He understood the advantage of this patent: Year before that, he had started the “ Phillips Screw Company” ( ? ). Phillips and bought the design/patent in 1935, and refined it (final version patent being US. ? Couldn’t get anyone to produce screws and screwdrivers with this patent. But he was probably as good a salesmen, and capitalist, as I am. In 1933 he also patent-protected a matching screwdriver. Thompson invented (and patented under US Pat. How did they come to be, and what is the main problem with them?Ī man named John P. You might have heard of these, they are also known as “cross-recess”, “cross-head”, or “cross-point”. Standards, specifications and dimensions are discussed in the 3rd chapter. Just as little as necessary to understand the current chaos with cross-head screwdrivers. Any additions, or corrections are welcome. Yet, take this article as: “to the best of my knowledge”. Took me a lot of time to figure this out and get all the data. The rest of this post is a rather detailed explanation of the crossed head screwdriver topic, but with no final answer for now, just a few practical examples. Will do my best to explain it in this article.īefore theory, here is my practical demonstration of the problem and how the screwdriver shown above solves it:
How can I find a good Phillips/JIS screwdriver?.Standards of popular cross-tipped screwdrivers.
The difference between Phillips and JIS screwdrivers JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) screwdriversĢ.3. Alas, if you’ve ever fixed bicycles, motorcycles, or any appliance with cross-head screws, you know how frustrating it gets when your screwdriver just keeps slipping out, especially when you are trying to loosen a stuck screw. Then comes some history, and standards explanation (including JIS), in an attempt to provide a more universal way of recognizing the good, well fitting screwdrivers – and clarify what it’s all about.
In this post I’ll explain how to find a cross-head (Phillips) screwdriver that doesn’t slip out when trying to unscrew a tight screw.