Slotted/Phillips combo heads; which driver do you use?

[dwasifar]

You see combination screw heads a lot on electrical devices:

When installing these, do you prefer to use Phillips or slotted drivers?

For most of my life I've used Phillips, because they self-center, but lately I've been leaning towards slotted because you can use the same screwdriver to install the trim plate.

 

[rlitman]

There are two different styles of that head. For electrical work, I find myself using ECX bits, as those fit most of what I see, they don't cam out easily, and they self center nicely.

 

[measuredtwice]

combo screwdriver

 

[bigmaq]

Klein 6-in-1. I have about 6 of them, one for each of my toolbox and tool bag, one in the garage, etc. So handy....

 

[dwasifar]

Klein 6-in-1. I have about 6 of them, one for each of my toolbox and tool bag, one in the garage, etc. So handy....

Sure, but which bit? The Phillips bit, or the slotted bit?

 

[bigmaq]

From Amazon: Klein 32557 Multi-Bit Screwdeirer/Nut Driver. Has slotted, philliips and nut driver.

For electrical it's my go-to screwdriver, even though I have a set of very expensive Wiha insulated screwdrivers

 

[bigmaq]

I normally keep just the phillips when using on electrical. Better grip and torque.

 

[dscheidt]

Sure, but which bit? The Phillips bit, or the slotted bit?

Yes.

(whichever is on it, as long as it fits. IF I have to change, it's usually the phillps.)

 

[Mr. T]

I’d use my Wiha Posidriv for what you posted but my Klein 11-in-1 is my go to for general electrical work. If it fits a square head bit, that’s usually your best bet.

 

[Dave455]

I really hate these things. Trying to design a screw for a driver someone might / might not have is never going to work well.

I generally go for the cross head option, be it either Phillips or Pozidriv. (These things come in both varieties).

If you encounter them a lot, some manufacturers offer special drivers with a “combination” tip. Facom call them “Borneo” drivers. An electrician friend has a set. I’ve used them and they work well.

 

[Steve_P]

Not sure about the others mentioned, but the Wiha xeno driver is the proper tool for it. I learned that here long ago

 

[RoundedNut]

I use wiha PH bits with those as they have a very blunt tip and a thick cross.

Other screws types are the square/slot and the square/cross/slot, which is truly an abomination. For those I use Robertson bits.

For face plates, I use a 4V pistol driver with a slot bit.

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

I will use a Phillips bit to snug things up and if necessary I will use a blade bit to really torque it down. I was rewiring some lamps earlier in the week and did just that.

Cheers

Jim

 

[monkeyspanners]

We get that style a lot here too, some are philips/flat and some are pozidriv/flat, I use Facom Borneo screwdrivers on them as the tips have the same +/- shape as the screws. You'd struggle to undo them with a normal driver afterwards!

 

[GerMec]

We have a lot of Pozi-Combination screws at work. I tried for a while to use the approbraite combi driver from wera but I find the normal pozi drive works best

 

[alinc100]

I have these sitting in my desk drawer.Have not done any electrical since discovering these. https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/...rts/double-sided-combo-replacement-bit-2-pack Have not yet figured out best storage with the 11 in 1 yet

 

[Bert_]

You see combination screw heads a lot on electrical devices:

When installing these, do you prefer to use Phillips or slotted drivers?

For most of my life I've used Phillips, because they self-center, but lately I've been leaning towards slotted because you can use the same screwdriver to install the trim plate.

Square. For the device screws anyway.

 

[Ralf11]

all the above should be wiped from the face of the Earth and replaced with Torx

 

[mc4life27]

Sure, but which bit? The Phillips bit, or the slotted bit?

It’s neither it’s an exc bit. It’s a combo of a flat and a Robertson in one.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[timgunn1962]

I'm not sure whether there are different versions of the head recess, depending on where in the world the equipment originates: effectively Phillips-and-slot, Pozi-and-slot? Here in the UK, we only seem to see one type, though I can't be sure.

I cover these with "Modulo" cross-and-slot bits in my normal 1/4" hex-bit drivers (I think my modulo bits are CK-branded, single-ended and 2" long. The double-ended short Klein ones linked above look useful), but mostly use the cross-and-slot 1000V VDE-insulated bits and/or drivers for electrical screws (I work in industrial maintenance, often working on live equipment).

Wiha, Wera, and most other manufacturers, sell the appropriate bits for their 1000V VDE drivers, though they seem to be proprietary in most cases (I think I have Wiha, which use a 6mm hex bit. My colleague uses Wera, which are completely different).

Torque drivers are a requirement for a lot of installation work here and it is certainly easy to set a torque driver and work along a terminal rail when checking all the terminals are tight. For most tasks I do, the correct tools for the job are readily to hand.

I'll use either a slotted-, Philips- or Pozi- driver in a pinch, but the risk of chewing up a recess is factored into the decision.

It has to be said that I'm struggling a bit to see the point of this thread on a tool forum. The basic premise seems to be that there is a correct tool for the job. Let's ignore that. There are also (at least) two options for incorrect tools for the job. Which of these incorrect options do you use?

 

[egdede]

Sometimes a slotted and sometimes a Phillips. Whichever fits snug and doesn't seem like it is going to deform the screw head or cam out. And like with any assortment af screws and drivers, there are subtle fitment issues that you should suss out BEFORE applying torque. It is a 'if you have to ask' kind of deal...

I have hoarded electrical fittings I believe to be made in the 50's 60's and/or 70's (USA!) with a combo screw that I use my WIHA slotted hollow ground because those fit F'n perfect. BUT those combo screw heads are NOT the same as the newer ones which are really designed for the specialty drivers shown. And as noted above some of the newer ones are designed with a posi foro the 'phillips' 1/2 of the equation. Some fit robertson (I used to see this on decking screws before Torx took over). For the ones that fit square drive too, a slotted screw driver is more likely to slip as the square drive takes out 1/2 of the slot.

So, in summary, there many different kinds of 'combo' screws and sometimes slotted drivers fit best, and sometimes Phillips fit best.

 

[dwasifar]

It has to be said that I'm struggling a bit to see the point of this thread on a tool forum. The basic premise seems to be that there is a correct tool for the job. Let's ignore that. There are also (at least) two options for incorrect tools for the job. Which of these incorrect options do you use?

I'm not sure I follow you. "The basic premise seems to be that there is a correct tool for the job." Do you mean the premise of the original question, or the premise of the tool forum as a whole?

"Which of these incorrect options do you use?" If the fastener is named "combination slotted/Phillips" - which it is - then I fail to see how a tool specifically mentioned in the fastener's name can be an incorrect option. And anyway, there is often more than one "correct tool" for a fastener. Which of these is the correct tool for turning hex bolts: a socket, a box end wrench, or an open end wrench? The answer may legitimately be "it depends," which is fine, but calling one categorically correct and the others categorically incorrect is, well, incorrect.

 

[bobg03]

I have these sitting in my desk drawer.Have not done any electrical since discovering these. https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/...rts/double-sided-combo-replacement-bit-2-pack Have not yet figured out best storage with the 11 in 1 yet

Klein also makes these 2 sizes in a regular style screwdriver, my son purchased a two pack last year.

 

[alinc100]

Yes,those are downstairs in my dedicated electrical toolkit, bought at the same time I ordered the bits,which happened to be about 2 weeks AFTER I finished a kitchen backsplash project with all new outlets.