Torx is a brand name. The head of a Torx screwdriver is a six-pointed star. According to eHow, you'll find Torx screws on bikes, computers, car parts and more as they become more popular. Because of their shape, they're particularly resistant to camming out. Many woodworkers are fans of these for that reason.
Hexagon (Hex) Screwdriver
Photo: Amazon.com. Hex-head screws are typically small and commonly found in doorknobs, towel bars, faucet handles, and even some mechanical installations. They require a hex key screwdriver (also called an Allen screwdriver, Allen key, or Allen wrench) to tighten or loosen.
Slot configuration: The most common are flathead, Phillips, Robertson, Torx and hex-head. Slot size: There are only three or four common sizes for Phillips and Robertson screwdrivers, but there are many more for flat-head, Torx and hex-head. Sometimes it takes trial and error to determine which size you need.
A screwdriver with 6 sides that fits a hexagon screw opening is called a hex screwdriver or a hexagon screwdriver.
Torx or Star Screwdriver
Known variously as star head screwdrivers, pointed screwdrivers, six-point screwdrivers, and torx screwdrivers, these versions are all the same type. Torx is the trademark for a type of screw head with a six-point star-shaped intrusion, hence the generic name star screwdriver.
Hex screwdriver
A screwdriver with 6 straight lobes, is a hexagon. They are used more with bolts than with screws. Hex screwdrivers help you tighten hex bolts, nuts and screws. This is also a fairly common screwdriver and is widely used in many fields of mechanics, repair, and manufacturing.
Hexagon head screws — also called hex screws, hex socket screws and hex head cap screws — have a six-sided head and preformed machine threads on the shank, or shaft. You might have seen hex screws abbreviated as HH or HX, depending on the manufacturer or retailer.
A Robertson screw, also known as a square screw or Scrulox, is a type of screw with a square-shaped socket in the screw head and a corresponding square protrusion on the tool. Both the tool and socket have a slight taper.
Noun. Robertson screwdriver (plural Robertson screwdrivers) (chiefly Canada) A type of screwdriver having a square tip, designed to drive a Robertson screw.
A hex key, also known as an Allen key or Allen wrench, is a small handheld tool that's used for for driving bolts and screws with a hexagonal socket. They are available in many different sizes, though they all have the same hexagonal-shaped tip.
Also known as Torx Head Cap Screws or Allen Bolts, these screws have a cylindrical head with a six-lobe socket drive which has more resistance to cam out and can be used with power drivers – enabling faster use and higher torque to be achieved.
Pozi head screws were first introduced in the 1960s and are commonly used in the United Kingdom and Europe. They have a unique cross-like shape that helps to reduce cam-out, which is when the screwdriver slips out of the screw head during installation.
The Frearson screw drive, also known as the Reed and Prince screw drive, and specified as ANSI Type II Cross Recess, is similar to a Phillips but the Frearson has a sharp tip and larger angle in the V shape. One advantage over the Phillips drive is that one driver or bit fits all screw sizes.
The Robertson screwdriver, also known as a square screwdriver, was invented in 1908 by P.L. Robertson, a native Canadian.
Robertson(TM) colour-coded driver bit, #1 x 3 inches, green.
Torx screwdrivers have distinctive 6-point star shaped head which mate perfectly with appropriately sized screw heads. The unique Torx design means that there is less likelihood that the screw head will be stripped or the screwdriver damaged.
So, if you are in a hurry to screw something together, you'll likely grab Phillips screws over Roberston ones. However, this doesn't mean they are a better choice. If you will be using a lot of screws over a short period of time, the Roberston screw is probably your better choice.
Most historians attribute its lack of popularity in the United States to Henry Ford. Having been nearly bankrupted by shady European licensees, Robertson refused to license his invention to Ford. Without a guaranteed supply, Ford turned to the Phillips-head screw, cementing its reign in American industry.
Hex Key/Screwdriver
The hex key or hex wrench, is an L-shaped tool with a hexagonal cross section. These are commonly included with DIY furniture pieces. Hex Keys are commonly sold in sets.
Poker Screwdrivers from Pye are one of the most used point head screwdrivers. These hand tools are used to install and detach screws. Pye 100 mm Poker Screw Driver is designed using high-quality S2 steel. These are portable, small screwdrivers and can fit into one's pockets.
Hex head screws are screws with a hexagonal-shaped head that can be tightened with a wrench (spanner) or socket. Such tools engage with the external faces of the hex head. Avoid confusing hex head screws with a hexagon socket head or an Allen, which have an internal hexagonal socket that is driven by hex bits or keys.
They're used for more or less the same purpose, though Torx keys feature a star or asterisk-shaped cross-section, rather than the hexagonal shape of an Allen key. As for which of the two is best, the short answer is they are both extremely useful.
The easiest way to know whether a screw is Phillips or Pozidriv is that all Pozidriv screws have lines etched the screw head in-between the four arms of the cross. This visual aid means that you can instantly recognise a whether a screw is a Pozidriv or not.