Originally Posted by
mikeoverly
The $200 Campy chain tool is my favorite. It doesn't even open wine bottles. Star wrenches are Torx wrenches that offer no advantage over hex wrenches, which are Allen wrenches.
Torx have many more & more robust contact points than hex wrenches. They will not round out in the way a worn hex would & should the wrong size Torx wrench be used the fastener is not destroyed in the way a hex fastener would be. The bulk of the load bearing surfaces remain for the proper sized tool to act upon.
For reasons of tool wear, ergonomics, serviceability, production costs, & avoided re-work complications, the engineering department at my former employer (aerospace manufacturing) made it a policy to substitute all cross-tip fasteners ("Philips") with Torx on all designs going forward. The use of hex style fasteners was strongly discouraged throughout the production system.
So, Torx do indeed provide tangible, real world benefit.