It looks like a damaged philips (2?). I‘d say you want to replace it
this post was submitted on 08 Feb 2025
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yeah this seems to be the early consensus.
It could be a JIS screw and not a Phillips. I think I even see the dimple in the upper right side.
JIS is what those really shallow "Phillips" screws are? TIL, thanks!
that would make sense in that it seemed not right for a philips. either way its got a stripped head though and I will be just getting something of the same size and thread with whatever head has it. probably philips. oh but I kinda wonder if its more likely to be metric then.
If you don't have a thread gauge, you should be able to take the screw to Home Depot/Lowes or the hardware store and use their thread gauges or just find a nut that fits it to determine the proper size and thread pitch.
It probably is metric as it seems most hardware is these days even if it's made in the US.
yeah I have used them. usually I try the us system one first but Im gonna try metric first assuming this is japanese origin for the screw.
It just looks like a slightly stripped Phillips head screw to me. Even if it’s not, a Phillips driver would probably work fine.
Looks like a fucked up phillips or maybe pozi
Phillips. Pozis have a narrow cross indented at 45 degrees to the main notch.
Is it a hybrid screw?
Yeah I was thinking it was something different and while in the handle it seemed like the ends were kinda wierd but now that its out it does really look like a philips thats been just ganked by a mechanical driver with to much torq.
That is 100% a damaged Phillips
If the picture is mirrored it could be a Torq-set, but the offset is reversed.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screw_drives#Torq-set
Edit: after reading that its on a frying pan, it is definitely a stripped out philips head.
I have a bunch of driver bits for these, but never knew what they were called.
I don't think I've ever encountered a matching screw in the wild though.
As others have said, probably a damaged Phillips head. However, you might try a pozidrive head in it to see if it gets any better grip.
Try placing a rubber band between the screwdriver and the screw. It'll fill in the gaps and provide additional grip.
If you're having trouble getting it out, put some electrical tape on the end of your tools bit - it helps fill in those gaps and gives it some grip.
Also confirming that's a philips. It's rounded out from damage, but enough of the + is still left that you should be able to remove it.
Make sure you use a screwdriver that fits it cleanly without wiggling in the slot. Otherwise, the head might get damaged more.
I mean nothing fits it cleanly but it was already loose and I was not as worried unscrewing as tightening so I got it out. Ugh. trip to hardware store today. thats some bs though. need to remember to look for things like this when I buy it but I bet I won't on the next fry pan as I will forget.
If nothing fits it cleanly, it's possible you don't have the right screwdriver. There are a LOT of different sizes, but you probably knew that.
And yeah, some pans have screwed handles, others have riveted handles, still others have welded handles. And there are probably more kinds I don't know about. They all have their pros and cons, and you're directly dealing with one of the cons of screws. 🫠
So this is connecting a fry pan handle and is loose but does not seem to exactly be a philips. Im not sure the picture is the best as it does seem its odd shape is intentional.
No its Philips. Its odd shape is because its been stripped/rounded/damaged. You'll probably want to consider replacing it.
yeah I was starting to think that with the picture. It looks more semi regular from the eye so it seemed like some sort of security type. ugh.
You should be able to find a replacement screw, assuming you can get this one out.
yeah it came out no prob I just did not feel comfortable tightening it with a philips and initially thought it was maybe some special head the way things are designed nowadays. I guess I should feel lucky its a philips.
If you do replace it, some loctite on the threads would be worthwhile
I'm not sure regular Loctite would hold up well to the heat and dishwasher cycles a pan is subjected to. OP might want to either look into a specialized version (there's actually a bunch of different kinds) or using something like a lock washer.
Actually, I went ahead and checked: apparently Loctite 263 ("red Loctite") is the one for high temperature resistance.
oh thanks. you know it had a lock washer but apparently that was not good enough. I swear we have not been treating it roughly. its a ceramic pan.
Its worth knowing that I think general wisdom is to not use red loctite if you wanna be able to take it back apart again, I believe red loctite is generally considered essentially permanent
Ill read the lables when I go out today to get it. may just skip it. won't be so bad with a good head if it gets loose in future.
oh yeah. thanks. I was not thinking about that but it sounds like a prudent thing to do.
Another thing to try before replacing the whole pan if the screw is too rounded/stripped to back out is a screw extractor set. You basically drill a small hole in the screw for the extractor bit to bite down on, then use the extractor bit to back the screw out. The extractor kits are generally fairly inexpensive.
There’s on that looks like a Phillips but it’s offset.
You can see them on the right hand side of this image.