Snap On gold colored Torx bits?

[md21722]

I recently picked up a set. What I've found is they don't seem to sit as far into the bolt, but fit very tight. My standard Snap Ons go farther down but can be rotated back and forth a little. This is on a Jeep, if that matters. Is this an acceptable trade off? Should I look to another brand? Anybody know the durability of Stahlwille, Hazet, or other top brands by comparison?

 

[JeepsAreBuilt]

Are you sure its not a torx plus bit or a torx plus fastener ?

I dont have any gold torx.. my snappy guy dosent stock it on his truck, so I just buy the standard ones. I dont wanna wait 2 weeks for him to order one if needed.

 

[md21722]

My Jeeps are 1997 and 2001, they look like regular TORX to me.

 

[drewvdw]

I've noticed the same thing. After a while they wear down just a bit and fit just fine. I haven't had any real issues with them, and no replacing the t20 every time I used it like the standard ones.

 

[md21722]

I've noticed the same thing. After a while they wear down just a bit and fit just fine. I haven't had any real issues with them, and no replacing the t20 every time I used it like the standard ones.

That's kind of interesting, I would've expected them to fit right the first time I used them.

 

[Ratchet.]

I have had a bunch of issues with some of the gold ones, supposedly they are stronger than the steel colored ones but had my 40 torx bit replaced twice under warranty as was poorly formed and kept 'camming out' of fasteners as the end was undersized/tapered and was a very loose fit, current one isn't a whole lot better either...

according to my dealer there was a bad batch of them, whether that is true though im not sure.

 

[md21722]

Interesting. So if I had unlimited options, would Hazet, Stahwille, Wiha, etc. be better? I looked at the Bondhus ones, they are listed as 2" bits which is too long for some applications.

 

[T45]

I've seen this before as well.

Maybe add Apex Torxalign on your shortlist.

 

[Stevenn1]

They do look the same at a quick glance....

 

[md21722]

Yeah, I've never tried to shove a torx plus in them, but they are the pointed bolts.... I've had the 01 XJ since '04. Looks like the picture on the left so I never even tried the torx plus.

 

[md21722]

So like these ones Made in China?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HFQCOG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Not that I'm completely against China as I realize U.S. companies have things made in China for the global market, ...

 

[Wakefield]

Looking at a small (like T25)fastener it is very hard for my eyes to see the difference without a magnifying glass.
They should have started with Torx Plus and skipped the other one.
Fairly long discussion a while back in here about Torx and some other similar fastener drive systems. "Ribe"?

 

[Grant Gunderson]

The PB Swiss Torx bits are amazing. Expensive as hell, but if u use them every day like I do, then they are worth every cent.

 

[rustbucket5]

i find the torx plus to be a better design, doesnt mis align as easy. i have the otc master set and its great for the $70 i paid. i heard the snappy gold bits were supposed to be the cats ****

 

[M6erfan]

Wiha is excellent as is Ko-ken

 

[shockwave]

I find the gold coating on them adds strength and durable but can easily strip since its stronger than fastener I am removing I good example is brake rotor screws that have thread lock on them

 

[abvw]

The gold bits are flat at the Torx end (sharper edges to grab the fastener), where as the regular ones are slightly convex which fits the concave broach of the fastener. This is why the regular bits seem to fit better, but you should get a better bite with the gold bits.

I noticed on the smaller sizes the gold bits are tapered differently down the hex stock to achieve a thicker profile.

The gold bits are also heat treated differently so they are less prone to breaking. They are supposed to twist and deform but not shear off and potentially cause FOD.

 

[Skin]

Noticed this with mine also so I don't use them if they don't seat properly. The VIM ones fit much better and are generally what I used most.

The gold bits are flat at the Torx end (sharper edges to grab the fastener), where as the regular ones are slightly convex which fits the concave broach of the fastener. This is why the regular bits seem to fit better, but you should get a better bite with the gold bits.

I noticed on the smaller sizes the gold bits are tapered differently down the hex stock to achieve a thicker profile.

The gold bits are also heat treated differently so they are less prone to breaking. They are supposed to twist and deform but not shear off and potentially cause FOD.

Sorry but that's just not true, they're literally too fat to fit in the torx properly so they sit on top. They wont bite better.

Who told you there was a treatment difference? The gold is a Ti coating which is hard and brittle, not soft. They don't twist, they just snap, the regular ones twist though.

Forgive me but it seems like you or your dealer or whomever are just making excuses because its "Snap-On". The gold bits have been hit/miss in fitment for years and its mostly random QC fails due to the coating making the bit just a hair too large.

 

[md21722]

Thanks everyone. Glad I asked! I searched but couldn't find anything about this until this thread!

 

[Camping57]

The gold Sanp-on bits are made to the high end of the tolerance range to provide a slightly larger amount of metal in the bit and a tighter fit, bothof which will tend to make them perform better with tight screws. But there is always a trade-off: they will have a real hard time going into a recess with any paint or debris in it. They also will have a greater tendency to ream out the recess on softer (lower strength) bolts and screws, because of the difference in material hardness.
Torx came out in the mid 70s and Torx Plus came out in the mid 90s. Given the age of those Jeeps and the fact that the American car companies were late to start using Torx Plus, I would say that those screws have good old Torx recesses in them.