This distinction is key, as one cannot rotate a flat-head screw with a cross-patterned Phillips head tool nor use a flat-head driver with a Phillips screw. But why have two different kinds of ...

If you've ever mistakenly grabbed the Phillips head screwdriver when you needed a flat head, you've probably asked yourself why there are different types of screws. Let's start at the beginning.

It’s a brilliant design—Robertson screws won’t easily cam out, and the socket shape helps center the screwdriver, making one-handed operation easy. A slotted, flat-head screwdriver.

Still, while the Phillips screw may have had the advantage back in the ‘30s, these days it’s just one of many crossheaded options out there – and, some may say, not the best of the bunch ...