Fun fact: Torx screwdrivers are compatible with Torx Plus screws, but Trox Plus screwdrivers are only compatible with Torx screws that are one size larger
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Fuck you all!! I’m not arguing about this again :(
But I found this interesting.
https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-screws-and-screwdrivers-1992422
Why is screw DLC legal? Why are people ok with companies preventing people from working in their own devices?
You can turn a tamper proof screw into a regular screw by using a flat head as a lever and breaking off the center post. Harder to do the bigger the screw is.
Tamper proof is to prevent random idiots from messing with your stuff.
Tamper resistant torx is still a weird niche. Tamper resistant slotted for bathroom stalls makes sense because a person with a coin could disassemble a whole row of stalls without any effort, but if you’re carrying around a torx bit, you might as well be carrying around a security bit.
For some reason, Ford decided to use Security Torx to hold together their hybrid battery packs. Couldn’t tell you why that was better then regular Torx.
For some reason, Ford decided to use Security Torx to hold together their hybrid battery packs. Couldn’t tell you why that was better then regular Torx.
I’d guess that was some sort of safety standard designed to protect vehicle owners from themselves.
As Torx gets more and more common, it’s presence is less and less likely to be a serious hurdle, so the security screws are a simple way for them to sort of say to the owner “don’t mess with the stuff below this”. If they want to, they still can, but it’s a specific effort at that point…so Ford can say they’ve implemented a safety measure. Might even be some sort of government standard too, where using a less common fastener style brings them into compliance without needing some sort of even less accessible design, like a sealed off system.
Random idiots that don’t know hardware stores exist
Once they’re determined to fuck with your stuff, they’re no longer random. It’s just to delay the occasional dingleberry with a multi tool until they get distracted and forget.
“Huh, doesnt fit. Oh well, guess I’ll carve some folk art into the shitter door.”
Then you can just spackle over the swastikas, but you don’t usually have to reassemble the privacy panels.
Every lock can be broken. My step grandfather would use tamper proof screws to board up his lake house for winter. Otherwise you risk some drunk ice fishing fuck breaking into your house.
If someone really wanted to get in, it doesn’t really matter what fasteners you use, they would just cut the wood. It just prevents common vandals that happen to have a screwdriver, not determined criminals.
Who said we are? It’s up to Congress to regulate things like that and they don’t know shit about fuck. Unless someone “lobbies” them to do it of course.
+1 for hex, but that’s in a lab setting — climate controlled environment, generally not high torque, pretty benign conditions. But even that is fraught with metric-vs.-imperial mix ups.
But even that is fraught with metric-vs.-imperial mix ups.
Get a set of rotary broaches in the nearest metric size up from the imperial ones and remove the problem.
The key is to drag the US into the future along with literally everyone but Liberia and Myanmar.
Reject threaded fasteners, return to nail and rivet.
Lmao you’ve clearly never met Philips.
And if you’re advocating slotted screws (flathead) you’ve already lost.
Torx is supreme. The end.
Robertson is superior.
No slot shaming!
Hex is supreme, torx is mental health problem
Hex strips itself constantly. Torx never does that.
Robinson aka the square head is by far the superior choice.
As a person that changes out a lot of electrical outlets and switches I have to agree.
I’m not canadian, so I don’t have a lot of experience with robertson. But from the limited experience that I do have, I would rate it 10/10.
What would you recommend for smaller screws (e.g. for electronics)? As far as I know, there aren’t smaller sizes of robertson like there are with torx?
Pozidrive has real nice engagement and doesn’t cam out like Phillips does. And JIS drivers do a better job in Phillips than Phillips ones do.
After wrecking some JIS screws on a vintage reciever, I bought a nice Vessel-brand JIS driver set, and use it for all my crosshead needs.
Pozidriv reliably makes me projectile vomit ☹️
I’ve driven tens of thousands of pozidrive 2/3 screws into timber with an impact driver. For whatever reason my experience is the diametric opposite of yours. Big up the Pozidrive massive.
It’s probably because of the impact driver. The bit seats back into the bottom of the slot between every impact. This doesn’t happen with normal drivers.
People (try to) use a drill driver as opposed to an impact driver? Wow. I now understand why they could have a grim experience… thanks.
I absolutely love the amount of strong opinions on screw heads 🙏
Me too. Nice to see the passion of the construction industry ( and the weekend warriors too)
Philips doesn’t cam out that easily either. Most people just don’t realize there’s three common sizes.
Yeah but JIS for screws/bolts has been abandoned by the Japanese govt as of… 2005?
My JIS screwdrivers are fantastic, not easy to torque out on a regular Phillips screw. Stick with the “vessel” brand.
I did not know that, but yes to Vessel!
I think I was wrong, see edit. Carry on!
Found the Canadian.
*Robertson
LOL sure, good one… Only time that square abomination is the answer is if the question is “what do you get if you put a toddler in charge of designing a poor knockoff unbrako head?”
TEAM TORX REPRESENT!
Things are getting heated in the screw fandom
The “wtf is this?” is settings, obviously.
I repair a lot of tech and I have never seen torx other than the standard, and security version. And security torx drivers are compatible with regular torx
I assume all those are proprietary temper resistant, tool for it will be expensive so not many tool shop gonna have it.
Not really. A solid set for security Torx is available for like $20 from reputable brands. Naturally, you can get higher quality sets and sets that add other security bits, but you still won’t land in an unacceptable price range even for private use, let alone a pro shop.
Security torx is actually very weak. If you don’t have the security bit, you can break it with a flat head and turn it into a normal torx.
Torx plus is getting more common and you can use a torx bit on them still, and superior to torx IMO. I bet you’ve seen since but didn’t notice the difference. As a machine designer it’s my preference
Torx plus ultra premium pro
Use torx all the time on not only building sites, but in machinery repair too.
There’s only one type of torx and I think OP is winding us up :)
Put timing chains on a Ford v6 without a torx plus 55 and let us know how that went.
There’s only one type of torx
There isn’t. There’s Torx, Torx Plus, and Torx Paralobe. See here for more details: https://www.semblex.com/en/pdf-files/technology-files/torx-paralobe-pdf/ . Plus there’s also the ttap and tamper-resistant variants shown in the meme.
As other people have mentioned, Torx screwdrivers are forwards compatible with Torx Plus and Torx Paralobe. But the screwdrivers for the newer standards are not backwards compatible with older screws.
Similarly, Tamper-Resistant Torx screwdrivers can be used on regular Torx screws. But Tamper-Resistant Torx Plus screwdrivers cannot be used on regular Torx Plus screws – it’s a completely different shape!
If you’re in a professional setting where you order high-quality screws and drivers in bulk directly from a manufacturer, I’d imagine that this isn’t much of an issue. But if you’re a hobbyist or just need to repair something in a domestic setting, the three different torx variants plus the other non-torx hexalobular screws (WA drive, Polydrive, T-Star Plus) can cause quite a bit of confusion. Anecdotally, I have a set of what I thought were really low-quality Torx bits. Turns out, they’re actually good-quality Torx Plus bits that by design don’t fit my Torx screws.
Yeah that’s just what Big Torx wants us to think man
There’s other types on cars
I have to admit that each time I saw a torx security screw on a case I had to open (looking at you, Compaq) this made me so angry that I used to punch the middle pin away with a flathead screwdriver, and replace the screw with a regular one later. This was in those past times I did not have a fuckton of assorted torx bits in a gigantic case…
I’m with you. I’ve replaced all the torx screws on my Dell with Philips head screws because fuck you Dell. (all the screws inside were already Philips)
Didn’t Compaq use to have those torx with a slit in them where you could put a flathead screwdriver in the slit part?
I know HP uses those on some computers. Pretty neat design, if you ask me!
Yes I’ve always referred to them as Compaq screws but mainly because I personally saw them on Compaq first. I think HP bought Compaq at some point and that might explain why they are used on both brands. Don’t know which brand started using them first.
I would have rather had they just used Phillips screws but as far as weird screwheads go these aren’t too bad.
At least the good thing about them is the threads are standard and they can be replaced with a Phillipshead case screw just as well.
Ah, torx plus, used on Chevy bellhousings. Real easy to strip with a regular torx driver.
Don’t discount hex, paired with a ball-end wrench, those are great for odd angles or tight spaces a straight wrench can’t get too.
they’re pretty good but semi liable to stripping due to lower surface area, as long as you use the right tool, and a quality one, you’ll be fine though.
Also hex is somewhat inter-compatible with torx, which is really cursed.
Torx are easier to strip, especially the smaller sizes. They’re pretty much single use screws.
small screws in general are just easy to strip. Small torx is also liable to breaking a driver, like most small screws and drivers.
Torx though, i’ve never had strip out once, even doing construction with them. Phillips on the other hand, they kill screws constantly, and the bits themselves get all chewed up causing all kinds of problems. Torx bits still look fine though.
Torx aren’t exactly tapered, so they much less of a problem with stripping, compared to any tapered design, because tapered designs have issues with backing off.
small screws in general are just easy to strip
Hexes are very sturdy. I ride mountain bikes and for some reason brake rotors are secured with Torx while all other screws are hexes. Torx on rotors are usually tightened to 4-6Nm and they are single use 99% of the time. At the same time there are plenty of hexes of the same size which are tightened to 8-10Nm and there are zero issues.
Torx are fucking useless. And don’t get me started on tiny Torxes in laptops…
you’re not using like, soft fasteners or some shit right?
I could see hex performing better on a softer material. That or you’re doing something goofy. I’d be surprised if torx were stripping at that low of a torque rating, unless ur using hex drivers on them or something.
Y’all need Jesus
^H^H^H^H^H^HRobertson screws.___Torx drivers are forward compatible with Torx plus screws
