torx, hex, star bits

[Ting F. Chui]

What is the difference between a torx, a hex, and a star* bit?

Thanks a lot,
Ting

 

[Jim Yanik]

"Ting F. Chui" <tfchui@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:bmfd4p$9at$1@newsx.cc.uic.edu:

What is the difference between a torx, a hex, and a star* bit?

Thanks a lot,
Ting

A hex has flat sides,the TorX has scallopped sides,don't know about a
'Star*' bit.

--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
jyanik-at-kua.net

 

[Robert Baer]

"Ting F. Chui" wrote:

What is the difference between a torx, a hex, and a star* bit?

Thanks a lot,
Ting

The Torx looks like a star, so that may be wheer that terminology came
from. Otherwise, i have never heard of "star".
There is a screw-driver set that seems to be identical to the philips
(if i remember right), but gives better holding power (driver holds
screw in place with no mechanical extra help, and is almost slip proof).
This variant seems to be compatible with the philips but seems a bit
rare.
Now there is a "tamper proof" version of the Torx and of the hex; in
both the screw head has a pin in the middle, and the driver or wrench
has a matching hole.
And to complicate things, good 'ole IBM used screws to fasten the
moniter case together on some of their products; the head *looks* like a
tamper proof Torx, but is NOT.
Ther are enough minor differences to make them totally incompatible;
the IBM version could be labelled as "bastard in-house POS"; the edges
are square instead of round, the tool taper is different, the pin size
is different, and only the non-tamper proof drivers are available in
strange places.
There are yet other wierd screws and drivers out there, but they are
almost never seen; since it did not seem you were looking for "wierdos",
i have left them out.

 

[Kevin Carney]

I love posi-drive screwdrivers, they sure do grip a phillips head screw,
even if it isn't a posi-drive philips screw

--
change .combo to .com for correct email

***************************************************
"We ought always to know precisely why a given job
is done in a particular way, and why it is done at
all, and why it can't be done more efficiently,
if it must be done at all."-- T.J.Watson

***************************************************

"Jim Yanik" <jyanik@abuse.gov> wrote in message
news:Xns941478D8125C8jyanikkuanet@204.117.192.21...

Robert Baer <robertbaer@earthlink.net> wrote in
news:3F8B9F9D.1D94FFE7@earthlink.net:


There is a screw-driver set that seems to be identical to the philips
(if i remember right), but gives better holding power (driver holds
screw in place with no mechanical extra help, and is almost slip proof).
This variant seems to be compatible with the philips but seems a bit
rare.

Called Posi-drive,not really 'compatible' with Philips though.

Tektronix used them until they switched to TorX.



--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
jyanik-at-kua.net

 

[Jim Yanik]

Robert Baer <robertbaer@earthlink.net> wrote in
news:3F8B9F9D.1D94FFE7@earthlink.net:

There is a screw-driver set that seems to be identical to the philips
(if i remember right), but gives better holding power (driver holds
screw in place with no mechanical extra help, and is almost slip proof).
This variant seems to be compatible with the philips but seems a bit
rare.

Called Posi-drive,not really 'compatible' with Philips though.

Tektronix used them until they switched to TorX.



--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
jyanik-at-kua.net

 

[Fred Abse]

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 07:03:03 +0000, Robert Baer wrote:

There is a screw-driver set that seems to be identical to the philips
(if i remember right), but gives better holding power (driver holds
screw in place with no mechanical extra help, and is almost slip proof).
This variant seems to be compatible with the philips but seems a bit
rare.

Called "Pozidriv". The de facto standard in Europe and most of the Far
East, where Phillips is almost nonexistent. The proper Pozidriv screws
have a flatter bottom to the socket, and steeper sides, so the driver
doesn't cam out as easily.

Pozidriv screwdrivers are fine on Phillips screws, but Phillips drivers
tend to wreck Pozidriv screws.

Seen side by side, the Phillips screwdriver has a sharper point that the
Pozi.

There's also another type called "Supadriv". This is just a slightly
redesigned Pozidriv, AFAIK to get around a patent. Supadriv works with
Phillips and Pozi.

Back sometime in the 1970s, Pozidriv (well, Stanley Tools, I think,
actually), had an advertising campaign with the slogan "Non-Slip
Screwdriving". For the first month or so it was "Non-Slip Screwing", until
somebody told them

As a rule of thumb, if it's UNF/UNC, it's Phillips, if it's metric, it;s
Pozi.


--
Then there's duct tape ...
(Garrison Keillor)
nofr@sbhevre.pbzchyvax.pb.hx

 

[John D. Farr]

There is a screw-driver set that seems to be identical to the philips
(if i remember right), but gives better holding power (driver holds
screw in place with no mechanical extra help, and is almost slip proof).
This variant seems to be compatible with the philips but seems a bit
rare.

Called Posi-drive,not really 'compatible' with Philips though.

Tektronix used them until they switched to TorX.

HP used Posidrive also. Another problem with Philips screws is the Japanese

have a different standard than us for standard Philips. Its worth a trip to
McMaster Carr's web page. They have an online catalog that lists the
Japanese screwdrivers, Posidrive and many many others/

John KC4ZXX

 

[Jim Adney]

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 00:26:32 +0000 (UTC) Jim Yanik <jyanik@abuse.gov>
wrote:

"Ting F. Chui" <tfchui@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:bmfd4p$9at$1@newsx.cc.uic.edu:

What is the difference between a torx, a hex, and a star* bit?

A hex has flat sides,the TorX has scallopped sides,don't know about a
'Star*' bit.

The Torx looks like a kind of star, but he may be asking about an
older metric design which was called an XZN. I don't know of any
actual bit called a Star.

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

 

[Jim Adney]

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 07:03:03 GMT Robert Baer
<robertbaer@earthlink.net> wrote:

There is a screw-driver set that seems to be identical to the philips
(if i remember right), but gives better holding power (driver holds
screw in place with no mechanical extra help, and is almost slip proof).
This variant seems to be compatible with the philips but seems a bit
rare.

If you mean the Posidrive, then it's also a design belonging to the
Phillips Screw Company. It's a good design and most modern "Phillips"
head screws are actually Posidrive screws. They can be identified by
the extra radial slash mark between each of the 4 "wings" of the
Phillips broached depression in the screw head.

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

 

[Jim Yanik]

Jim Adney <jadney@vwtype3.org> wrote in
news0fpovkslclqk6i8io53ig5del49s2svv7@4ax.com:

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 07:03:03 GMT Robert Baer
robertbaer@earthlink.net> wrote:

There is a screw-driver set that seems to be identical to the philips
(if i remember right), but gives better holding power (driver holds
screw in place with no mechanical extra help, and is almost slip proof).
This variant seems to be compatible with the philips but seems a bit
rare.

If you mean the Posidrive, then it's also a design belonging to the
Phillips Screw Company. It's a good design and most modern "Phillips"
head screws are actually Posidrive screws. They can be identified by
the extra radial slash mark between each of the 4 "wings" of the
Phillips broached depression in the screw head.

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

Another major difference is that Posidrive has parallel sides to each of
it's driving surfaces,while Philips tapers.The parallel sides reduce
camout.

--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
jyanik-at-kua.net

 

[Ed Price]

"Jim Yanik" <jyanik@abuse.gov> wrote in message
news:Xns9413D03A2F290jyanikkuanet@204.117.192.21...

"Ting F. Chui" <tfchui@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:bmfd4p$9at$1@newsx.cc.uic.edu:

What is the difference between a torx, a hex, and a star* bit?

Thanks a lot,
Ting




A hex has flat sides,the TorX has scallopped sides,don't know about a
'Star*' bit.

--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
jyanik-at-kua.net

There is a style, IIRC, called "serrated." It looks like about like a
16-point Torx. It was popular in European cars in the 1960's for things like
the brake backing plate bolts, typically in an 8mm size. Ask somebody who
works on old VW's.

Ed

 

[Fred Abse]

On Sat, 18 Oct 2003 03:57:05 -0700, Ed Price wrote:

There is a style, IIRC, called "serrated." It looks like about like a
16-point Torx. It was popular in European cars in the 1960's for things
like the brake backing plate bolts, typically in an 8mm size. Ask somebody
who works on old VW's.

On the subject of European cars, during the 1970s, Renault used a peculiar
screw head called "TACL", with a bowtie shaped slot. I don't think they
were ever used by anyone else.

Trust the French

--
Then there's duct tape ...
(Garrison Keillor)
nofr@sbhevre.pbzchyvax.pb.hx

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Fred Abse wrote:

On Sat, 18 Oct 2003 03:57:05 -0700, Ed Price wrote:

There is a style, IIRC, called "serrated." It looks like about like a
16-point Torx. It was popular in European cars in the 1960's for things
like the brake backing plate bolts, typically in an 8mm size. Ask somebody
who works on old VW's.

On the subject of European cars, during the 1970s, Renault used a peculiar
screw head called "TACL", with a bowtie shaped slot. I don't think they
were ever used by anyone else.

Trust the French

--
Then there's duct tape ...
(Garrison Keillor)
nofr@sbhevre.pbzchyvax.pb.hx

That sounds similar to those dammed "Clutch head" screws.
--


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Jim Adney]

On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 13:29:47 +0100 "Fred Abse"
<excretatauris@cerebrumconfus.it> wrote:

On Sat, 18 Oct 2003 03:57:05 -0700, Ed Price wrote:

There is a style, IIRC, called "serrated." It looks like about like a
16-point Torx. It was popular in European cars in the 1960's for things
like the brake backing plate bolts, typically in an 8mm size. Ask somebody
who works on old VW's.

On the subject of European cars, during the 1970s, Renault used a peculiar
screw head called "TACL", with a bowtie shaped slot. I don't think they
were ever used by anyone else.

Is that similar to, or the same as, what we call a "clutch head?"

Trust the French

Yes, we should be grateful that they make it so easy for us to make
fun of them. ;-)

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------