Talk:Pentalobe screw

Toshiba hard drive screws
The Toshiba 1.8" HDD in some iRiver H300 series DAPs (introduced in 2004) have pentalobe screws, and thus predate Apple's use as originally claimed in this article by several years. 203.129.50.121 (talk) 23:56, 23 December 2014 (UTC)


 * Source? Andy Dingley (talk) 00:05, 24 December 2014 (UTC)


 * The pentalobe screws can be seen in the third picture of this external reference: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornillo_pentalobular#cite_note-6 — Dddrazir (talk) 13:45, 9 February 2019 (UTC)
 * Those aren't screws, they're driver bits. Also, assuming they're a close fit, their shape isn't Pentalobe either – they look like a 5-lobed Torx-style, but that's not close enough.  Apple's use, and the specific Pentalobe feature, is the sharp-edged arris and its tendency to damage, making this a security feature more than simply an obscure shape. Andy Dingley (talk) 14:04, 9 February 2019 (UTC)

Error: Torx Plus Security has 5 lobes not 6
You are welcome. Proof: http://www2.wiha.com/files/asia-pacific/EN-Asia-Pacific_catalogue.pdf Please change 178.82.174.42 (talk) 19:24, 28 August 2019 (UTC)

Requested move 3 November 2020

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. 

The result of the move request was: page moved. Andrewa (talk) 16:29, 12 November 2020 (UTC)

Pentalobe security screw → Pentalobe screw – More concise, already redirects here, was the original name of the article before an undiscussed move (in 2016), and is used in most or all of the cited sources. —&hairsp;BarrelProof (talk) 18:41, 3 November 2020 (UTC)

11:29, 17 September 2016‎ Japanesealphabet talk contribs block‎ 54 bytes +54‎  Japanesealphabet moved page Pentalobe screw to Pentalobe security screw: official name which gave no valid rationale. Andrewa (talk) 16:29, 12 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Closing comment: Reversing the previous move


 * The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

What is "Dimension"
Just what dimension is the "Dimension" field of the table supposed to be? It does not seem to be the major diameter of he screw of the head diameter. Is seems like it might be close to the minimum diameter of the driver bit, but that's tricky to measure and doesn't seem quite right either.

(I came to this page looking for the thread pitch and major diameter of these screws, and was a bit disappointed). jhawkinson (talk) 02:23, 8 January 2021 (UTC)

ifixit shallow draft
recently added the quote that "mechanically, the pentalobe tends to be inferior to other screws [with] has a shallow draft that makes the screw prone to stripping out." I am skeptical: In sum, I don't know what this claim means, and I'm not sure it's correct. And, of course, depending on what is meant, it's just one axis of many, and I'm not sure it's right to label the screw "inferior" because of it. That's just one person's opinion? jhawkinson (talk) 12:29, 17 April 2021 (UTC)
 * First, I am not sure what it means — what is the "draft" of a screw? Is this the head height? The depth the driver inserts into the screw? Neither of them really make sense with the definition of "draft," which I take here to be "the depth of a vessel's keel below the water line."
 * Second, when we talk about a screw being stripped, there are 2 common meanings: failure of the interface between the screw's threads and the hole's threads (with one or both having failed), or failure of the head/driver interface (either permanent or temporary). It's not clear which is meant here, nor how it relates to the dimensional character of the screw in any way. "Stripping out" versus "stripped" would seem to favor a thread issue rather than a drive issue, but perhaps it is regional variation; I think pentalobes do have a shallower driver depth than torx, which suggests the latter? It has not been my experience that pentalobe screws are more prone to stripping their threads than other screws, and certainly not more so than Phillips head screws, although I have had drivers pop out if insufficient force is maintained.
 * Third, I'm not sure this claim (of which I am skeptical) is best attributed to "Ifixit." For sure, it's in a blog post on their website, and written by one of their employees, but I'm not sure that it's a position they stand behind with their full imprimatur and authority. Perhaps it is better attributed solely to the author.

suggest: cross-reference to right-of-repair controversy
Howard from NYC (talk) 20:58, 22 May 2022 (UTC) here's sources for content to exploit as source for prose... https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/eff-presents-john-scalzi-science-fiction-story-about-our-right-repair-petition and https://doctorow.medium.com/apples-cement-overshoes-329856288d13

"Dimension" values are wrong
1.1 mm is a PL2 [1] and so on. All dimension are wrong. WTF

[1] Source: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Touch+Bar+Late+2016+Display+Assembly+Replacement/113612#s215923 137.226.182.187 (talk) 16:48, 22 September 2022 (UTC)


 * you're misinterpreting that iFixit page. It is telling you in Step 21 that there are twelve PL2 screws, each of which is 1.1mm long. But length is not a characteristic dimension of a PL2 screw, they can come in many different lengths (Just like an M5 screw can come in many lengths). A characteristic dimension of a PL2 would be it's major or minor diameter, or its head diameter, or a similar characteristic. That said, it's entirely unclear what the "Dimension" column is referring to, and that's mentioned above under What is "Dimension" and no one has put forth a clear answer in nearly 2 years, so that's a problem. jhawkinson (talk) 17:51, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

Diagram doesn't look like actual screw
If you compare the diagram with the picture of the screws below it you can see that the actual screws have a five pointed star shape with rounded tips. The diagram doesn't have a star shape, it is five overlapping circles. The details of the diagram file don't include any references as to where the shape has come from. I suggest the diagram is changed to reflect the actual screws. 31.94.29.186 (talk) 10:58, 19 July 2023 (UTC)