Is it possible that the Philips is molded? Is that a thing they can do? I know little about metal working. Obviously, they do it the way they do because it is cheap, I'm sure. But I think about the Leatherman Rev/Wingman/Sidekick's Phillips driver (which I consider to be pretty darn good) and I can't imagine they spend much on making those implements, considering the whole tool ranges from $25-40 retail.
In case you don't know, leatherman's flathead are made of 420HC.
And the thinning of the shaft to fit the bottle opener and flat screwdriver doesn't help either.
Guess why I fitted my Switchplier with the bit driver instead of the Phillips