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Re:List of screw drives by thought_alarm on Monday May 07, 2018 @10:30PM (#17018367)
In Canada there is a saying: Anyone who doesn't use a Robertson head is just being an asshole.
Re:List of screw drives by kankroc on Tuesday May 08, 2018 @06:24AM (#17019959)
I'm astonished to learn that Robertson are a Canadian thing! My grandfather was a cabinet-maker and god save you if you used something else in front of him.
Re:List of screw drives by bdickason on Tuesday May 08, 2018 @01:23AM (#17018990)
Stupid question but I've been doing alot of construction lately and using Torx (25 I think?) for everything. What's the advantage of Robertson screws? (in particular for woodworking)
Re:List of screw drives by theluketaylor on Tuesday May 08, 2018 @09:53AM (#17020858)
Robertson has a really nice taper that makes one handed operation really easy even when the screw metal isn't magnetic. The large size of the recess also means you can work Robertson screws even after they have been painted or varnished over. Robertson sizing is also incredibly simple so you grab the right tool every time. Each size has a colour name so you can easily call out each size to a tool fetching assistant (always my role as a kid) and there is no ambiguity if the screwdriver is the right size or not.

Not a ton of advantages over Torx for initial assembly, but if you ever need to repair, especially someone else's work, Robertson is second to none.

Re:List of screw drives by jammi on Tuesday May 08, 2018 @02:49AM (#17019299)
Robertson in Canada is just appeal to tradition at this point. They have no technical merit over Torx except maybe ease of ad-hoc construction of a driver.
Re:List of screw drives by skykooler on Tuesday May 08, 2018 @09:37AM (#17020771)
Robertson are generally cheaper than Torx, for one thing.
Re:List of screw drives by colanderman on Monday May 07, 2018 @11:24PM (#17018579)
Unfortunately Robertson bits are rare south of the Canadian border. I have lots of "universal" bit sets, and only one came with a set of Robertsons. (Most did come with square bits, but these are apparently not the same as Robertson, either in dimension or shape.)
Re:List of screw drives by ken on Tuesday May 08, 2018 @09:28AM (#17020720)
Not rare at all in the US, in my experience. I've been doing some construction and tear-down work recently, and it's about 60% Torx, 40% Robertson.
Re:List of screw drives by eight_ender on Tuesday May 08, 2018 @01:17AM (#17018969)
YES. Robbie for construction, Torx and Triple Square for cars. I've never had a problem with those three. Philips, Posi and Hex strip like crazy.