Torx and Torx Plus

[sgtsandman]

Anyone else remember Posi Drive screws?

Of course I had to buy the screw driver that matched my set... It may have been a GM thing. Probably been used a couple times.

I think that was a thing just prior to introducing Torx drive fasteners.

Is that the one with the weird, extra cross slots in a cross point (Phillips) head?

 

[RonD]

Yes there have been the plethora of screw drives, seen here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screw_drives

Some I have never heard of, lol

Until moving to Canada I had never heard of Robertson drives(square), that's the standard fasteners up here, the way Phillips is in the US

 

[Uncle Gump]

Is that the one with the weird, extra cross slots in a cross point (Phillips) head?

That's the one...

 

[sgtsandman]

I saw quite a bit of the Robertson drive screws in a camping trailer my parents had. Certainly weren’t something I’d seen elsewhere a whole lot but they are around.

 

[RonD]

After using both phillips and robertson for many years, robertson is the better one for torque and repeated unscrewing and screwing in
But either can strip the head, or wear the bit out over time

 

[Uncle Gump]

The square drive fasteners get used quite a bit here. Lots of decks and sheds have been built with those.

When I repaired my fence this year... HD had all kinds of stock in square drive... I had to kinda look for the Philips head construction screws. So I believe they're gaining popularity.

 

[sgtsandman]

Torx is more common here for deck screws, though Robertson can be had with less availability. I’ve seen some Phillips as well but I’m not sure who would buy them since Robertson and Torx are superior in my experience.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Square drive and Robertson are NOT the same. With Robertson you can put a screw on the driver and it wont fall off. In fact sometimes it's a pain to get the driver out of the screw. But the screw also has to be Robertson drive. Iirc most American companies didnt want to pay the liscence fee so it was rare down there.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Torx is more common here for deck screws, though Robertson can be had with less availability. I’ve seen some Phillips as well but I’m not sure who would buy them since Robertson and Torx are superior in my experience.

I guess I'm one of the rare few that stupid. I had enough on hand to do 75% of the job... I bought enough to finish the job and still have them on hand for the next project. I think they work just fine.

 

[sgtsandman]

I guess I'm one of the rare few that stupid. I had enough on hand to do 75% of the job... I bought enough to finish the job and still have them on hand for the next project. I think they work just fine.

Keeping the fasteners with the same bit head as the rest of the project is just a smart practice. Why buy more hardware than you have too if you have some already? There isn’t much more irritating than having to keep switching bits during a project.

While not completely avoidable, I do try to minimize that with the carport. Most fasteners are T-25 but I was forced to use some Phillips and T-20s for some due to style or availability when buying the fasteners.

 

[97RangerXLT]

I see Robertson screws in electronics. And in stuff like version and tape players that have metal frames, a Robertson bit is the difference between removing the screw or wallowing it out with a Phillips driver.

Square heads are commonly usredd on furniture and decks, I like the torx screws for decks though.

I have a set of security bits that I got from MCM Electronics over 25 years ago that has common sizes for most of the security bits used in electronics. I see that Harbor Freight has even a bigger set than mine...

AJ

 

[sgtsandman]

I have a set of Harbor Freight security bits.

 

[Roert42]

Pozi drive is very popular in Europe still. I see it daily on industrial equipment from Italy. Most people in the us have not heard of it.

 

[Shran]

I try to use Torx whenever possible for screws. I can get square drive deck and sheetrock screws but I hate them...I really hate square drive in general. I wish torx sheetrock screws were a thing.

I hope Torx Plus sockets/bits hold up better. I cannot tell you how many T50 and T55 sockets I've destroyed trying to remove seatbelt bolts and bed bolts.