Spyderco Forums

It used to be simple to reverse a clip
on a Spyderco. I tried to do it this evening
and gave up. A #6 Torx is too small and
a #7 is too large. The #8 fits the pivot
OK and the #6 fits the scale screws OK.
The #6 ruined the screw head on the
clip screws. Do the clip screws on a Junior
take a special non standard bit? Will have to
contact W&R for new clip screws and hopefully advice on
a tool to fit them.

General observation here.... Spyderco should make a nice torx hand tool.

I think some people might be using allen key styled torx which doesn't leverage as nice and may strip the bolt.

General observation here.... Spyderco should make a nice torx hand tool.

I think some people might be using allen key styled torx which doesn't leverage as nice and may strip the bolt.

These are not a good idea to use.

I forced a #8 into the clip screws and
got them loose.

If its too small, its the wrong tool. If anything you should jam the bigger size in even if it feels tight. You will notice this on coated screws especially. Poor quality tools arent made to a high spec, and some have a coating on them also making them not true to size. We use torx for most of the assembly we do at work, and in the 7 years ive been using them with an impact driver I have not once stripped a head, the threads usually go if anything.

For future reference, the best course of action is generally:

1. Determine the screw type- while Spyderco uses mostly Torx now, some models, particularly the Tenacious family, use Allen.
2. Find a driver that fits the screw head properly. Both drivers and screws do vary a bit, so it does pay to have more than one brand to try.
3. If the screw does not turn when you apply reasonable pressure, STOP. Apply heat (for example, dip in boiling water) then try again.

Agree. There are a lot of inexpensive Torx drivers out there that are very poorly sized, and some have expensive names and prices. Either buy the Home Depot mini-driver set (which has very accurately-sized bits) or buy Wiha drivers.

w3tnz wrote:If its too small, its the wrong tool. If anything you should jam the bigger size in even if it feels tight. You will notice this on coated screws especially. Poor quality tools arent made to a high spec, and some have a coating on them also making them not true to size. We use torx for most of the assembly we do at work, and in the 7 years ive been using them with an impact driver I have not once stripped a head, the threads usually go if anything.

Thanks for the tips. I have some new
screws incoming.

Jerry

JNewell wrote:Agree. There are a lot of inexpensive Torx drivers out there that are very poorly sized, and some have expensive names and prices. Either buy the Home Depot mini-driver set (which has very accurately-sized bits) or buy Wiha drivers.

You can't even rely on it being good within a single brand sometimes. I have an older copy of this screwdriver set out of McMaster Carr (link) that are brilliant, but the exact same set I bought recently won't work on torx screws the older ones work with, and worse, the metal is so soft it spun when I tried to remove a torx screw (i.e., the threads are not straight to the tip anymore but curve around).

...If only there was a community of torx screwdriver AFIs to demand the latest and greatest steels and heat treatments like there are with knives :D

In theory, I agree with you, but (1) I've got five of the HD/Husky sets now, purchased over quite a few years, and they have been consistently excellent, and (2) I've never gotten a bad driver from Wiha.

phaust wrote:You can't even rely on it being good within a single brand sometimes. I have an older copy of this screwdriver set out of McMaster Carr (link) that are brilliant, but the exact same set I bought recently won't work on torx screws the older ones work with, and worse, the metal is so soft it spun when I tried to remove a torx screw (i.e., the threads are not straight to the tip anymore but curve around).

...If only there was a community of torx screwdriver AFIs to demand the latest and greatest steels and heat treatments like there are with knives :D

JNewell wrote:In theory, I agree with you, but (1) I've got five of the HD/Husky sets now, purchased over quite a few years, and they have been consistently excellent, and (2) I've never gotten a bad driver from Wiha.

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll have to try one of those brands next time. I couldn't believe when the metal at the tip twisted on the newer set from General.

In my experience, Wiha makes high quality Torx bits and drivers.

Lagrangian wrote:In my experience, Wiha makes high quality Torx bits and drivers.

They do. However, even if you blame it on the screw being poorly sized, other brands do sometimes fit a given screw better.

I too have had excellent luck with my set of Wiha torx drivers.

phaust wrote:Thanks for the info. I guess I'll have to try one of those brands next time. I couldn't believe when the metal at the tip twisted on the newer set from General.

My experience with General is mixed (going back decades). That's why I mentioned the good results with the Husky set. I would never assume consistency with a product in that price range from a big box vendor, but as I said, they have been consistently great. They are properly sized and appear to be properly hardened, too.

I've also had problems with spyderco torix screws not fitting regular driver sizes (I'm talking decent quality hex bits, not the cheap allen-key type things), which ended with stripped screws that I couldn't remove. I had to give up on swapping the handle scales between a superhawk and superleaf for that reason.

I got a Husky 23 piece precision mini screwdriver set at Home Depot on sale for $5. It has Torx 5 - 10 15 and 20, philips, flat an Hex heads in it. I use it on my remote control heli and cars. The quality is very good.