Why flathead screws haven’t been completely phased out or replaced by Philips head screws
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A lot of people over here arguing about what the best screw is. Problem is, the best screw type depends on the situation. There is no “**one screw to rule them all**”:
* **Slotted** “Flathead” – simplest of all designs. Does not work well with a screw gun, but hand tools are fine and it looks good on decorative items like electrical outlet covers.
* **Phillips** “cross” – works well with a screw gun. Tends to “cam out” when max torque is reached. Can be a curse of a feature.
* **Robertsons** “square” – much better grab. Won’t cam out as easy. Careful not to snap your screw!
* **Torx** “star” – even better grab. Can be used at many angles. Again, make sure not to drive so hard that you start snapping screws.
* [And many, many more…](https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1282378169/vector/screw-drive-types-and-heads-of-screws-or-bolts-in-outline-style.jpg?s=1024×1024&w=is&k=20&c=GF__p_b-gHldApDr2KhPZfqRi8CluNZyVndYjRpinUU=)
***Edit:*** For those who are interested in more than just a photo, the wiki page “[List of screw drives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screw_drives)” has the names and descriptions of the various drive options.
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