i agree w/ you guys on the allens... i really hate stripping screw heads or simply just having to put all my force at a screw to keep the driver in the slot instead of being able to use all that force toward the twisting of the screw.
Then learn not to bugger your screw heads with worn out and ill fitting drivers. 
The phillips screw head was originally designed to cam-out (instead of break-off), in manufacturing procedures with unskilled laborers who over-torqued on installation with power drivers. It was far less costly to replace the screw, than drill out or restore threads in the host device.
If you look closely at a new phillips screw, and a new driver tip, you will see that the mating surfaces are vertical in the plane that provides rotational force. Worn bits aren't vertical anymore and wear the screws mating surfaces into a ramp as well. When either the screw head or the driver tip develop a ramp where is should be vertical, cam out is virtually guaranteed, (without large insertion force pressures, that is).
Further, there is a very good reason why drivers come with numbers like #1, #2, #3, etc. Using the wrong one to remove a screw will bugger the head AND increase wear the driver.
For those of you #$%*ing about buggered screw heads, ask yourself if you'd rather helicoil the base castings instead of replacing screws. Or, are you using a properly set torque driver on everything?
If you are using the torque-till-it-yields-and-back-off-1/8-turn method of installation, better stick to those crosspoint screws and develop a larger expletive vocabulary. 
Cheers,
Very informative. Too bad it doesn't address the problem most of us deal with or provide a potential solution. I would wager that very few, if any, of us use "power drivers" to tighten engine case screws so we are not in need of a built-in mechanism for protecting the cases. What we do need is something the will help reduce, when the time comes to remove said case cover screws, the number of them that strip due to insufficient rotational force to break the hold that time, heat, and inevitable minor corrosion have caused.
Use your cross-points if you like. They're antiquated and only useful if you prefer form over function.
Apparently, you missed the points about using the proper un-worn screwdriver matched to the screw type?
...And the point that they are designed to cam out if abused, rather than damage casework? This is a safety mechanism that can work to your advantage.
An impact driver will remove screws already damaged by ignorant attackers. And, here's a solution for you, DON"T REUSE THOSE DAMAGED SCREWS!!!
Did you also miss the point that you can provide far more torque during installation with the allen head type? And yes, I've gotten bikes with allen heads already "upgraded" and many of the threads in the cases were stripped from over-torque.
Use your allens if you like. But, also invest in a helicoil kit, or a torque driver, too. If you can't manage phillips or other cross point screws (still being used prominently on modern equipment) using allen heads it not going to cure all your "mechanical understanding woes". Cross points have been used by successful mechanics since the 1930's. Why is it you are not able to master them?
BTW, I have two S.S. allen screw kits ready to use on a CB550. But, I know to use the proper driver for them and how much torque to put on them, just like the cross points. I also know, if any unskilled attacks are made on the bike in the future, stripped cases are likely.
Finally, if you paid any attention to posts, you would know that I'm a form FOLLOWS function guy. I'm more interested in how it works rather that how it looks. Cross points work for those that understand them. Perhaps allens are just easier for you to "understand"?
