E-Star Same as Torx?

CluelessNewB said:
I'm fine with Torx, what I don't understand is why anyone still uses straight slot screws!
Click to expand...
One (good?) reason is historic furniture repair... there's an esthetic reason for a wide variety of connector cruftsmanship.

I was fine with Bristol spline; got a couple of sets of wrenches, have a half-pound of the fasteners, but
they became unobtainium some years ago.
 
Chips O'Toole said:
You think manufacturers don't deliberately make things hard to repair?
Click to expand...


You may be right, but stuff is also hard to repair because:
1. It's cheaper to build it that way.
2. They don't care if it's easy for the repairman.
3. It's cheaper to build it that way.
4. They design stuff to be easy to assemble, not disassemble.
5. It's cheaper to build it that way.

I also heard that one reason Torx fasteners are becoming increasingly common is that they
work better on production lines where robots perform the assembly. When people do it,
I can imagine they have fewer dropped/stripped fasteners as well.
 
It probably doesn't relate too much to this post, the fastener was a 3/8"(10mm?) bolt. A friend of mine had acquired a Dodge Cummins where the problem was simply a bad starter motor.The bolts for the starter were of similar as noted, just larger. I found a small(?) 12 point 7/16" socket fit the fastener head snugly. The socket was toward the large end, 1/2", a set for specialty hydraulics at the mill. The point is that the "male" Torx head form matches the socket head perfectly. And 12 point sockets fit those heads. Although 12 point sockets that small are rare, they can be found. Most of the 12 point sockets are larger sizes, starting around 9.16".

.
 
Are they the standard self tapping screws used to fix metal roofing? They have a male "torx" type head cover made from plastic that is used with a 12 point socket.
 
Torx is just a brand name. They're standardized in ISO, DIN, and JIS at least, almost surely most if not all others. Hexalobular Internal (or real close to that) is what we call "Torx". Hexalobular external never picked up that name in casual use, and I've got no idea if the original "torx" has anything to do with the inverted ("external"?) torx, but you can find "E" sockets, "E-torx" sockets, etc. Like Kleenex, that particular trade name belongs to somebody, but anybody in the world can make a tissue, free and clear. Same with hexolobular (torx) fasteners.

What made them popular initially is they were (about) the first fastener that would sit squarely on the driver while it was put together with specialized production tools on an assembly line. You can load a screw up on a screwdriver, or load a bolt up into a socket, on the production line tooling, and rail 'em home under power. And when you're done, they don't stick at all, so you can release your power tool.


As for kitchen and bath fixtures designed to handle water, which are not resistant to water.... Yeah, I don't know about that.... I think if we (collectively, the US) stopped buying such things, there wouldn't be so many of such things.
 
Production lines are optimized for putting a product together, not for taking it apart (at any point in its future.)
 
That's what I'm complaining about. But you can put things together with ordinary Torxes, so there has to be another explanation for using the ones with the extra user-defeating device.
 
Well, a few years ago I bought an inexpensive (around $10) little kit of maybe 40 or more different stub driver tips that fit a quarter inch holder. They are all marked (T25, etc), includes the secure type with the post in the center, and a bunch of stuff I’ve not encountered, but I’m ready if I do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top