• AtHeartEngineer@lemmy.world
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      12 days ago

      Square (Robertson) and/or torx depending on application. Square should be for everyday things and torx should be for anything mechanical, yes I know there is a big gray area in the middle there, but flat head, phillips, and hex need to go.

      • kronisk @lemmy.world
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        12 days ago

        Honest question, why not torx across the board? What do square do well that’s not covered by torx?

        • someguy3@lemmy.ca
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          12 days ago

          Robertson is tapered, so you just have to hit the hole somewhat and it’ll guide itself in real easy. Torx is fickle to line up and orientate.

        • AtHeartEngineer@lemmy.world
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          12 days ago

          The way I see it, anything with a square bit can be done by with a hand held screw driver, and anything with a torx bit should probably be torqued to a certain amount and/or be used with a screw gun. Square/Robertson bits are used super often in things like electrical panels and electronics. They are becoming pretty common for cabinetry also. I doubt you’ll see a torx screw in cabinets.

          • kronisk @lemmy.world
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            12 days ago

            Thank you for replying. Robertson screws are not common in Scandinavia - at least I’ve never seen one IRL. I use torx for everything, never had an issue with hand screwing them, which is why I asked. But I’m not an expert or professional, just a home owner that tries to DIY as much as I can.

            Not having to deal with stripped screws is the biggest plus for me, I hate having to remove a Philips or flathead screw that someone else put in some hard-to-reach location that can’t be turned without breaking. (Which happens surprisingly often, actually.)

      • blackris@discuss.tchncs.de
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        12 days ago

        I have never in my life seen such a screw. Hexagon is the shit here, when it isnt Phillips. Maybe coming from Ikea, I don’t know. Is this format a (popular) US thing?

        • AtHeartEngineer@lemmy.world
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          12 days ago

          Ya Ikea standardized on hex because it’s cheap to mass produce. It definitely strips though.

          Torx has slowly been gaining popularity in the US for a decade or two now, but sadly Phillips is still pretty popular and hex is pretty common also, you will see the square/Robertson screws a lot in electrical panels and in cabinetry but not super common at the hardware store.

    • AtHeartEngineer@lemmy.world
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      12 days ago

      Torx for anything that needs to be torqued or used with power tools, Robertson (square) for anything intended to be used with hand tools or more finer work (a screwdriver)