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
Your terminology is incorrect. What you are referring to are socket head cap screws. “Hex bolts” is a common name for fasteners with an external hexagonal head, but the correct name for most of those are hex head cap screws.
But as to the reason for slotted or Phillips screws over socket head cap screws, head size is probably the biggest. The head of socket head fastener is generally larger for a given fastener size than a Phillips. If you are using a flat head or button head socket head screw the head is similar size. However for fasteners smaller than 8mm or 5/16″ the socket size is small enough on these flat head and button head fasteners that they are very prone to stripping.
And then most people have a Phillips or flat blade screwdriver at home, while fewer have a set of hex keys.
For construction fasteners socket heads were fairly common but in the last few years torx seem to have become more common. Torx are even less prone to stripping out as they have more contact area than socket heads. But the smallest sizes are prone to breaking th tip of the driver.
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