I would rank slotted higher than Phillips because it is really easy to manufacture, and it still works when it’s really shallow. There are lots of places where it’s the only option that makes sense.
Slotted becomes far more tolerable when you have a hollow-ground screwdriver. Flathead screwdrivers should not have the profile of a wedge. They should look like this:
This profile ensures that the force is applied lower in the slot, not right at the very top edge.
I still HATE slotted screws when torque is required or where corrosion can occur, but the hatred of them is also partially due to shitty drivers.
Here’s a picture that says all of the above but far more concisely:
That also removes one of the few advantages of slotted screws, namely that they can use more than one size of driver.
I’m mostly annoyed by the horizontal slipping of slotted screws. It’s bad enough when driving manually, but even a ratcheting screwdriver, let alone a drill or impact, is far faster and easier with screws that have closed edges.
Even if the width of your driver doesn’t match, a hollow ground tool is still a huge improvement imo. I’m definitely not a fan of slotted screws though. I’d rather have Phillips head provided I have a super grippy Wera screwdriver.
For me, it’s outside hex > torx > pozidrive > internal hex > Phillips > JIS > slotted. I’ve never used a Robertsons screw so I can’t form an opinion on them.
I would rank slotted higher than Phillips because it is really easy to manufacture, and it still works when it’s really shallow. There are lots of places where it’s the only option that makes sense.
Slotted becomes far more tolerable when you have a hollow-ground screwdriver. Flathead screwdrivers should not have the profile of a wedge. They should look like this:
This profile ensures that the force is applied lower in the slot, not right at the very top edge.
I still HATE slotted screws when torque is required or where corrosion can occur, but the hatred of them is also partially due to shitty drivers.
Here’s a picture that says all of the above but far more concisely:
That also removes one of the few advantages of slotted screws, namely that they can use more than one size of driver.
I’m mostly annoyed by the horizontal slipping of slotted screws. It’s bad enough when driving manually, but even a ratcheting screwdriver, let alone a drill or impact, is far faster and easier with screws that have closed edges.
Even if the width of your driver doesn’t match, a hollow ground tool is still a huge improvement imo. I’m definitely not a fan of slotted screws though. I’d rather have Phillips head provided I have a super grippy Wera screwdriver.
For me, it’s outside hex > torx > pozidrive > internal hex > Phillips > JIS > slotted. I’ve never used a Robertsons screw so I can’t form an opinion on them.