You would be correct. Except philip head screws were never really meant to be removed. They were originally designed to be a simple torque limiting fastener for use on an assembly line to speed up the work. I think the screw type was developed for Ford Motor’s use on assembly lines in the 1920s. The installation tool is meant to cam out of the slots when the screw hits the proper limit. So one and done. The issue is today designers are often too stupid/lazy to not distinguish between assemblies that need to be taken apart to repair and those that won’t be.
And THEN the Japanese walk into this mess by introducing their JIS spec cross-head screws and special drivers. It’s very close to the original philips in looks, but it’s not. It’s designed to not cam out as easily as a philips head screw and be reusable. And It requires a special set of JIS screwdrivers to install or remove. They are commonly found on Japanese motorcycles. Though they have spread and can be found in the weirdest places these days.
So if you have a “philips head” screw you just can’t remove, it just might be JIS. So buy a set of JIS drivers, and look very closely, and “try before you pry” to be sure you are getting the correct fit between the driver and the screw head.
You would be correct. Except philip head screws were never really meant to be removed. They were originally designed to be a simple torque limiting fastener for use on an assembly line to speed up the work. I think the screw type was developed for Ford Motor’s use on assembly lines in the 1920s. The installation tool is meant to cam out of the slots when the screw hits the proper limit. So one and done. The issue is today designers are often too stupid/lazy to not distinguish between assemblies that need to be taken apart to repair and those that won’t be.
And THEN the Japanese walk into this mess by introducing their JIS spec cross-head screws and special drivers. It’s very close to the original philips in looks, but it’s not. It’s designed to not cam out as easily as a philips head screw and be reusable. And It requires a special set of JIS screwdrivers to install or remove. They are commonly found on Japanese motorcycles. Though they have spread and can be found in the weirdest places these days.
So if you have a “philips head” screw you just can’t remove, it just might be JIS. So buy a set of JIS drivers, and look very closely, and “try before you pry” to be sure you are getting the correct fit between the driver and the screw head.