Why do manufacturers use Allen wrench screws for self assembled furniture instead of Phillips or flathead?
In: 1849
They’re just easier. On the assumption that you’re provided the correct Allen wrench, hex screws are less likely to strip, you get free leverage from the shape of the tool. The tools themselves are super cheap to make, so compared to the hassle of dealing with customers so are mess up their cross head screws, it’s probably cheaper too.
Allen is a superior head for screws that literally anyone can utilize.
Less potential for stripping or user injury.
Flat heads slide out & Phillips is just a sub-par head with a high stripping possibility, compared to something like a square drive /hex
Probably because they’re less likely to strip. There is (generally) one size Allen key that fits the bolt. While there are different sized Phillips screwdrivers, people will probably grab the first one they see. As far as flathead, they are just more difficult to keep in place. On top of all this, think about how many points of contact there are on each. An Allen key (Hex) has 6 walls of contact, a Phillips has 4, and a flathead has 2. As simple as possible, the more points of contact, the more torque you can get before something gives (breaks/bends/unforms).
1. The piece is cheap and safe to use – it costs them virtually nothing to provide you with one.
2. The keys have an inherent ability to tighten fasteners located in difficult to reach places, eliminating the need for specialty screw heads while freeing up design choices.
3. Flathead tend to be awkward to use, being easy to slip out, Philips head is easy, but once used the socket in the fastener often really stands out and has scratches to the finish. Allen key sockets are easier to conceal.
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The previous top answers are correct but not complete. A very compelling reason for the manufacturers is that since an Allen key is far less likely to slip out of the socket, the customer is far less likely to accidentally mar the furniture with a scratch while assembling, triggering an costly return.
Allen wrenches and hex heads are vasty superior to flatheads and still better than Philips.
Flat heads aren’t self centering, the tool is prone to slipping out, and good like putting a lot of torque on it without the tool slipping out
Phillips are self centering so they’re a lot easier to work with but if you put too much torque on it the bit will slip out of the screw head and damage it. This is a feature sometimes as it prevents you from putting too much force and damaging the piece, you’ll just strip the screw
Allen wrenches and hex heads can tolerate a ton of torque and the bit isn’t prone to slipping out. For hand assembled furniture this can be really handy because sometimes you need to thread those screws into wood. You can also limit how much torque people are likely to apply by providing a short stubby allen wrench. If its only 3 inches long its going to be hard to get crazy force on it, but if you give them a drill bit or a socket head it’s going to be easy to put too much force and crush/otherwise damage the pieces you’re connecting
As someone that worked for a company that used a number of different fastener head types I would say the biggest reasons for our products were for cosmetics and the torque requirement. Both Phillips and Allen drives were available in a pan-head design, which we thought looked good. For smaller screws, we tended to use Phillips head screws. For larger screws that were visible we tended to use Allen head screws as they can be tightened much more than a Phillips head. For less visible locations, we generally used hex head screws.
So, if Allen screws seem to be overall better/superior, why use Philips and flathead at all?
Allen wrenches have a very low chance of slipping out and damaging the furniture, even when you apply a lot of torque (in case it’s needed).
Philips screw are great for using an electric screwdriver.(side comment: most of the screws that people call Philips are actually Pozi, which is superior in all aspects. I only see Philips on super cheap stuff. Get a Pozi screwdriver, not a Philips one!)
Flat heads are just super cheap, but they are terrible for electric screwdrivers and if you slip you damage the furniture piece.
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