Phillips Screwdrivers

The Phillips driver has four simple tapered slots cut out of and was designed so that with a Phillips tip could turn a Phillips screw with increasing torque until the torque gets to be too strong for the tip then the screwdriver tip winds itself out of the screw thus preventing over-tightening and or damage to the screwhead.

The main disadvantage of Phillips screws is that they are visually quite similar to Pozidriv, thus many people are unaware of the difference or do not own the correct drivers for them, and use incorrect screwdrivers. This results in difficulty in unscrewing the screw and in damage to the slot, rendering any subsequent use of a correct screwdriver unsatisfactory.