Absolute Best Torx Bits in the World?

I'm beyond sick of twisting and/or breaking the piece of E36 M3 torx bits I have.  I've got Masterhand (Tractor Supply brand I think?), Neiko from Amazon, whatever brand Auto Zone carried ~15 years ago, a handful of  Kobalt and Craftsman.  They all suck.

What doesn't suck?

I'd like socket style, 3/8" drive and maybe 1/4" drive for the smaller stuff.

I'd like regular and security (hole in the middle) bits.

Snap On

/close thread

I agree with Cousin_Eddie, also, I have Cornwell that are good. I imagine the same for MAC, you know, stuff that costs over a bill for a set. Even then, the safety bits bend. 

I haven't had any issues with my lisle bits.

Cousin_Eddie said:

Snap On

/close thread

 

I always have trouble flagging down those trucks when I need them.

Snap On has a fine website to order from.  Free shipping on all orders under 500 too. Buy once, cry once.

I haven't used them enough to make any definitive comments, but the Wera set I got last year seems really solid.

Bondhus.  Made in Minnesota.  http://www.bondhus.com/bondhus_products/tool_categories/socket_bits/star.html

In reply to stuart in mn :

I haven't used bondhus torx bits but their hex keys are fantastic.

The best bit to get are the short shank type they hold up better. I have both Snap on and Mac bits, they both seem to fail at about the same rate.

Sorry about that.

02Pilot said:

I haven't used them enough to make any definitive comments, but the Wera set I got last year seems really solid.

I've been slowly moving to wera because the ergo is less painful. I like them a lot.

I hate torx with a passion. I get the theory of why they should be better, but in practice the heads are always too shallow and almost always made of some swiss cheese metal. They have very little tolerance for not having the tool misaligned with the head. And on top of that all the sizes are so similar that you can't really tell many of the different sizes apart by eye. Their is a lot of overlap in sizes that encourages "close enough to the right size driver" mistakes.

In my experience, both the screw heads and driver bits/tools strip out at a much higher rate then pretty much any other hardware system.

I think it was Porsche’s mission to use as many as possible on 944s. Waking them up I have found to be a big help.  

I by the cheep ones and just re square them off with a bench grinder. The added bonus would s when you do this it does not have the rounded edge on them and the wake up process causes them to bite in to the fastener better. 

Dude, as someone that works with torx at work, let me tell you- you want the bit to give, not the screw or bolt. I’ve been effed royale by having the head sheer and not the bit. I’ll take a broken bit (of which I carry many in the tool bag) over a mutilated screw head any day. 

What are you doing that your twisting or breaking a torx bit? 

Rust. Is the reason the bits and hardware get chewed up. The manufacturers seem to be having a love fest with these things as we have Torx, Torx tamper proof, Torx plus, and Torx pluse tamper proof.

I replace all Torx with bolt if I have the time.

 

 

smokindav said:

What are you doing that your twisting or breaking a torx bit? 

Trackmouse said:

Dude, as someone that works with torx at work, let me tell you- you want the bit to give, not the screw or bolt. I’ve been effed royale by having the head sheer and not the bit. I’ll take a broken bit (of which I carry many in the tool bag) over a mutilated screw head any day. 

OH H_ ll Yes . THIS

I WANT for neither to break or strip or bend but if I had to choose one, yes, it would the bit.  

EvanB said:

I haven't had any issues with my lisle bits.

While it's rare for me to break tools, I've broken many Lisle torx bits.  Usually my own fault when I can't put solid, direct force on the situation. 

smokindav said:

What are you doing that your twisting or breaking a torx bit? 

Looking at them funny.  <--- Only a slight exaggeration.  Freetors' post a few above yours is spot on. 

I'm amazed to see snap on recommended, my Allen's and torx bits broke so often I went back to Stanley and craftsmen. 

In reply to Donebrokeit :

I too have replaced a lot of torx fasteners with traditional or socket head bolts.  I've got a decent collection of McMaster Carr boxes from various projects over the years.  The seized in place and painted over torx bolts in my Jeep TJ destroyed a few bits before I broke out the Miller and welded a nut to most of them.

Torx bolts are the devil!

I exorcise and replace them with something else.

I also don't like "triple square" bolt heads either!

Owning a number of German cars or German engined cars I do have a set of bits for them but I replace them when I can as well.

Question: What TORX bit is the best?

Answer: False. All TORX bits suck, because all TORX screws/bolts suck.