torx, hex, star bits

"Ting F. Chui" wrote in news:bmfd4p$9at$ snipped-for-privacy@newsx.cc.uic.edu:

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

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

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.

Robert Baer wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net:

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

Tektronix used them until they switched to TorX.

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

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

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*************************************************** "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

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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

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

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.

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----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

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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.

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----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

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Jim Adney wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

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

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

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.

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Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

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

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

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----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

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