Hardware Insights Forum

They were actually designed to cam out, so it's no wonder they keep getting stripped. Torx screws (the ones with six lobes) should have replaced them years ago. Unfortunately, the other common screw type (Pozidriv) is so similar to Phillips that people just use Phillips drivers with them, with predictable results…

Changing to the better screw heads isn't as hard as switching from Windows to Linux (not that I've ever used Linux myself but I can figure out that it would be tough to say goodbye to most of the software out there). Why are people so slow to do it?

I almost never strip phillips screws (at least not in PCs). I've occasionally stripped the thread in the screw-holes on really cheap and flimsy cases, but I rarely see stripped heads. Besides, manufacturers probably don't want torx screws to become the norm. Otherwise, they won't be able to stop people from doing their own repairs

c_hegge wrote:(at least not in PCs)

Screws in PCs usually aren't subjected to particularly high torque so it's less of a problem there than in some other applications.

Besides, manufacturers probably don't want torx screws to become the norm. Otherwise, they won't be able to stop people from doing their own repairs

There are several more screw head types so that's a non-issue (apart from pre-existing HDDs with Torx screws) - not to mention that there's a special "security" variant of Torx and I was intending on regular Torx being the norm.

For PC screws, I would expect to see (if this happens) T10 and T15 sizes which are larger than on most HDDs.

I haven't actually had one cam out before, but I haven't used Phillips screws enough for that to happen...

I've added a poll on whether you think they should make the switch.

Incidentally, there's a third type of screw that looks similar to Phillips — Japanese Industrial Standard screws. And they are even harder to tell apart than Pozidriv screws.

Torx drivers are also pron to fail, especially the small and cheap ones.