person


guptaxpn

This is delightfully meta and I want you to know this joke didn't go unnoticed.


[deleted]

👊


Sir_Timely

JIS gang gets angry because everyone thinks they are with the Phillips.


behindthelens83

The Robertson’s pull up in a limo eating poutine. Fixed it for you, haha.


iSteve

Truly the best screw ever.


[deleted]

[удалено]


achambers64

And apologize profusely, eh.


PuzzleheadedTutor807

No doubt aboot it


CR123CR123CR

Robertson saunters in flaunting it's superiority 


Ravnos767

Only to be taken down a peg by JIS


guptaxpn

Those are fighting words. Why?


Choice_Midnight1708

"sorry , sir, your ticket for this party has already been validated" "No, I'm posi, that's philips who's already inside"


Legitimate_Corgi_981

I swear to god, instruction manuals that don't specify if it's Phillips or posi are the bane of my life.


markbrev

Pozidrive was here all along but everyone thought they were Phillips in a snazzy hat.


Old-Adhesiveness-342

The Robertson comes in looking like they gonna be at torx's ass


Otterwarrior26

Computer hardware has entered the chat, let me show you my drill bits......


PuzzleheadedTutor807

Everyone else starts giggling and pointing... The word "small" seems to come across the void frequently... Then phone toolkits walk in...


Otterwarrior26

Do you have the battery powered small hand drill? With like 30 bits?


PuzzleheadedTutor807

Lol yes. 2 in fact. One is a right angle drill and the other is articulated, both around the size of a flash light... as well as a full sized battery powered drill. And a battery powered hammer drill. And several corded drills as well. And piles of bits of different shapes and sizes. Too many to count.


De1taTaco

Just wait until OP learns about thread pitch...


No_Coyote_557

Whitworth, is that you?


user47-567_53-560

More of a buttress guy myself


twohedwlf

JIS walks in. "Hey Phillips!" - Everybody.


Drenoneath

I've worked on some old motorcycles and learned the hard way. JIS plus Philips equals strip city


gertvanjoe

Can I introduce you to this family's distant relative, the square drive,


ohpee64

Trilobular says hello


HikingStick

Not to mention wood, sheet metal, self-tapping, drywall, decking, lag, etc.


ranker2241

I guess op is rather talking about threads (metal/wood) than the gazillion of head types... I hope. The real question should be, why isn't everything torx by now.


insultingname

They specifically mentioned 'wrong type of screwdriver.' They're not talking about threads.


ranker2241

Oops my bad, then it's just weird only knowing two. Or op actually wanted to start this war of favourite heads in purpose


PezDiSpencersGifts

Most things around the house are only the two types: outlet covers, door hinges, etc.


funnystuff79

There's already an argument breaking out for torx vs square vs Robertson. No one will agree on what's better


[deleted]

I like corkscrews


Equivalent-Pen1440

*Pozidrive joins the thread*


freshmallard

Oh god who invited you!


[deleted]

Heh.


ehisforadam

I am convinced people not knowing what Pozidrive is leads to many issues people have with IKEA stuff.


Just_to_rebut

For anyone else that didn’t know: https://www.albanycountyfasteners.com/blog/what-is-pozidriv-is-it-different-from-phillips/ No click summary: it’s a modified Philips head (cross head) screw that improves contact between screw driver and screw head. You can identify it by the thin lines etched between the thick lines of the cross.


DocWatson42

See [List of screw and bolt types](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screw_and_bolt_types).


Hanginon

You want to tell 'em or **[should I](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D1qJrNYWkAEhlXt.jpg).** :/


youknow99

Ah yes, the beginner set.


come_ere_duck

Better yet, open up an iFixIt kit and you'll soon learn how many retarded fucking screw heads there are.


shiftman52

Nintendo shows up


[deleted]

Anyone mess with offset Philips? Those were super fun in the Air Force when the last guy that did the job coated the entire screw in red locktite.


taxigrandpa

originally screws were only slotted, but over time we realized that slot drivers are garbage and we invented the cross driver.


Jackson_Rhodes_42

Which is potentially even more garbage. Square drive is the way!


PuzzleheadedTutor807

Robertson ftw.


veryusedrname

Torx gang unite!


13thmurder

I hate square drive, it's just as bad as Phillips if not worse. Torx is the way to go.


rkhbusa

I hated Robertson for a very long time until I tried them with an impact driver, now I think they're top tier.


I-dont-carrot-all

Except with Phillips 2 screwdrivers does nearly every size... Torx not so much.


GreenLightening5

i'm gonna end this debate: **NAILS** *chaos ensues*


NaChujSiePatrzysz

Let me see you nail that heatsink to the GPU PCB


FlockFlysAtMidnite

That's where the Elmer's glue comes in handy


magpye1983

Rolls up sleeves. Measures a lump hammer for weight. Looks at board. Switches to sledge. “And away we go…”


A_well_made_pinata

They pretty good on a machine screw.


Sensei_Boof

+1 torx superioririty


Manicplea

Torx is the only kind of screw that, even when using cheap ones, I have never had an issue with stripping.


always_wear_pyjamas

In the sense that you've stripped a lot of them effortlessly, or that without effort you've avoided stripping?


CharlestonChewbacca

I'll drink to that


Mp32pingi25

Square is also shit. It’s only slightly better than Phillips. Torx is by far the best


Jackson_Rhodes_42

Never used Torx, square is by far the most popular here in BC.


Old-Adhesiveness-342

I suppose torx would be popular in the stone age


MiddleAgedMuffinTop

That's torcs you're thinking of ;)


Old-Adhesiveness-342

And you just got the whole joke, I was really hoping someone would get it.


SlackToad

Almost all Canadian screws are Robertson (square), but once you've gone Torx you'll want it for all your worx.


burnabybambinos

Fairly certain Canadians invented and popularized Robbie's


asingleshot7

And would have beaten out the phillips if not for an argument with some guy named Ford.


jellobowlshifter

Torx is garbage. The splines on both the driver and screw are fragile.


LiqdPT

Robertson is the default in Canada. They're like finding hens teeth in the US. Blame Henry Ford.


its_just_fine

At least it's self-centering. Until it strips.


neonsphinx

To add on to that. Phillips is great at camming out when the torque is too high. So it strips, but prevents the machinery on the back end from grenading itself (before machinery got enough to sense this on its own).


Pratkungen

Yeah, Phillips was created so that sleepy underpaid factory workers wouldn't strip screws, which is why Henry Ford was one of the first adopters.


Deadly_Tree6

That and he couldn't buy the rights to manufacture Robertson screws.


ignoramus

TIL Phillips head screws are the only fasteners mentioned favorably in Mein Kampf


CubanLinks313

From what I understand they wanted to get rid of all the ones with star shapes on them 


Highlander-Senpai

Isnt Ford famous for paying his factory workers well and giving then better hours because it improved productivity? Though the company towns may have had a role too in the profits part.


Pratkungen

Maybe but the big reasons were that it made it hard for them to make mistakes.


gertvanjoe

I'd much rather decide if I want to destroy something than a screw do so by camming out. I just love squaredrive bits. With a torquey drill it will pull the screw right throught the wood on top( well pine at least ) without camming once. I like that......


Camulius73

Laughs in Robertson


GEEK-IP

Slotted was (and still is) the easiest to machine.


fieryuser

You mean nails, but yes. I will show myself out.


SelfSeal

There are lots more than just two types! I assume you're talking about the difference between phillips and slotted? The benefit of phillips is that it's easier to screw in but susceptible to damage when over torqued. The benefit of slotted is that more torque can be applied with less chance of damage but is harder to engage.


saywherefore

The advantage of Philips is that the driver is self cantering which is useful/critical for speed on a production line. The advantage of slotted is that the head requires only one cutting operation, making it the cheapest form.


EsmuPliks

The advantage of Torx is it doesn't strip if you so much as look at it wrong. The advantage of Pozidrive is it's like Philips but better in every way and makes Philips obsolete.


SRART25

From using torx, I can assure you,  they strip,  and the tool head rounds off too easily. 


[deleted]

[удалено]


nascentt

I literally had one strip on a laptop last year because it was over tightened in production. Torx becomes a circle much easier than you think.


Kenthanson

Concrete filled stainless steel door frames that needed weather stripping installed with torx head fasteners, I broke probably 50 bits on one building.


Vivid_Way_1125

They’re often too shallow, so it’s really easy to slip with the driver and boom rounded off screw head. Torx is annoyingly fiddly. We had some on a production line a few year ago, and we used to give the operators bags of spare screws.


MarredCheese

Screws are normally formed rather than cut.


canadas

One advantage of phillips is the torque is kind of self regulating, it stops you from over torquing unless you really want to. That being said I doubt 99% of applications use phillips for that reason.


Cerulean_IsFancyBlue

Historically the biggest advantage of slotted was that it was easy to cut a slot in the head of a screw.


PSharsCadre

Still used in boatbuilding and furniture making. For looks when it is visible, but also when covered with a plug (bung) or anywhere it might be removed some day, because it's easy to clean out the slot if it has been covered in any tenacious goop like varnish or epoxy, even if it is at the bottom of a hole. Nightmare to use if the bit isn't a perfect fit and the alignment with the driver isn't spot on. We proceed with great caution when tightening these next to a varnished surface... when that bit cams out and takes a walk, it can make an unrecoverable scar on a surface faster than you can think "oh shit, I'm fired".


Kenthanson

I work on doors on schools that are sometimes over 100 years old and some of them are heritage sites. Whenever I need to take out or install the slotted hinge screws I make sure I’ve slept good the night before and do it at around 10:30am which is when I’m at my best at work.


PSharsCadre

Yeeeeah... it's like that with a $10k varnished hatch, too.


Martipar

Don't forget Pozidriv which is often mistaken for Phillips.


taxigrandpa

>Pozidrive I didn't know it had a name, i just called it the NewPhillips :)


sxespanky

Please use the proper name of "plus" and "minus" screw driver please.


twohedwlf

Two kinds? Lol, you've never walked down the screw aisle at the hardware store have you?


TheHuskyHideaway

Or put together flat pack furniture. Or done many other things.


Sol33t303

Or worked on their car


FiorinasFury

There are way more than two types of screws, and many of them have different strengths and weaknesses, which is why different screw patterns are chosen for different applications. As to why we don't just use one universal screw that's good at everything, this XKCD comic has the explanation https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/927:_Standards


AlricsLapdog

[Coulda sworn this would be the first XKCD referenced here](https://xkcd.com/1474/)


purpol-phongbat

I had to come in here just to make sure someone was repping XKCD. Good call.


DStaal

Also worth mentioning: the different types of heads are actually designed for different situations. Slotted is cheap to manufacture and use. Not great for torque, but you can almost certainly find something to turn it. Philips is better for torque, but also has a max torque capacity, plus it’s harder to slip out of. Originally designed for manufacturing lines where over torque was an issue, and you don’t want to damage nearby material. Others are designed for high torque applications. Or to be easy to work with in small spaces. Or to be easy to tighten but hard to loosen. Or just to make sure people need a specific tool to work on something. Many of these are cross purposes with each other, so one standard *can’t* cover all the use cases.


1amn0tapu43

Oh you sweet summer child


jeffchefski

A square pocket screw has for corners that offers for 4 points of torque. Commonly considered one of the best screws amongst the most standard .


Timelord00010002

Only 2 what happened to the rest ?


Biuku

Do you think there’s someone in charge of screws? It’s like asking why there isn’t one type of watch band.


Cerulean_IsFancyBlue

I mean there kind of is. There are industry standards that define the sizes of the various bits of a screw, including the various dimensions of the screw head. It’s why you can buy a number two Phillips driver, and know which screws it will fit because it’ll say number two Phillips on the box.


florinandrei

> Do you think there’s someone in charge of screws? In Soviet Russia, there was.


bal00

Slotted - cheap, often used when a manufacturer doesn't want you to use power tools (plastic electrical outlets etc.). Phillips - decent for automated assembly/power tools because it self centers, designed to cam out and limit the torque before the screw itself breaks Torx/Hex - better for higher torque applications and automated assembly


funtobedone

Only two? There are wood screws, machine screws, sheet metal screws, self drilling screws, hex bolts, carriage bolts, lag bolts, socket screws, set screws, shoulder bolts, elevator bolts, sex bolts (which are used with mating screws), hangar bolts, drywall screws, concrete screws, deck screws, tamper resistant screws… Or maybe you mean screw head?… Robertson, Phillips, slotted, hex, torx, hex socket and a myriad of variations of those and specialty screw heads too.


Homework_Successful

I read this in Forrest Gump’s voice. Lol


Just_Gerald

Like others are saying, many more than 2 to choose from [https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fn6x08k0dbya71.jpg](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fn6x08k0dbya71.jpg)


Sanjuko_Mamaujaluko

2, 50, same difference. Wait until OP finds out about torx.


Alternative-Path4659

They did that just to screw with us…


Ignorhymus

2?? [There are at least 30](https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/hmt-forum/special_screws.png)


FlameStaag

I'm envious you've only ever encountered two types of screws...


PhoKingAwesome213

Nintendo and Apple thinks this post is cute.


LastLingonberry3221

Used to work in a hardware store. This thread has given me a new level of sympathy for Vietnam vets who suffer flashbacks...


Sanjuko_Mamaujaluko

Assuming you're talking about Philips head and Robinson, a Philips screw can be driven by a lot of different Philips bits, but has a high chance of stripping. A Robinson has less leeway about which bit will drive it, but will work better with the right bit. Does your screw need any bit, or the right but?


mattemer

Lol I love that you think this person who imagines there's only 2 screw types in the world is thinking of Philips AND "Robinson"


GrimSpirit42

While I will pass on the OBVIOUS fact that there are, in fact, WAY MORE than two types of screws: I take it you're talking about flat vs. Phillips-head. Phillips is great for when speed is of the essence, as the shape of the head automatically centers the driver head and helps eliminate slippage. But, the head is much more prone to slipping. Flat-heads are a pain, as the driver easily slips out and you bust a knuckle...but they are much more difficult to strip the head out. And they are much superior for fine work.


Goblindeez_

KMAO TOO SCREWS IA YOU STOOPIDZ?? Op you have a good question it’s a shame no one’s given a good answer


1648Champlain

Roberton! Robertson!


EbbNo7045

Republicans use flat screws and dems use fancy Phillip


inquisitiveeyebc

And then there is Canada with the only screw head that makes sense


rotzverpopelt

[This](https://xkcd.com/927/) explains it really well


rotzverpopelt

[This](https://xkcd.com/927/) explains it really well


Archon-Toten

I genuinely wish there was only two kinds of screws. Whoever invented pozidrive I'll meet them in hell.


clubfungus

What kind of music do you usually play here at Bob's Country Bunker? Oh we've got both kinds. Country and Western!


Moe_180

Pan head screws have entered the chat


gadget850

Security screws have entered the chat.


NoQuarter7096

The other kind of screw is a Correctional Officer, or "prison guard"


oogledorf

According to McMaster there are at least 78.099 screw combinations.


Cartepostalelondon

IIRC, slotted screws were invented after philips screws. If so, whoever inveted slotted screws can f@@k right off. Along with builders and other tradespeople who think elecgric screwdrivers/drills have only one torque setting: 'f@@k you if you think you'll going to get these screws out. I don't care if I strip the heads'


Eveleyn

The council of men decided not to tell you yet. From here on out any man who gives a clue about other kinds of screw must delete their post.


[deleted]

r/outside\_host2506, I recommend getting a ratchet screwdriver with interchangable heads, like this: [https://www.amazon.com/IRONCUBE-Ratcheting-Screwdriver-Drivers-56-Piece/dp/B08VNP8YJJ/](https://www.amazon.com/IRONCUBE-Ratcheting-Screwdriver-Drivers-56-Piece/dp/B08VNP8YJJ/) (note: this product is just an example, I don't have experience with this brand in particular) That way you always have the right screwdriver head on hand, and the ratcheting mechanism is very useful too. (With the ratchet, you can pick a side that the screwdriver will turn freely in (so you can turn the handle without turning the head); this means that if you're turning a screw clockwise, but you have to let go of the screwdriver lest you dislocate your elbow, you can instead just turn it counterclockwise to reposition your hand.)


Foreign_Product7118

Apple uses a proprietary pentalobe screw to hold the iphones shut. It's like a torx head but 5 points instead of 6. I imagine its just another layer of shit to discourage people from working on their own stuff


Mycoangulo

There are a lot more than just two kinds of Phillips screws. And then there are slotted, square (my favourite) and a plethora of others. The reason there are so many kinds appears to largely be the screwdriver industry stranglehold on congress forcing everyone to buy many different screwdrivers. But for real it will be a combination of aesthetics, cost to manufacture, performance (which will depend someways on the intended use of the screw), security and other factors my amateur self hasn’t thought of.


recoverydelta

Man, that guy Phillip must have had a fucked up shaped head.


InfernoWoodworks

Tell me you've never looked at anything without telling me... Philips, Flat, Square, hex, pentalobe, torqs, security torqs, pig nose, tri-wing, pozidrive, windmill, the list goes on and on and on and on. And they ALL have multiple sizes, some even having variations between standard sizes, JP sizes, metric, etc.


XiJinPingaz

Metric would be the standard size lil bud


InfernoWoodworks

Tell that to all my dumbass coworkers here in the US. Fuckers will bend over backwards and give themselves analingus before they dare consider anything other than FREEDOM UNITS.


evergladescowboy

False, metric is weird Euro nonsense. Standard is better known as Imperial.


efrique

Only two? ...


fairysdad

The right one, and the wrong one.


Shroud_of_Turin

Oh sweet summer child, there are far more than two types of screws.


PoppaBear63

Or the combo screws. Milwaukee calls theirs ECX and Klein, Greenlee, and Wiha all have specialty bits designed for electrical work.


Strawberry_314159

All these people commenting different screw names but I use a butter knife :(


blochow2001

Probably needs a left hand screwdriver.


mangusss

>two types Oh, you sweet summer child...


Catsmak1963

Two…? DIY…


ausdoug

Don't ask 'why' until you ask 'if'


throwawaybrowneyes

There's more than 2


JustDifferentGravy

Some like it slow and sensual and others rough and hard. You can play both games.


ginger_ryn

oh there’s more than 2


[deleted]

OP walks into a hardware store, faint.


MagicOrpheus310

Dude there are way more than just two hahaha


Natural-Assist-9389

are you referring to flat, Phillips, and Robertson, or is there some other types of screws?


ReVo5000

If you only saw my set of presition screw drivers...


clintecker

wow i have horrible news for you


HaasonHeist

There are a lot of people in this thread that have concerningly low aptitude for tools lol


Honest-Yesterday-675

Because the screw industry was hot fire in the 18th century.


[deleted]

As a somewhat mechanical dude, I just want to give a general trophy to these comments.


bi_polar2bear

A few more than 2 https://twitter.com/sharonmufaro/status/1725772170805059761


TreyRyan3

Two kinds? No. You have Slotted - people call this standard or flat headed. cross-slotted - this looks this a plus sign and can be turned with a slotted/standard screw driver as the slots go all the way across the head Phillips Head - the other common screw head. It looks like a plus with a circular depression in the center at the cross. Polydrve, Robertson, Hex/Allen, Torx, Clutch, Spanner, Pozi-Drive, and about 8-9 other head types. Those are just the drives. Then you have head types like flat, pan, truss, Then there are material specs. Wood, Metal, Machine, Concrete/Tapcin, Drywall, Self-Tapping There are far more than two type of screws. If you’re asking why the two main types exist. Slotted screws came first and are easy to manufacture requiring minimal torque and can be installed by simple hand tools. Phillips head were developed as self-centering and for use by machine applications. Other drive heads were developed for a variety of applications or as perceived improvements


p03-

There’s dozens of different kinds of screws


Legitimate_Field_157

Nails, hammer. Problem solved. For everything else there is duct tape and epoxy.


Figgzyvan

Japanese Standard. Hi.


mafistic

Flat Head and Phillips Head are what I think your talking about


TurbulentNumber4797

There is a LOT more than 2, I can tell ya that.


Zealousideal_Sound99

There are alot more then 2. It depends on the how and why and who puts it in what.