Tri Wing Screwdriver

A tri wing is a kind of screw, bit, or screwdriver. Sometimes it is called a slotted screw. It most often employed as a tamper-proof screw on various electronic products.

As the name implies, the tri wing screw has three wings and a triangular hole in the center. Some triwing screws have wings that connect in the center with no triangular screw, which makes them very difficult to remove.

There are other similar designs that have short slots in the center that are not joined. These are often referred to as a tri groove screw. As you can imagine, a special tri wing screwdriver is needed for these screws.

Tri Wing Screwdrivers

The tri wing screw is notoriously difficult to remove because of the scarcity of tri wing screw drivers. Most hardware stores, even the large chains, do not carry tri wing screwdrivers. Because of this the tri wing is know as a tamper-resistant screw.

However, tri wing screwdrivers can be purchased legally on line or through mail order catalogues. These items are known interchangeably as a tri wing, tri-wing, or triwing screwdriver.

Products that need a Triwing Screwdriver

As we mentioned earlier, tri wing screws are used mostly in electronic products and accessories.  Nintendo is one of the most popular companies that use tri wing screws.  Nintendo uses them in some of its top products like the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, GameCube and Game Boy. 

Cell phone makers Sanyo, Nokia and Panasonic all use tri wings in their phones. Fuji film also uses tri wings in most of its digital cameras and accessories. Apple uses tri wings in many of their wireless keyboards and to secure the battery case on some of its laptops. 

Why Tri Wing Screws?

If tri wing screws are so difficult to remove without a tri wing screwdriver or tri wing drill bit, why do companies use them? Most companies uses tri wings because they are difficult to remove. They do not want people tampering with their products.

Many of these electronic devices are very fragile, and taking them apart can easily break or damage them. These companies know that people take electronics apart and they want to prevent it. They also know that professional computer and electronics experts are more likely to have tri wing screwdrivers.

So, if you want your electronic devices upgraded, don’t do the work yourself. Those screws are there for a very good reason - to stop you from damaging your product. 

Other Uses of Tri Wing Screwdrivers

Tri wing screws are often used to secure lights in public areas like subways, schools, playgrounds and parks. They stop the theft of light bulbs.