Why are torx screws so expensive?

It's a rip-off. Otherwise they would not be so popular on automotive plastic panels.

Eh? Surely the car companies don't want to buy expensive screws either.

When I look on McMaster Carr I see they are more expensive than Phillips but nothing like 5x.

They are also far from the cheapest place to buy screws but they have just about anything you need.

How big is a box? I just paid £10 for 100 5mmx90mm screws, Pozi 2. The torx equivalent was £50.

This was 25 but they were stainless, not regular steel. I was just looking as reference.

Still under patent??

You want to price Head-Lok screws !!!!

I mean YOU are being ripped off. Car companies are not. (I'm thinking about their use to hold rigid plastic in place, like dashboard items, rear lights, etc).

I was also buying stainless, non-stainless is useless, they just rust and can't be removed. I got 100 for £10 or £50. Not paying 5 times the price to get torx.

I'm sure you can find a lot cheaper than $8 (about £6?) for only 25.

How can you patent a star shape? Wasn't that invented by the universe, mother nature, god, or something? It's too simple to be an "invention".

I'm not convinced an 8 point star can take more torque than a 6 point star.

Ah, clips. The most irritating invention ever. Everything should always be screwed together. It's one of the reasons I hate Macs. I guess they're trying to save money.

How childish. It's way too basic a thing to copyright.

Wifi is infinitely more complicated than a star shape on a piece of metal.

How am I being ripped off? Car company A uses torx everywhere. Car company B uses Pozi everywhere. Car company B can make their car cheaper. More people buy their cars.

FFS if you are paying five times the price for Torx you are being ripped off.

If a slightly more expensive screw saves a fraction of a second per screw due to working better on automated machinery it's a win-win for everyone. Torques screws don't fall off the driver or slip like Philips screws and look a whole lot better than square drive Robertsons.

Don't argue with him, find something to sell to him.

Here's the history of the patent on the Philips head screwsdriver. I think an X is even simpler than a star.

but then it occurs to me that more on point is Torx patent history:

There you go.

This might be why USB-C cables are 6 dollars or more while USB-A to micro are 2 dollars or maybe less. Maybe not because 2028-01-15 Anticipated expiration of micro usb