The Philip's head screwdriver.

[IglooDame]

I also like them, but the best are those that have a 'deep' cross and a 'shallow' slit - you cna then use any screwdriver you have handy

Indeed.

I dislike flathead screws because if they are tough to get at, they're ten times harder to unscrew - at least with a Phillips or hexhead as long as you maintain positive pressure the screwdriver tip will stay where it is supposed to and not slip off, and the Phillips is even self-seating (or priming, or whatever the word would be) so you don't have to hold it at the correct radial angle to the screw to seat it.

 

[joycem10]

Also Phillips are much easier to work with when employing power tools.

The last week Ive been putting up new 2 by 4 studs to lower a ceiling in my basement for drywalling. Driving a 3 inch Phillips through them is hard enough. If I tried a 3 inch flathead my hands would be meatburger and I would have dropped dead of a coronary.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

I wish theyd start calling them 'plus sign' and 'minus sign' screwdrivers. I always forget which one is the Phillips.

 

[Scuffer]

I hugely prefer Phillips screws ('plus' screws ). Easier in and out, and it might be my imagation, but they seem to be made of better stuff too.

 

[mrtn]

Just as Masquerouge I never heard that name before. Is it the general English name, or just the American one?

 

[Mise]

I call them plus and minus. I've only ever heard "Phillips" being used to described screws on American TV programmes.

I prefer plus ones, btw. They're easier to screw, and the screwdriver doesn't slip out as much.

 

[Scuffer]

That's a weird one. I've always heard Phillips in the UK, and never heard plus/minus anywhere before.

 

[blindside]

He's making a pun, Fox. Screwdrivers, in addition to being a handy household tool, are an alcoholic beverage generally made by mixing orange juice with vodka, though there are copious variations on this theme. If you had bothered to Google "screwdriver" and "vodka" (the words you seemed to have trouble associating) you would have seen this for yourself and would not have needed it explained.

You can't expect him to know names for different types/forms of alcoholic beverages if hes underage.

 

[zippy]

I don't like those. Not enough vodka in them.

You just don't make them big enough. Use a pint glass

 

[Ayatollah So]

I've only used a Robertson head (square socket) screw about once, but I like it better than the Allen head (hex socket) because I bet it would be a lot harder to strip the socket. That's something I do distressingly often with Allen heads, and even more with Phillips heads.

Speaking of Allen heads, if anyone knows where I can get a set of bits for a cordless drill for driving Allen screws, I'd be mucho grateful.

 

[Turner]

Well, I bought a set at sears, and a set at home depot. Should be able to find them in any decent hardware store.

 

[anarres]

Ayatollah So, I assume you're not in the UK?

Weirdly I have a million Allen bits as they come in every bit set I've ever had (and that's quite a few over the years...)

 

[tjedge1]

I have sets of Allen wrenches from Sears. They shouldn't be that hard to find, sometimes I get them with furniture from Wal-Mart as well.

 

[classical_hero]

What on earth is an Allen screw and such? I have never heard of them.

 

[Azadre]

What on earth is an Allen screw and such? I have never heard of them.

Hexagonal ones. They are nice... not.

 

[classical_hero]

Hexagonal ones. They are nice... not.

Why are they called "Allen" screws, then?

 

[anarres]

You know it's just as quick for you to go to wiki as it is for me.

An Allen wrench, Allen key, hex key or hex head wrench is a tool used to drive screws and bolts with a hexagonal socket in the head.

Some of the advantages of this format of tool are:

* Six contact surfaces between bolt and driver
* Contact surfaces of the bolt are protected from external damage
* The bolt can be inserted into its socket using the key
* Torque applied constrained by the length and thickness of the key
* Very small bolt heads are accommodated
* Can be used with a headless screw

Using a single tool instead of many others reduces tooling costs for the manufacturer and is more convenient for the end user. Many manufacturers have adopted hex key bolts for assembling bicycles or for self-assembly furniture.

"Allen wrench" was originally a trademark of Allen Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut in 1943. In Europe, it is usually known as an "Unbrako key" (also often misspelled as "Umbrako"), which is a brand name established in 1911. The brand is owned by SPS Technologies.