Why are torx screws so expensive?

[Commander Kinsey]

Pack of PZ2 screws, £10. Pack of identical screws, but with a torx head, £50. WTF?

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

Also why are there so many different types of head these days? Time was there were just slots, then Phillips then the dam burst and posi and all sorts of fancy heads were used. A poor person needs a pocket full of screwdriver blades these days. grump. Brian

[Commander Kinsey]

Agreed. And we don't need 50 different sizes either. Small medium and large would do fine. To change a part on my car I often need a 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, and 15mm spanner. Why make them all slightly different, even on the same vehicle?

As for flat and Phillips, they should just be st> Also why are there so many different types of head these days? Time was

[newshound]

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

[Commander Kinsey]

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

[micky]

Still under patent??

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

Well, not sure about that as there may well be a special tool that reaches difficult to get at screw heads, and if they change the head they need to make a new tool.

Brian

[newshound]

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).

[Commander Kinsey]

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".

[Commander Kinsey]

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.

[Commander Kinsey]

Not sure what you mean. We currently have 20 sizes of each of about 5 heads. Really not necessary.

[newshound]

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

[rbowman]

Tell that to Textron. The original patent expired, but Torx Plus made some modifications and started the clock again. 'Torx' is a trademark and those don't expire.

[Richard]

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

[micky]

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

1936-07-07 Application granted 1936-07-07 Publication of US2046837A 1953-07-07 Anticipated expiration

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

2012-12-05 Application filed by Burton Kozak 2012-12-05 Priority to US13/705,374 I don't know what this line means 2014-06-05 Publication of US20140150613A1 or this 2015-06-30 Application granted 2015-06-30 Publication of US9067307B2 2020-01-29 Application status is Active 2033-05-11 Adjusted expiration

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

many things to look up regarding usb-A.

[Commander Kinsey]

You can usually get around that cost by buying Chinese replicas where they don't believe in capitalist patents.

[Commander Kinsey]

You can't "develop" a torx head. It's just common sense, more points, more grip. The world is so f***ed up when the first person to think of something that simple gets all the credit.

[Colonel Edmund J. Burke]

Fuck off, limey asshole.

[whisky-dave]

Yes you can.

Is that comon sense, so why don;t you patent a new driver with 1 million points then you'll have even more grip.

Someone first invented the staple, and the zip and velcro although really antsa had that millions of years before the human worked it out. So how come an ant beat you at developing this.

[Commander Kinsey]

See below, stop interrupting like Rod.

Too many, they'd burr. All torx did was take pozi and try 6 instead of 4. Hardly rocket science.

So how come the "inventor" of something an animal already had gets money for it? If anyone comes up with an invention, it's better for mankind if it's free for all to use. Get paid for actually making them, not just having an idea. It's why the best software is under the Gnu free public license.