One reason I am a little strident over the "ban" is that I feel a little bait & switch occurred here.
Prior to the ban, everywhere you looked there were pics of ordinary sheet metal screws- the ones with points, not drill tips- dangling from oversized holes. The sort of application where NO fastener would ever work.
Once the ban was printed, all the seminar wonks went on a crusade against the "teks" screw- or even ANY screw that was not green, with a hex head.
I don't believe the ban would have passed had there been an open discussion of the "teks" screws.
As it stands, the ban only gets us sidetracked into side issues, and possible conflicts with 110.14. We already have torque specs in the code- that ought to ensure good enough holding power.
Moreover, many panels have their covers secured with screws that grab little stamped pieces of sheet metal- wit a thickness far less than a single thread. These variations on the "speed nut" seem to hold quite well- another set-back for the machine screw crowd.
