Midas Swellendam is an auto parts and accessories retail store designed around the needs of vehicle owners and automotive mechanics, focusing on quality products at the best price.
Midas Swellendam’s Midas’s familiar orange and black signage stands out as a trusted beacon representing a ‘one-stop’ auto parts and accessories store that is filled with everything you will need to keep your cars, trucks, and tractors in good working order.
The Auto Parts and accessories business is a thriving industry, and like the quote says:
“The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.”
Swellendam’s Midas are stockists of a large variety of hand tools, and today we will look at the essential toolbox tool “The Screwdriver”, the different variations available and the purposes they serve.
The various drives:
Slot screw drive:
Invented in Europe in the early 15th century, the Slot Screw Drive was the first type of screw drive that was developed, and it is the most widely used type of screwdriver today.
The slotted screwdriver, also known as a flat head, fits into the single slot in the screw head and is used to turn, fasten, or loosen screws and bolts.
As the name implies, a slotted screwdriver is used to drive screws with a slotted head.
Phillips:
The drive was invented by Henry F. Phillips. The Phillips screws have cross-slots that look like an X stamped into the head.
These screwdrivers have a 123-degree point with a blunted tip and tapered cross-shaped blade tip that provides self-centring on the screw and is designed to prevent over-tightening.
Patented in the 1930’s, this drive was invented to become a vast improvement from the antique slotted screw, which tended to cam-out easily. Nowadays, the Phillips screw is easily mistaken for a Pozidrive screw.
Pozidrive:
The drive is an improved version of the Phillips drive. Greater torque can be applied on a Pozidrive screw.
The Pozidrive screws and the screwdriver can be distinguished by a second set of radial indentations set at a 45° from the cross recess.
The design is intended to decrease the likelihood that the Pozidrive screwdriver will slip out. The disadvantage of the Pozidrive is that is visually similar to Phillips and that many people are unaware of the difference or do not own the correct screwdrivers.
Important to remember! The screws having a pozidrive head can be unscrewed by a Phillips screwdriver, but a Phillips screw cannot be unscrewed by a Pozidrive – It will damage the screw and the tip of the screwdriver.
Torx:
The drive uses a star-shaped recess in the screw head with six rounded points. It is designed to permit increased torque transfer compared to other screwdrivers.
Torx is very popularly used in the automotive, electronics and woodworking industries. It has a very high resistance to cam-out and has an extended bit life.
Security Torx:
The drive is similar to the standard Torx drive but has a small pin in the centre of the recess. These Security Torx drivers and screws were invented to use in applications where the manufacturer does not want the typical person to have the tools to adjust or remove the screw.
This drive is also referred to as a tamper resistant Torx drive.
Robertson (Square drive):
The Robertson drive is also known as a square drive, some people refer to it as the Scrulox screw drive. The screw head has a square head and is easy to use with one hand.
It also allows the screw to be placed on the screwdriver prior to driving it in position. It was invented to reduce the cam-out issue of the slotted screws and therefore speed up the fastening process.
It is said that “A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.”
We hope that you have enjoyed today’s article and that we have done adequate work of demystifying “The Screwdriver”.
Midas Swellendam does not only care about providing you with the best quality auto parts and accessories at the best prices, but they also care about people and the community.
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