Reviews by Wirecutter: When I took on my first significant DIY carpentry project earlier this year (a shed-sized playhouse for my daughter), I was let in on a secret: Pros swear by Torx-head screws, an all-around better alternative to the formerly ubiquitous but flawed, finicky Phillips head.
4 comments:
Torx screws are actually the screws we used in the vast majority of construction projects in my high school’s theater program. I genuinely love them so much and I wish they got the attention they deserve because they are literally so so incredible. I really liked the video the article had about the different screw types being used and some cam out more than others. I think especially in high school theater where most people were new to using power tools, having a screw that was easier to use was super important to making things work. torx screws are also just so much harder to strip which is really great for theater because you are working super fast and again people are really new. I will say the one thing I don't like about torx screws that wasn't mentioned in the article was that if you paint them enough it can be really annoying to take out because when the paint dries you can't really get your bit in.
I used torx screws in my high school theatre program and I do agree with a lot of these sentiments. Some of them are exaggerated but what else do you expect from a puff piece on screw head design. I actually have a similar gripe that I do with torx that I do with philips. They both round out if you aren’t being careful on keeping your drill in line with your screw. A better design than either is what we currently use now is the robertson screw. The only failure I have had with screwing in a Robertson screw is the bit on my drill rounding out after a year of use. Being able to not have a screw round out is a blessing and screwing in and unscrewing but a torx bit is better for stripping out. With all the specialty screws out there torx is a good option, not amazing but good.
All I’ve ever really used were phillips head screws and I had never heard of Torx screws until reading this article. I think the difference between these screws is interesting, mostly just in shape. I feel like you would think that even though there are many small grooves in the Torx screw that it would be easy to strip because of how small the grooves are and they don’t create a plus, which usually creates a little pressure when turning the screwdriver, so I thought it would probably strip. Then watching the demonstration it actually worked very well which I was not expecting. I think it would be very beneficial to switch to Torx screws especially now since the price of everything is rising and very minimal damage to the screws means they have the possibility of being reused, which is turn will save money in a theatre overall.
I think Torx are neat. I wasn’t aware of them until I picked some up to help a buddy with his eagle scout project. I’m used to reusing old phillips-head screws in my theater which leave you spending more time fighting their old stripped heads than anything else. But bringing a box of torx screws for a group of young men to mess around with was by-and-by a great choice. I gave the screws to my buddy and watched as he and the scouts he had recruited sunk screws with ease, without a single head being stripped. This might read like an ad for Torx-head screws but it cannot be overstated what an accomplishment this was. I like torx for assembly especially when you don’t have to take them out. The biggest barrier I see people face when using them is not having the right bit for their six-pointed head. I think making these screws a little more popular would go a long way to making construction projects easier.
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