My torx wrench broke twice

R

ryosuke

Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
359
I was trying to remove clip on my MT socom. They were tightened so tight. Tip of my wrench broke in two. I bought another wrench which is from benchmade, and I was able to remove the screws. Later when I looked at my wrench closely the tip of it was crooked. Twisted. Are all torx wrenches that fragile? Anyone have that experince? I was lucky that I didn't ruine my MT screw. You loose it you'll never get it.:o
 
The BM torx bits aren't the best quality, unfortunately. Mine have twisted as well.

I have a Wiha (Gemany) set that has held up well.
 
yup, sound familiar. sorry to hear about your MT dude :(

my rule with small torx-screws (#1 through 8 mainly) is: be supder duper careful and use the best quality Torx-wrenches you can buy.

i even managed to completelt strip a #6 'quality brand' Unior vanadium. always buy the best when it comes to tiny torxes. they ARE known for being easily stripped, whether it be the screw itslf or the wrench
 
Yep, torx sucks. At work, we have to change carbide inserts on our CNC tooling with torx wrenches. I have a wiha set that has held up ok (they don't fit the best though). Then I bought a no name set, and if feels very hard, it has held up excellently. It's just green, no name at all.
 
I changed the orientation of the pocket clip on my kershaw cyclone and upon tightening the last screw, the #6 torx bit twisted...a lot.

It's a craftsman so I'll just go down to sears but it sure is going to be a pain to go to sears everytime I use the thing, especially since I was putting little torque on it.

As small as the 'teeth' are it doesn't really suprise me. Guess it is a fairly common theme in the small sizes.

Ryan
 
I have been using Craftsman torx bits, and they work great. I have not notice any deforming on any of my torx bits.


John
 
orthogonal1 said:
The BM torx bits aren't the best quality, unfortunately. Mine have twisted as well.

I have a Wiha (Gemany) set that has held up well.
Click to expand...

Ditto that. And you're actually lucky that the bit just twisted with that BM set, I've had the bits snap in two and go flying. For a good replacement I also went with the Wiha set from Home Depot and haven't had any issues with them yet.:thumbup:
 
My WIHA set has been going steady for 5 years now. I once over-torqued and lightly twisted the #6 (tightening, not loosening), but it has held strong since then with no problems, and considering it gets used the most, that's saying something.

My WIHA came in a green box, FYI.

Daniel
 
Don't buy a set of torx screwdrivers. They will be thin and crap.

I bought hex-bodied torx bits for a 1/4 inch drive (screwdriver or small ratchet) and I can tell you, they will never break. They are only thin a short amount then flare to 1/4 inch. The screwdriver sets are thin about 3 inches to promote twisting or breaking.
 
IThis whole torx business is a main PITA. :mad: Never even understood why all knife companies use torx screws to assemble a simple folder. :confused: A quality phillips or even a set of good slotted screws would hold the knife together just as good, and the whole thing could be easier to disassemble. Thats an other reason to love the new Kershaw ZT series, at least the pivot is fastened with a normal nut. If i will ever buy a custom folder, it will be made with phillips screws.
 
Try heating a med size nail head to red hot via propane or mapp gas. Place the nail head in he torx hole for just a few seconds...it will loosen the thread locking fluid that was used.
 
I agree with Redguy. Why do the knife makers even use torx screws when phillips or flat head would work fine. And why not hex screws? I hardly ever see those on a knife.
 
melt said:
I agree with Redguy. Why do the knife makers even use torx screws when phillips or flat head would work fine.
Click to expand...
Because, theoretically speaking, Torx screws should be a better solution for very small screw sizes when you want to make sure the screw gets tight enough not to loosen and fall out. This is due, in part, to Torx screws requiring little-to-no insertion pressure. All the force can be axial.

You think Torx screws are a problem in this scenario? Heh. I'd wager slotted screws would be worse, and Philips screws worse yet.

melt said:
And why not hex screws? I hardly ever see those on a knife.
Click to expand...
That's a good question. Same advantage as Torx (no insertion force required) and both English and metric hex wrenches are more commonly available.

I dunno. Maybe manufacturers think Torx screws look better?

In the end, I suspect the problems with Torx screws/drivers isn't the technology, but the tools and how they're used. A poor driver is a poor driver, regardless of whether it's Torx, hex, Philips or slotted. And a tiny screw that's been well-Loctite'd in place is going to be difficult to move, regardless the driver type.

Speaking of the quality of Torx drivers: The Home Depots near me had General brand, not WIHA, as some here have found at HD. The HD guy said the General brand Torx drivers were very good. I hope he was right.
 
i must say that i personally LIKE torx and allens over philips and slotted. but only in the regular sizes, say torx #9 and bigger. anthing smaller and it gets fiddly and stripped. same for allen wrenches, 4mm and bigger....no problemo

it's always the small screws the are screwed up.

pun not intended, but boy, does it sound funny or what :yawn:
 
Torx are used because they're one of the strongest designs in that size range. I'll never understand how people strip torx, or better yet, wish they were phillips? :confused:

Having the right tools will save you guys headaches.

Sorry Phil, wherever you are, but phillips are a terrible design.

Makers: please stick with function, not common-tool stripping capabilities. Torx are very popular in many industries and consumers behind the times will adapt.
 
I've never ever stripped a good phillips or flathead screw. There's a phillips and a flathead screwdriver on every SAK or small keychain multitool, but no one ever will carry a torx driver in his pocket.

This is due, in part, to Torx screws requiring little-to-no insertion pressure. All the force can be axial.
Click to expand...

Correct me if I'm wrong but that is maybe due to the design of the thread and the body of the screw.
 
talonturbo said:
Makers: please stick with function, not common-tool stripping capabilities. Torx are very popular in many industries and consumers behind the times will adapt.
Click to expand...

OK. Here's an idea: make Victorinox, Leatherman and Swisstech produce a keychain multitool with a built in T6 and T10.
 
Sorry not into SAK's or multitools. Got a decently equipped garage that I'm in half my time. And you forgot T8 :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top