On Wednesday, August 12, 2015 at 5:20:32 PM UTC-4, J. Clarke wrote:
In article ,
says...

On Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 2:52:39 PM UTC-4, John McCoy wrote:
Jack wrote in :

I'm not a fan of square bits. Torx works better, and to me, looks
better. I don't mind "quality" Phillips either, and they look the best
in most applications.

For looks, you can't beat straight slotted brass screws.
That's the way to go if you want the classical craftsman
appearance.

The huge advantage of Torx is the bits are self-centering.

The disadvantage of Torx is that not everyone has a Torx bit.

I do a lot of volunteer stuff that often involves construction. For example, setting up tracks for Soap Box Derby races. We have to construct starting ramps and safety rails. We have to secure 10 x 20 canopies to the blacktop, etc. For years I have wanted to switch to Torx or Star or Robertson, anything but Phillips. Unfortunately, I can't do that.

Every racing family has a screw gun and Phillips head bits because that is what is used for the Derby car shells. However, not many of them have Torx or Star or Robertson bits, so we are basically forced to use Phillips heads for everything if we want everyone to help with the set-up and tear-down.

I can't tell you how many times I've had to get out the vice grips to remove a stripped Phillips screw from something because some rookie chunk-chunk-chunked it in with a bit-up Phillips bit. Gawd, how I hate that sound.

Maybe I should pledge $14 for a Knife Edge bit and then submit an expense report to the Derby.

Geez, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and everybody else sell the same 10
buck box of bits that fit just about everything.

See my response to krw.

It's got nothing to do with the availability of bits at any given store, and it's got nothing to do the fact that the boxes of certain "specialty" screws come with a bit to fit.

If you want proof, try this experiment...

Go to this website and find the nearest Soap Box Derby Rally race to your town:

http://www.soapboxderby.org/aasbd-ra...-schedule.aspx

Stop over to enjoy the race. While you are there, walk around to any of 20 - 40 families racing that weekend and ask if you could borrow a Torx bit. The more "sophistcated" families might have one in their tool box, but I'd be very surprised if more than 10% of them did.

That means that if we set up with anything other than Phillips, there would be very few of us setting up and tearing down and that assumes that everyone that has Torx bits actually wants to help out. It's often hard enough to get people to help...the last thing we want to do is limit the pool by using screws that only a few of us can drive.

I'm sorry, but "don't
have bits" is a crock. The only reason they have Phillips bit is that
they bought them in a store.

No, the reason they have Phillips bits is because the only screws allowed to be used on for the shell, brakes and airfoils of AASBD Soap Box Derby cars are Phillips screws. Pick a link, any link.

http://www.soapboxracing.com/browse.cfm/4,14.html
http://www.soapboxracing.com/browse.cfm/4,12.html
http://www.soapboxracing.com/browse.cfm/4,276.html