: Why don’t we use hex bolts on everything ?

Question

Certain things like bikes, cars, and furniture use hexagonal bolts for fastening. Hex bolts can only be used with the right diameter key and they don’t slip like Phillips and Flatheads. Also, the hexagonal tip keeps bolts from falling so you don’t need a magnet to hold your fasteners. Furthermore, it’s easy to identify which Allen key you need for each fastener, and you can use ballpoint hex keys if you need to work at an angle.

Since the hex bolt design is so practical, why don’t we use this type of fastener for everything? Why don’t we see hex wood screws and hex drywall screws ?

Edit : I’m asking about fasteners in general (like screws, bolts, etc)

In: Engineering

Answer 1

You can and do! A lot of batten screws and decking screws come in either hex, Robertson (square) or torx.

The answer as to why we don’t is something you kind of already covered, the hex head or 6 sided bolt requires a specific bit, sized appropriately, now on your small scale that’s okay, but on the scale of building a house, building or in a furniture assembly shop? Imagine how annoying it’d get to have even just *two* different sized hex heads instead of a Phillips #2 bit.

Also, in most applications of Philips head, the amount of downward force required to not strip the head is easy to provide. When it isn’t, and the screw is designed to provide the majority of torque, that’s when a different bit is required. And yes, I know that screws drive themselves in, but you still need to start it with some downward force, and apply downward force to keep the bit in the key.

You also have cost as a big consideration. The beauty of Phillips and flat in comparison to torx and hex is that stamping it into the head of a screw is much, much cheaper and easier to do in comparison to stamping an equivalent hex or torx key. Also, if the screw has a tapered head, well, you’d need to have a substantially larger head, or have a key depth so shallow the amount of torque you could apply and the ‘holds itself on’ benefits become *worse* than Phillips.

Personally, instead of giving up on Phillips, get better quality bits, and make sure you’re using the right one. I *hated* Phillips until I got a set of proper, high quality drivers, now I rarely if ever strip screws.