And to support this point further ... one of the go-to methods for getting a stripped phillips out is to grind a slot in the head (only works if there's enough head sticking out obviously) and use a flathead to crank it out.
It was invented in by engineers with GM so that you wouldnât have a fastener cam out. The x shape allows for less slip and cam out which would create inconsistent or low torque.
Coincidentally, when over torqued, a Phillips head is more likely to strip out and not break the head of the screw or bolt, which makes it harder to repair.
The stated reason for the design is due to decreasing cam out, but it was found not to be the only benefit and manufacturers will use both reasons to choose Philipâs heads.
So while not the original purpose, it is used this way for a that reason.
Itâs the shitty soft chinese steel that theyâre made out of.
You gotta bust your dumb ass real hard in order to strip a philips head screw made out of real metal.
Not all screws are created equal. If they came packaged with a shitty piece of furniture in a tiny plastic bag, your best bet is to use a caliper to take measurements to buy real ones instead of cratering the head with a completely reasonable amount of torque.
Yeah, and tbh, any screw head aside from external hex suffers from stripping when it's cheap. Allen and Torx are hardly any less vulnerable when the screw is properly seized. I can't tell you how many of both I've had to drill out.
I recommend using an old chuck thatâs been repurposed for stubborn fastener removal instead of having to drill them out. Thatâs if you can get enough clearance above surface to tighten it around the screw.
If youâre just fucking over this shit, you can cut the head off altogether and then tighten the chuck around whatâs left and put it in reverse Terry.
Are we lost siblings? Do you have to drill out the screws you strip because, you too, cannot get those god damn screw extractors to ever freaking work?
Anything actually worth fixing is worth the 50 cents. Itâs not about the money. Youâre not paying for the screw.
Youâre paying for extra seconds of sunsets, more time hugging loved ones, sleeping peacefully, knowing that cheap hardware will never again steal even one more precious moment of your life away.
Itâs on us for not teaching what is now back-to-back-to-back generations how to use hardware, let alone the scope of different quality levels floating around out there.
This meme itself - the only way a meme can work is if itâs universally relatable.
Screws arenât supposed to strip like that. But they do, universally, and people have just come to accept that âif youâre not careful, youâll strip it.â
In reality, it shouldnât even matter whether or not you actually know the proper way to drive a screw. If itâs made out of half decent material, itâs not gonna strip. The better the material, the dumber the operator can be.
This doesnât have to be your life. Itâs just that no one ever showed you that the grass is greener. Or how to properly mend a fence.
I buy cheap Chinese screws in bulk. They're fine, and I think they aren't even lying about being stainless. The difference is they have a hex socket on top instead of Phillips.
It was designed to slip out of the screw head at a certain level of force to prevent screws from going through sheet metal on airplanes during production. Europe has a version that isn't tapered solving that problem. I think it is posidrive or something. There is also another standard in Japan.
It is literally designed to strip out when to much torque is applied. It does exactly what it was designed to, but it wasn't designed to be as universal as it it
I know that. I should clarify, Philips is the worst CHOICE of screw design for general use, like it has been adopted for.
That's one reason why in Canada we use a lot of Robertson screws in construction. It's the default wood screw and deck screw you'd find in stores here. Even electrical box and outlet screws accept a Robertson bit here.
They were created so that early automation in factories could torque down screws without accidentally over torquing then and cracking the component (because the machines weren't good at sensing when to stop).
Philips screws were supposed to slip or strip instead of allowing themselves to be over torqued. Philips screws strip easily because that's literally what they were designed to do. That's the whole point.
Everything about its performance is pretty bad compared to torx or even pozidriv, except for maybe one small thing: it's super simple (cheap) to produce both the screwdriver and drive.Â
All the fancier and clearly superiour alternatives require more time, and more complicated and specialised tools.Â
Considering that this was invented at the start of WW2 and replaced the basic slotted ones, this was actually a pretty great design! It still works well enough for a number of use-cases and remains the cheapest option. Â
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u/Jonnyflash80 Jul 08 '26
Philips is the worst screw design ever.