I swear, every time I try to fix something around here, I end up making three trips to the hardware store because I don’t have the “right” bit. Last week it was a panel on my dishwasher—needed some weird star-shaped thing. I get why they want stuff sealed up tight, but man, it’s like a puzzle just to get the cover off. I kinda miss when a Phillips head would do the trick.
It’s wild how many different screw heads are out there now. I run into this all the time when I’m checking appliances or even just tightening up fixtures—one day it’s Torx, next day it’s a triangle, then back to a classic Phillips. I get that manufacturers want to keep things tamper-resistant, but it honestly feels like overkill half the time.
Have you thought about picking up one of those bit sets that covers all the weird shapes? They’re not too pricey, and they’ve saved me more trips than I can count. I keep one in my truck just because you never know what you’ll run into.
I do wonder, though—does making things harder to open actually keep stuff safer, or does it just annoy the people who are actually trying to fix things? For older appliances, I could usually sort out a problem in ten minutes. Now, just getting the panel off can take that long. Maybe there’s a happy medium, but it feels like we’re not there yet.
I do wonder, though—does making things harder to open actually keep stuff safer, or does it just annoy the people who are actually trying to fix things?
Honestly, it feels like more hassle than help most days. I get that some level of tamper-resistance is needed, but when I’m just trying to swap out a leaky valve or tighten a loose handle, those oddball screws slow everything down. I keep a multi-bit set in my maintenance bag now—otherwise, I'd be running back and forth nonstop. It’s a trade-off, but I wish there was a bit more standardization, at least for basic repairs.
I wish there was a bit more standardization, at least for basic repairs.
I get where you're coming from, but honestly, if everything was standardized, it’d probably make it easier for thieves too. I’ve had a couple things in my garage that were “too easy” to get into—learned that lesson the hard way. Sometimes a weird screw is just enough of a deterrent.
Sometimes a weird screw is just enough of a deterrent.
That’s actually a good point. I remember swapping out a busted lock on my shed and the replacement had these triangle-shaped screws. Took me forever to find the right bit, but I guess that’s the idea. Still, when my blender broke, I had to order a special tool just to open it up—felt a bit much for a kitchen gadget. I get wanting to keep stuff secure, but sometimes it feels like they’re just making it harder for regular folks to fix their own stuff. There’s gotta be a middle ground, right?
