Ross of OttawaAug 8, 2023

Hey European & American friends who use tools and do building, repairs, DIY – are Robertson screws common in your area?

Are Robertson screwdrivers common in European toolboxes?

In Canada I suspect that 99% of people who have tools would have Robertson screwdrivers in their toolbox. At least the red & green (#2, #1) sizes. The more intrepid will have the yellow and black (#0, #3) sizes too.

#DIY #tools #carpentry #joinery #Question

Poll to follow…

Show threadRoss of OttawaAug 8, 2023
Do you have Robertson screwdrivers at home?
Yes (I'm not in Canada)
11.9%
No (not in Canada)
35.5%
Yes (I'm in Canada)
51.6%
No (I'm in Canada)
0.9%
Poll ended at .
Show threadRoss of OttawaAug 8, 2023
Comments, boosts & elaborations appreciated. Wondering if I send something to European customers with Robertson screws they'll throw them away and use Phillips or Torx or something.
Show threadLillyLyle/Count MelancholiaAug 8, 2023
@ottaross I've never seen a screw head like that in Europe. I would need to order one on Amazon. Idea! You could include a screwdriver with whatever it is you're selling, like the WeFixit people do...
Show threadRoss of OttawaAug 8, 2023

@LillyHerself True - maybe that would be the start of a new proliferation of them into Europe.

The little item I sell can be mounted with a couple of screws and is very cheap, so I'll probably just put a couple of Phillips screws in the package.

Show threadjarkman

@ottaross @LillyHerself Phillips is pretty rare in the UK. Pozi is by far the most common for woodscrews, with Torx a rising second. I don't think I've ever seen a Robertson in my life.

I suspect Europe is the same, maybe more Torx and less Pozi.

Aug 9, 2023 at 7:12amWeb
Show threadLillyLyle/Count MelancholiaAug 9, 2023
@jarkman @ottaross I suspect that those two you mention look vaguely like Phillips heads and I'm just not savvy enough to tell the difference!
Show threadjarkmanAug 9, 2023

@LillyHerself @ottaross Pozi looks quite like Phillips, but with some little extra notches between the big notches. Phillips and Pozi will sort-of but not really drive each other, leading to all the screws and all the drivers being a bit rounded off and useless if you are not careful.

Just for completeness, there is also JIS, common on Japanese things, which looks even more like Phillips but really isn't.

Torx is hexagonal, like Allen, but has pointy corners.