Residential electrical switch box covers: why not Phillips?

[vavet]

Why do residential switch plate cover plates use straight slot screws instead of Phillips? Is it to avoid overtorqueing?
tradition?

 

[Blueshound_GJ]

Probably cheaper.

 

[LXCam]

So we can argue about vertical or horizontal slot alignment…duhhhhh

 

[dscheidt]

So we can argue about vertical or horizontal slot alignment…duhhhhh

There's no argument, though. Horizontal slots are clearly the work of mouthbreathers.

The answer tradition, no doubt.

 

[mm08822]

I had one customer tell me as I finished up that he wanted all the screw slots vertical.....hahaha.....yup...funny

HE WAS SERIOUS!!! Im sure the expression on my face was more than insulting

 

[drmarkr]

 

[Sumboodie]

I had one customer tell me as I finished up that he wanted all the

That's reasonable.

 

[johnre]

I'd guess the reason is that straight slot screws hide better than Phillips; you want these covers to look invisible.

 

[Chuckster in NJ]

Phillips head cover screws would end the "vertical or horizontal" screw position debate HOWEVER some would start the "x or +” screw position.

 

[mm08822]

Allen heads for the win

ETA: Even double hex for those still confounded with a simple hex.

 

[WillyBoy]

Oh the horror, with phillips heads, how can we precisely clock the head slots so they shed sawdust?

 

[rlitman]

I own a number of those screw starters, but for plate screws, I use a Wera insulated parallel ground slotted screwdriver that fits so perfectly that it will hang it's own weight from the screw if it's roughly horizontal.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Solution: Use the Spline drive or Double Hex fasteners, there's almost no way to position those incorrectly.

Brilliant!