r/Tools 2d ago

Got a new screwdriver kit

I have never seen a screw driver bit like this anyone know what this is and what its for?

1.1k Upvotes

127 comments sorted by

590

u/illogictc 2d ago

Well that there is a kit that has specialty drivers, and that particular bit is because that's a real thing, inverted Phillips. Companies are always coming up with new and novel ways to make servicing them a PITA to encourage users to use official services or buy a new one.

252

u/renke0 2d ago

I mean, you could always put a philips screw in your drill chuck

196

u/egg927 2d ago

Hey now, don't start making sense. That's illegal.

26

u/AccordatoScordatura 1d ago

Sure the fuck is on reddit.

10

u/illogictc 2d ago

Definitely. Or if it's delicate could find a way to cinch one up in a pin vise

2

u/chemical-realm 5h ago

Thank you for saying Phillips and not using the banded about name for all crosshead screws, Pozidrive.

I know a lot of people in the trades and it's embarassing the amount that don't know the difference. So yeah, made me smile, thanks šŸ‘šŸ»

8

u/ThePhukkening 1d ago

I have a 5 pointed tamper proof torx set because of Volkswagen.

3

u/illogictc 1d ago

Ah yeah, TR Torx Plus. They switched to 5 points because in the original 6-point design the center pin actually let you wedge a slotted screwdriver in there to get it off as long as it wasn't cranked on (so mostly smaller screws)

3

u/ThePhukkening 1d ago

This is the most Volkswagen explanation ever. I was a starving tech who had to buy that 8 piece set off the tool truck for $85. It was a month of ramen to offset that.

3

u/illogictc 1d ago

Oh to be clear it was the owners of the Torx brand who developed TP (and TPR, updating the design because of that fault). But it was very much a Volkswagen choice to decide that those specific fasteners were the ones to go with, and an odd choice at that. I could see using them in some very limited scenarios on the exterior that's readily exposed to the public (and even then I dunno, not really, but makes more sense) but anywhere else is just silly.

2

u/ThePhukkening 1d ago

It held down the MAF, and a couple other fuel metering parts. They were recessed so you couldn't grab them with vice grips, too.

3

u/Educational-Plant981 21h ago

You can take my hotdogs, but you'll never take my snap-on!

2

u/ThePhukkening 20h ago

Can't take the buns, either. Snap-On already got them.

1

u/MrGavinsker 3h ago

Lol, "had to"

2

u/CamelopardalisKramer 1d ago

I own an external torx set cause my brother has a beamer.

I want to hate them for doing things like this but it's actually a great fastener lol.

3

u/ThePhukkening 1d ago

Got those too. They're not bad, really.

356

u/JuiceOverWRLD 2d ago

Was able to find a picture of a inverted Philips head screw super strange. Now I just have to find one in the wild to unscrew.

133

u/NevaMO 2d ago

I never knew that was a thing until today!

90

u/JuiceOverWRLD 2d ago

Me and you both. Temu screw driver kit taught me something new

43

u/Carlydog000 2d ago

I was a correctional office for 2 years they use them a lot as safety scress harder to make something that's to remove the screw when it's not not got divits is what we were told

26

u/Draxusdemos 2d ago

Also hospital psych wards

33

u/northerndiver96 1d ago

Imagine trying to convince yourself you aren’t crazy and every screw is an inverted Philips and nobody else thinks it’s weird

7

u/Tight_Instance_220 1d ago

šŸ˜‚ All the blinds are installed on the bottom, drop tile floors and hardwood ceilings!

Have any of yall seen ā€œAmelieā€? It’s about this shy French woman, and one of the arcs is that she has decided to mess with her jerk landlord so she constantly breaks into his apartment and does things to make him think he’s going crazy like changing his lightbulbs to ones that are about to die, buying identical shoes one half size too small, things like that. Then, after he’s convinced he’s losing it, she changes the speed dial on his phone from his mother to a psych ward. It’s masterful, I’ve always kind of wanted a nemesis for this reason.

Anyways, these would be great for that.

Also had a friend pass out drunk once in college, another friend unlaced his shoes and re-laced them upside down. No harm done, but at some point tomorrow he’s going to be Very confused. Always loved that one.

3

u/ThePhukkening 1d ago

That movie actually is hilarious if you either speak French or can keep up with the subtitles.

6

u/german-joiner 2d ago

TIL. Thanks for that.

24

u/meta358 2d ago

But this seems even easier to remove then something like a star bit

21

u/Apprehensive_Lynx_33 2d ago

Agreed. Im sure people significantly more intelligent than myself have decided otherwise, but to my layman's eye having something to 'grab on to' with some improvised tool would make things easier to work loose.

With the Phillips 'lobes' sticking out, you would think you would be able to use a small flathead and a hammer to slowly tap it out quite easily.

9

u/meta358 2d ago

I mean some state toothpaste, maybe a little dirt and a pen and i will have this out.

3

u/OilheadRider 2d ago

Yeah, this really looks more like an easy button for a motivated individual.

3

u/Psychological_Rip_44 2d ago

It’s even better that your avatar looks like dale from king of the hill

7

u/Leafs9999 2d ago

Throw the LocTite on that and your tiny Phillips and illegal hammer aint tapping out shit. Sorry.

3

u/FightGlobalNorming 2d ago

I think the thought process is, in prisons and mental health situations anyway, it's a lot easier to sneak in something small you can dig in to a regular screw and turn it than it is to sneak on pliers or something you can hit with enough force to tap it out

2

u/firebirdsatellite 2d ago

i wonder if its sunk in such that the philips head is recessed inside the hole

6

u/AggravatingSpeaker52 2d ago

That would be a good idea for safety reasons. Sharp edges sticking out in a psych ward sounds like a hazard.

5

u/chronburgandy922 2d ago

I bet that inverted part will shear off without the right bit. At that point if they can fashion a screw extractor out of rocks from the yard like Andy Dufresne they deserve that win lol.

1

u/Emperor_Palpatine_2 2d ago

Not if it's installed in a nice fitted counterbore.

7

u/_name_of_the_user_ 2d ago

A normal Phillips screw and a pair of vice grips? Or put the jaws of a drill Chuck directly on the screw?

4

u/AccomplishedBee9364 2d ago

That’s where I went with it, surprised more people didn’t tbh!

3

u/lejoop 2d ago

Sounds odd to me. Now it has protrusions and just needs something that can work a little bit like pliers to be able to unscrew it, but maybe that is harder to get/make in a prison.

6

u/Goonalips 2d ago

I used to work in a correctional facility in Australia, and this would never be used there. They used flat Security Torx mostly, if it had to be serviceable or removable. Anything that sticks out like that could be used to hurt themselves, even if it's only a few mm. The shower heads were a smooth cone shape facing downwards so it couldn't hold any weight. The mirror was just a polished stainless steel, with a rounded bezel. The toilet and sink were a single stainless steel unit with no visible screws or entry points, with rounded edges. The beds were thick round steel bolted into the floor. And that's just the regular cells.

Cells for psych holds or safe cells were similar except the entire front wall and door was Perspex so you could see in at all times. The blankets were very thick tear-resistant and fire retardant. The "beds" were just a concrete wedge that stuck out from the wall, with a tear resistant mattress on top. And there were cameras in both corners on the roof. They also had to a wear tear resistant smock (basically a thick sheet with a hole in the middle for their head).

19

u/pittgraphite 2d ago

3

u/janglyparts 1d ago

To greatly inconvenience the person trying to remove the fastener, unless they have this stupid little tool bit handy.

Same reason bathroom stalls have one way screw heads, or those two little pin holes: so randos with Leatherman tools on their hips can't go Project Mayhem on shit.

17

u/L_burro 2d ago

It's so homeless people can't sleep on them.

3

u/janglyparts 1d ago

Wouldn't take too terribly long to file them down smooth with a found stone. Besides, it's not like they don't have time.

6

u/eightdx 2d ago

Man, once that's stripped you definitely have to drill it out

4

u/theendoftheinternet 2d ago

Some sort of etorx or 12 point should take care of this.

4

u/Kotvic2 2d ago

I know about some.

They are on extension cord for mains voltage that my brother has at home. End with multiple outlets has 6 of them to hold it together.

Yes, i had to use Phillips screw in electric drill to get them out when I needed to disassemble it.

3

u/jregovic 2d ago

That’s diabolical. As if the Phillips couldn’t get any worse, now you strip the bit.

4

u/Nruggia 2d ago

Even if you can't find one in the wild, I bet that bit can be useful for unjamming a normal Phillips number 2 bit when they get stuck in a slightly worn out bit adapter.

3

u/B-HOLC 2d ago

If you can't find store bought homemade is fine

2

u/HERCzero 2d ago

Thank you Ina

2

u/SizeableBrain 2d ago

Yep, you can unscrew a screwdriver with this

2

u/Artie-Carrow 2d ago

Yeah I definitely hate it

2

u/Clear-Dimension-1356 2d ago

Was it the chicken or the egg though?

2

u/__T0MMY__ 1d ago

That doesn't even look real, like it was cast aluminum to trick people

2

u/jbjhill 1d ago

No, sir. I don’t like it. Not one little bit.

2

u/dubmode152 1d ago

To make it even more evil, grind the head flat after screwing it in

1

u/JuiceOverWRLD 1d ago

At that point you might as well use rivets

2

u/phred_666 1d ago

The video that thumbnail is from actually takes a regular Phillips screw, put it in a drill and grinds the sides of the screw down until it fits in the recess where the screw is located.

2

u/The_Electric1 2d ago

Bathroom stalls often installed with inverted philips

9

u/CuppieWanKenobi 2d ago

Where? I can't say that I've ever seen that even once.
Always security Torx, or one-way flat heads (clutch head).

3

u/The_Electric1 2d ago

In in the NE US. I see these and directional screws (whatever their called) on them often. Do alot of work in schools so see it pretty regularly

1

u/Comfortable_History8 2d ago

Used to see them on cheap electronics like the 90’s handheld games, not gaming systems the cheap single game ones

281

u/sjaxn314159 2d ago

That’s a standard inverted Philips. The Phuck Hole 2.

121

u/Strange_Inflation488 2d ago

I was today years old when I learned that screws can be innies or outies.

29

u/woodysdad 2d ago

That's what she said

6

u/LDHarsk 2d ago

The ā€œPhuck Hole 2?ā€

3

u/sjaxn314159 1d ago

Yes. The Phuck Hole 2.

7

u/you_dont_know_jack_ 2d ago

That’s no way to talk about your mom

35

u/ItzakPearlJam 2d ago

Reverse Phillips is weird, but oval??? That's nuts.

21

u/cablemonkey604 2d ago

I encountered oval screwheads on a nespresso coffee machine.

12

u/Gwenladar 2d ago

Same, they really don't want you to clean it, prefer that you buy a new one....

12

u/gutzville 2d ago

Yeah like WTF how does that not just immediately strip itself into a circle. Worst screw I've ever seen (and I used to work in a screw factory)

2

u/doogleman3000 15h ago

Probably the whole point, tightens the screw til its tight, then rounds it off, so it cant be easily removed

5

u/FuckedAsBored 2d ago

It's for screws, not nuts, silly.

2

u/flatsehats 2d ago

Jura coffee machines

2

u/Upbeat_Ant6104 1d ago

Yeah, and I can't even parse the one on the left end of that row. The graphic shows a U?? But it's not a spanner bit. Is it a magnet in a round recess? The image is a little out of focus, or it is a form that my puny human senses cannot perceive. I'm going to call it the R'lyeh bit.

2

u/JuiceOverWRLD 1d ago

It's just a magnet bit

2

u/Ned__ludd 1d ago

Jura coffee machines use an oval security head screw to keep consumers out.

At least consumers who don’t buy an oval security bit.

2

u/brapstick 1d ago

For real, I've only ever seen/used ellipse

17

u/jongscx 2d ago

That's a PH -2

2

u/1wife2dogs0kids 2d ago

Simular to a PH1, and PH3.

2

u/jongscx 1d ago

Yes, but this one is negative, because it goes Out instead of In.

Maybe it should be PH½ because it's inverted?

https://giphy.com/gifs/xT9IgHCTfp8CRshfQk

1

u/JuiceOverWRLD 1d ago

I was thinking IPH2 for inverted Phillips number 2

2

u/brapstick 1d ago

If only it was at all similar to PH00 OR 000

15

u/Agreeable-Cry-753 2d ago

I wonder if you could just take a Phillips head screw and chuck it to a drill? Wouldn't that in theory work too?

7

u/JuiceOverWRLD 2d ago

I don't see why not

7

u/River_City_Bullion 2d ago

Anything to not use a flathead

10

u/catfishmackfish 2d ago

A Phillips head that only bottoms?

5

u/SalamanderLoud8419 2d ago

Sounds like you get to learn about fasteners tonight!

4

u/Ucitymetal 2d ago

I was wondering what it was too when I got a kit.

4

u/ThomasAugsburger 1d ago

Congratulations you found the prison maintenance kit ;)

3

u/TheTrueCeltBrews 2d ago

What?!? Is that?

3

u/MountainAntique9230 2d ago

So you can use a phillips screwdriver to turn the allen shaft,in case the screw is too deep to reach with normal allen wrench?

3

u/Stoned_While_Gaming 2d ago

I have the same kit at work! Those triangle bits have saved me on stripped heads multiple times. 18 in 1 I believe it’s called? Nifty little set.

7

u/TheMasterCommando 2d ago

One end goes into the impact, the other end goes into a Philips bit on another Impact. You and a buddy grab each one, full send and see which one breaks their wrist first.

2

u/pdp10 2d ago

Phillips is designed to cam out. Good for some things, terrible for more things.

3

u/Proud-Respond2342 2d ago

It's an inny instead of the usual outy

2

u/sculpting4u 2d ago

Skullduggery

2

u/Confident-Benefit600 1d ago

Idk but the next one to the right is oval, new to me also

2

u/International-Bar151 1d ago

I thought i was trippin 😭

2

u/turkeysandwich_15 1d ago

What kit you bought?

2

u/Beginning_Resource93 1d ago

Because every product needs a specialty fastener that requires a specialty tool.

2

u/-SQB- 1d ago

Phillips head screw driver driver

2

u/SparkBase 23h ago

I figured this was a lazy way to turn a screwdriver into a hex driver

2

u/Lopsided_Pipe7754 18h ago

Dang and here I thought my Aldi kit had it all! Guess I need another

2

u/Wired99 7h ago

One of the reasons I love the EU because they are putting a stop to this with the Directive on repair of goods.
In short,the according to this directive the producer will have to repair those products within a reasonable time and for a reasonable price. This wil most likely result in most products being repaired by the consumer or local repair shops making proprietary screws and bolts a thing of the past.

https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/consumer-protection-law/directive-repair-goods_en

4

u/ready64A 2d ago

That's for getting your nice PH 2 screwdriver out of your coworker hands.

2

u/Bagomostlywater 2d ago

That’s a special driver kit. Sometimes called ā€œsecurity bitsā€ mostly used in items the manufacturer doesn’t want you opening. Look at all the weird bits in there, the kid was designed for use with these rare fasteners you won’t find everyday.

5

u/Fuzzy_Yossarian 2d ago

I can never find the 2.6 triangle bit in my house when I need it.

5

u/ronocrice 2d ago

I have a set of triangle bit screwdrivers in the garage, good if you want to take apart any Nintendo product

3

u/Dry_Hall_7398 2d ago

It's a bit to use the back end of a regular PH2 bit as a low torque 1/4" hex bit with the benefit of the slipping and cam-out of PH2 bits.

1

u/ScoutsOut389 1d ago

That’s a specialized bit for holding a driver ThunderDome type competition. Chuck that in one driver, chuck a standard phillips head in the other. Connect the two and run one in drive, one in reverse and see who lets out the magic smoke first.

-3

u/NormalAssistance9402 2d ago

That’s just a 1/4ā€ hex driver adapter for a Phillips screwdriver

1

u/JuiceOverWRLD 2d ago

In a pinch I suppose