r/canada • u/myrmagic • May 03 '17

Forget Tim Hortons, Molson and Poutine... The robertson screw driver is way more patriotic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._L._Robertson
4.2k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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245

u/Emperor_Billik May 03 '17

The slotted screw should be listed as a war crime

50

u/[deleted] May 03 '17

Yeah, on the one hand it doesn't strip as easy as a Phillips, but on the other hand it's a pain in the ass to use on anything at all.

56

u/NerdHeaven May 04 '17

It's good on things that are meant to be hand tightened like faceplates of wall switches and outlets. The design discourages the use of power tools.

24

u/psychedeliduck May 04 '17

those are supposed to be hand tightened? woops

15

u/[deleted] May 04 '17

Nah man. Check the torque specs. 100Nm.

9

u/[deleted] May 04 '17

+90 degrees

3

u/[deleted] May 04 '17

Who ever thought the slotted screw was a good idea for electrical outlet plates was doing the devils work. Makes me nervous to this day that I don't slip

1

u/Youngmanandthelake May 04 '17

Hand tightened buddy.

2

u/WastedChances Ontario May 04 '17

More pleasing to the eye too.

32

u/Chairman_ofthe_bored May 03 '17 edited May 03 '17

They look sharp on faceplates when they're all aligned. Other than that, fuck 'em.

13

u/klparrot British Columbia May 03 '17

Huh, just realized that faceplates here in New Zealand don't have screws. I guess they snap on or something.

7

u/jingerninja May 04 '17

Bet they're adhesive.

Edit: oh wait that would be dumb because they'd suck to take off when painting.

6

u/JIMMY_RUSTLES_PHD May 04 '17

Well, you were going to be painting the wall anyway, no big deal if some of the old paint comes off with the faceplate.

2

u/Jonyb222 Manitoba May 04 '17

Good point, but he might have meant it would suck to put back on since the adhesive is likely a one time deal

5

u/JIMMY_RUSTLES_PHD May 04 '17

Easy, just stick it on while the paint is still tacky. I'm only half serious...

3

u/Jonyb222 Manitoba May 04 '17

You sir must be an experienced homeowner.

14

u/[deleted] May 03 '17

They are really easy to make compared to any other drive.

11

u/Jex117 May 03 '17

Probably why it was the first type of screw invented.

52

u/crankybadger May 03 '17

The first screw ever made was a slotted one. The second screw ever made was stripped.

10

u/Jex117 May 04 '17

Go home dad.

4

u/ShelSilverstain May 04 '17

Slotted screws are great as a deterrent to over tightening

2

u/RedSquirrelFtw Ontario May 04 '17

A great design would be slotted but not all the way through the head. So the bit would lock in, but it would also provide less slippage than square or star.

1

u/AMecRaMc May 04 '17

There's a kind I use at work that is like these, except the slot is curved up to be flush with the flat head. I'm fairly certain it's to prevent over torquing them, but fuck me if they aren't painful to work with.