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weird screw head

HoosierMark

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Joined
Jan 31, 2013
Messages
1,445
Location
Southeast IN
Our prelit christmas tree is having light issues. There is a controller between the wall plug and the tree. It is a push button thing. It works randomly depending on what area of the button you push. I was going to take the screws out to take a look at how it works. The screw heads are round with a triangular shaped opening. Not torx, phillips or flat but a small triangle end is needed. I know a little about different types of screw heads but have not seen this before. I am thinking of grinding off a square bit head to create a triangle. Any other ideas?
 
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Milton Shaw

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Joined
Feb 11, 2011
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4,845
Home Depot/Amazon and others carry a Klein security multibit screwdriver set with about 24 different sizes of security bits in a soft plastic holder that fits on the handle. I bought several and on Amazon found the same holder with non-security bits so in one screwdriver you carry just about every bit you will need. Carry one in car tool box and find it handy to have. Screwdriver and bit set were about $30 and the other bits as I remember were about $15 or so. These are not the super small sizes but the regular sizes of them. Super small I have found in some miniature electric screwdriver sets with 30 or more small bits suitable for stuff on the scale of eyeglass repair( impossible to work on since you aren't looking through your glasses while working).
 

JradM

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Joined
Sep 4, 2019
Messages
1,819
Location
Alberta
Those aren't that crazy - it's a type of security screw. You'd need the bit to turn them the proper way, but your idea of a modified square drive sounds like it would work in a pinch.

For next time, I'd suggest either the Klein:

61Kk4tlBdzL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

Or the Xiaomi Wiha set:

6171yekF5fS.jpg

I've got both - not because I'm precision screwdriver bit freak, but because my kid "borrowed" my Wiha set and lost the PH01 bit. Turns I can't find a cheap replacement to make the set whole again, so I just bought the Klein set to try something else.

Xiaomi is a Chinese brand. You'd think that would rule it out, but they only made the magnetic aluminum case and aluminum handle - both of which are quite good). Wiha makes the bits and, as you'd expect, they are great.

Reasons to pick the Xiaomi:
  • Way more pocketable slim and sleek case
  • Best quality bits
  • Easier bit access (magnetic)
  • Lighter

Reasons to pick the Klein:
  • Easier to find locally
  • Dual-length bit driver
  • Better access to deeply recessed fasteners (longer bits and driver shaft)
  • More bits (39 vs 24) - though I can't think of a time I needed a bit the Wiha lacked

They're both good kits. Neither is substantially superior in my opinion. The Xiaomi feels more like an office product due to it's sleek presentation (but that doesn't mean it isn't rugged). The Klein kit seems like something you'd keep in a shop and has even more bits to make sure you're prepared if you come across something weird.
 

Lassen Forge

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Joined
Apr 26, 2014
Messages
15,363
Location
The romantic hills of central Umbria, Italy,
I made one to fit a coffee pot once with a grinder bit and a dremel... then I found a kit on line through IFixIt, but then a month later fond a cheaper set on Amazons dot com (Tiawanic, but I didn't care) that had all the cool security bits I could ever want...

BTW... they're fairly common here, and I can get a set at Leroy's branded either by Bosch or Dexter (their local store brand).
 

Stubby1743

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Joined
Jul 16, 2023
Messages
733
Location
UK
I bought a set of six different triangular bits last week. I hadn't realised that there were so many small sizes. The largest has sides of 3.6mm and the smallest 2mm. The marked sizes are TA30 (the largest), TA27, TA25, TA23, TA20 & TA18 (the smallest).

Most multi bit sets such a those in post #6 only have one or two triangle bits.
 
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