Tired of Torx

So, the question lurking in the background is:

Which companies use quality Torx fasteners?

Anybody?
 
I have never had a problem with Pro Tech, ZT, Benchmade, Spydie or Brous......AFTER I got a Wiha set.
Have had couple issues with Kershaw.
If you're working with a Home Depot $4.99 Torx set......you'll strip out anything.
Joe
 
Shorttime said:
Huh. Seems I stumbled on something, here...

Now, it occurs to me that the tendency for Torx screws to strip, or be generally hard to work with, might be a way for manufacturers to encourage return business. If your pivot strips out, you can send it back to them to have the pivot replaced, for a nominal fee, of course.

But I'm a cynical person, so I'm probably wrong....
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Torx screws are often used to limit people taking things apart. But this has changed a good bit with torx screw bits being commonly available now. Torx screw heads don't strip out as easily as some others as long as you maintain pressure on the bit when turning the screw. Those square head screws (robertson) are used a lot in trailers/mobile home construction. They probably wouldn't be as purty on knives.
 
The application is different, but in my end of the construction industry, manufacturers of wood screws intended to be power driven are moving away from Robertson drive as they stripped out very easily. Most of these screws are stainless steel (of admittedly lower grade than those used in knives) and are meant to be exposed in exterior finish materials such as decking. Originally made using Phillips drive, most manufacturers went to Robertson, and now have moved to Torx or "star" drive. These screws rarely strip and never cam out in my experience. Way better.

As to knives, I have only buggered up a couple of Torx screws and that was back when I was still using cheap drivers. A frequent source of trouble can be using a driver that is one size too small, as it will still "work" but will strip out under load. I have two sets of Wihas now--one with small, fixed handles and the other a set of 1/4" hex-shank bits used with a stubby, large-grip driver. The latter is great when having break a loc-tited or galled screw free.

I have zero problems with Torx fasteners on knives and prefer them. I would add, though, that one maker does a superb job with hex drive--CRK uses high-quality fasteners with exceptionally deep drive sockets that are just a joy to work with.
 
I also followed the good people here and purchased a Wiha set, which works great. Now that we are discussing this topic, I wonder what exactly is the cause of stripping? Is it because the torx bit does not fit the screw head perfectly? Or is it because the torx bit is too soft, i.e., softer than the screw material?
 
Man take your mini Cqc7 apart and clean it out. Every emerson you buy should be taken apart and cleaned out and relubed with a cleaner lubricant. That copper fleck grease that comes stock in Emersons pivots is a joke! And the only thing I hate about my Emersons. I think the Emersons that have bearing pivots don't have this problem, not sure though.
 
The Sebenza's hex screws are extremely "deep." On the small Sebenza, the hex key goes almost 1/4" into the screw head. This amount of penetration makes the tool feel extremely secure when tightening/loosening the screws, and I have to imagine this lowers the chances of stripping the screw by a huge margin. I'm not sure if it's possible to easily do "deep" torx screws, but I think this aspect of CRK knives makes their screws fundamentally better than most torx out there.
 
T6 is the only Torx size I've ever had a problem with, just because they are small and have little contact area. T8 and larger I like and can be quite durable. Using a quality tool and not over tightening makes all the difference.
 
sharp_edge said:
I also followed the good people here and purchased a Wiha set, which works great. Now that we are discussing this topic, I wonder what exactly is the cause of stripping? Is it because the torx bit does not fit the screw head perfectly? Or is it because the torx bit is too soft, i.e., softer than the screw material?
Click to expand...

The engagement with my Wiha drivers is significantly better than on cheaper sets, with very little play. With cheaper drivers it's like using the wrong size screwdriver for a phillips head screw.
 
Shorttime said:
Huh. Seems I stumbled on something, here...

Now, it occurs to me that the tendency for Torx screws to strip, or be generally hard to work with, might be a way for manufacturers to encourage return business. If your pivot strips out, you can send it back to them to have the pivot replaced, for a nominal fee, of course.

But I'm a cynical person, so I'm probably wrong....
Click to expand...

Knife companies aren't like car companies where the service department is a profit center. Most of them have exceptionally generous warranty terms. I'm sure that 99% of them would prefer never having to deal with return for repair merchandise as the labor and time cost of having somebody actually diagnose and fix your knife is cost prohibitive. They generally do it only because good customer service keeps customers. In the case of cheaper items they will often just toss the returned item and replace it as that costs less than repairing.

TLDR: no knife company is going to design their knives to break so that you have to send them back. They don't want warranty returns. Even if they charge nominal fees they're not making money off it.


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What is it about the Wiha set that makes it less likely to stip torx screws? Are they like softer and thus less likely to strip softer screws.
 
Lapedog said:
What is it about the Wiha set that makes it less likely to stip torx screws? Are they like softer and thus less likely to strip softer screws.
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The fit. They have a much more precise fit (as long as the screws you're using them on are quality and in spec) than any other brand I've tried.

edit: and, no, they aren't particularly soft (compared to the screws), but they are tempered to be very tough and flexible, meaning they're not as easy to twist or round off as cheaper brands.
 
I'm also in construction and with regard to stripping or camping out under twisting forces, torx screws are better than Robertson, which are better than Phillips, which are all more convenient than slotted screws because they are self centering for easy power driving. The torx pattern recess was engineered to safely transmit greater torque (hence the name) than the other common recess shapes, for a given fastener size. This includes hex recess ("Allen") fasteners, which round out more easily than torx.

I know that it should be capitalized, being a trademarked name, but bow to common usage. Once the Camcar-Textron functional patents expired, others started selling the six pointed star fasteners and drivers. However, only the originators hold rights to the Torx branding. Similar to Kleenex, the brand name became the commonly accepted generic identifier through usage.
 
If you have ill fitting tools. It will ruin the fastener just as well.

Dont believe me... By a set of Chinese Harbor Freight tools and compare them to SnapOn/Mac.....
 
Also, many people don't know that Phillips screws are specifically designed to torque out and strip the fastener head when over torqued.

Before the advent of torque limited power tools, fasteners like slotted drive could transmit enough torque to damage the power tool. Phillips heads prevent this by stripping the relatively cheap screw instead of the tool or work piece.

Many people also mistake posidrive and Japanese JIS cross bits for Phillips, which also leads to destroyed fasteners.

Right tools for right job. Love Wiha bits.


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Guess I am in the minority that likes torx. Philips strip way to easy in my experience, and I don't get the who "I could field strip my knife if I wanted to" thing either. If you don't have a tiny Philips you are not disassembling anything lol if you make it a point to carry a Philips it is just as easy to make it a point to have torx drivers as well. The more contact on the fastener the less likely to strip.
 
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My everyday MT has a Robertson driver, but I have literally nothing it can drive. I'm replacing it with an awl, since SOG doesn't make a T8 tool.
 
G. Scott H. said:
The fit. They have a much more precise fit (as long as the screws you're using them on are quality and in spec) than any other brand I've tried.

edit: and, no, they aren't particularly soft (compared to the screws), but they are tempered to be very tough and flexible, meaning they're not as easy to twist or round off as cheaper brands.
Click to expand...


But wouldn't the fit depend on the quality of the torx screw as well? As in wouldn't the wiha set only fit better if the scews were made in a way that facillitated that fit? If the torx are cheaply made I doubt they are all identical and those variences may mean a wiha fits better on one screw and worse on the next.
 
What?....Torx fasteners are vastly superior to any other fastener I know of. Anyone who is having trouble, is either using the wrong driver, or the fastener is substandard. Hex heads strip easily. Phillips cam out and strip, as do slot. Torx will take out the thread before the head. Why is this even being questioned?
 
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