My dad was a boomer, he insisted that Phillips heads didn't used to strip out this bad and it's just that everyone switched to making shit cheap screws out of shit cheap material. He also lived to see the enshittification of appliances from something you buy once in your life to something you buy every five years (at least, according to the warranty) with a nifty galifty payment plan. Walking into home Depot instantly radicalized him.

I think I'm with your boomer dad on that, though. Screws are increasingly cheaper and shoddier than they use to be, and probably because of the materials used are light and easy to produce. Now, the boomers blame "them dang cheap Chinese screws" but we all know it's enshittification for the sake of profit (which I guess can and would include globalization of supply chains).
- True, but on the other hand, the drills or impact drivers are also getting stronger and stronger, so it's easier to mess up a screw. And then there's the driver bits, they're so bad these days that every new box of screws comes with a free bit.

+1 for torx. Have actually snapped screw shafts with those

Canadian invented square Robertson screws are the best.

they hold on the tip of the screwdriver at any angle
the hole in the screw head doesn't get all messed up because you can't fuck it up.

Defend your fav

Robertson, Torx (hexalobular), Pozidriv… other?

pozidriv is pretty cool, but annoying to use since people confuse it with phillips all the time so you end up with a lot of stripped screws.
torx is the way to go. their sizing is odd, but it transfers torque well and is wear-resistant.

I'm a screw stripper

Oh, the heads not quite flush, lemme give it juuuuuuust a bit moreahhhhfuck

Partially stripped phillips? Grab a flathead screwdriver close to the same size and use a hammer to tap it down into the screw head. Twist it out while pushing down.

Half my laptop's screws are like that and it drives me insane trying to open it now.

Laptop screws are usually JIS instead of Philips. Get a JIS screwdriver and you won't have that issue in the future.
- Or just stop screwing your laptop and go jis somewhere else