Micro-trains couplers now with Philips head screws

[Southern1970]

Just purchased a set of the micro-trains 1025 couplers and noticed they now have countersunk Philips head screws instead of the painful slot head screws, which is a nice surprise.
Anyone else notice this?  Is this something new or have I just been purchasing old stock previously?

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[Chris333]

I just bought a crap ton of 00-90 screws on ebay and they were all Phillips. Yeah they are much easier to use.

[nkalanaga]

Have they also countersunk the holes in the boxes?

I don't use Phillips-head screws, but have been using flathead screws on 1025s for years, countersinking the box with a 3/32 drill bit spun between my fingers.

[Chris333]

The 1015 box is counter sunk.

[Southern1970]

I just bought a crap ton of 00-90 screws on ebay and they were all Phillips. Yeah they are much easier to use.

Same, I had purchased a 500 lot of black countersunk Philips head M1.2 screws off an eBay seller in China (about the closest thing we’ll get to 00-90 screws here in metric Australia).  Definitely a lot easier to use (plus I’ve only recently purchased an m1.2 tap, so screwing into metal frames is a lot easier).

[Southern1970]

Have they also countersunk the holes in the boxes?

I don't use Phillips-head screws, but have been using flathead screws on 1025s for years, countersinking the box with a 3/32 drill bit spun between my fingers.

Not countersunk that I could notice for the 1025 coupler box, which is funny that I got the countersunk screws included in the pack (though I’m not complaining).

[peteski]

1023/1025 are not countersunk (1015 are), but the Philips head screws should be easier to deal with. However I think they should have kept using the most recent steel screws with a slotted pan head for the 1023/1025 couplers for best fit.

I suspect that MTL sells many more 1015s than the 1025s, so when they decided to change the screws they went with a Philips flat head screws.

[thomasjmdavis]

1023/1025 are not countersunk (1015 are), but the Philips head screws should be easier to deal with. However I think they should have kept using the most recent steel screws with a slotted pan head for the 1023/1025 couplers for best fit.

I suspect that MTL sells many more 1015s than the 1025s, so when they decided to change the screws they went with a Philips flat head screws.

As someone who still uses a lot of 1025s, I have to replace most of the old screws anyway, as they often cause issues rubbing on axles. That extra ,020 sometimes makes all the difference.  Given the $5/5 screws that shops charge for tiny 00-90s, having them included with the couplers is going to save me money.

[peteski]

As someone who still uses a lot of 1025s, I have to replace most of the old screws anyway, as they often cause issues rubbing on axles. That extra ,020 sometimes makes all the difference.  Given the $5/5 screws that shops charge for tiny 00-90s, having them included with the couplers is going to save me money.

Does that imply that the 00-90 screws you replace the stock MTL screws are flathead screws?  Do you countersink the 1025 coupler box?
I also replace the MTL screws with brass 00-90 screws because they are easier to modify than steel.  In early MTL couplers screws were actually die-cast from white metal. Those weren't all that good to begin with.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

[nkalanaga]

No, those old cast screws tended to break, usually in a hole, in a metal floor, with nothing to grab to get it out.  I think the last of those that I used were as building roof vents!

[Lackawannae8]

thats cool I just wish they would finally get their head out of their A$$ and make the Z scale couplers inside a 1015 box in brown and Kato RDA style