Phillips head screws vs. flat

[texdav]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

If a screw or threaded rod gets broken, I can make a slot for a flathead screwdriver using a dremel tool and cutoff blade. Philips head screws bugger up and can be impossible to remove as is. Torx is a lot less likely to do so because the interface is vertical and not prone to slippage. Flatheads are better than phillips in the same way. No one choice is best. Each has its own strong point.

Get a extractor set as its even easier without the chance of ruinig the surroundig area. No need for dremel at all for removng ruined screwheads.

[harry chickpea]

The dremel has worked fine for me, but thanks for the tip.

[Coldjensens]

What I cannot understand is why do we have two different shapes of phillips screwdrivers? There really is no reason for it except to sell more tools. Then we get into the square drivers, torx, those stupid new things that require a driver that looks like a horseshoe. WHY?

[Barking Spider]

Originally Posted by ferretkona

I install commercial doors in buildings. Decades ago on schools all flat bladed screws had to be installed with the slot vertical. Now days all hinges are installed with a #3phillips screws and there is no direction required on screws. However no screws with buggered up screw tip slots are allowed.

In very recent years schools now require piano hinges to prevent children getting fingers in the door jambs. Canada has a odd screw pattern, kind of a cross of phillips and square slot.

I inspected schools in So CA for many years and at no time did the orientation of hinge screws ever come into play. It must have been a very local thing in your case, or maybe the obsession of one individual.