Die Shape Question

Some, but not all, hex-shaped dies are intended for thread repair only. Maybe at one time the hex shape indicated a re-threading die, but that is not always the case now. Craftsman, for one, distributes general-purpose dies that are hex-shaped.

Hi. Thanks. I have a few Craftsman dies that I used to clean up threads, but I thought they were to make threads. I have never needed to make any threads yet. I also have a $10 Harbor Freight set that has round dies, but the place where the round rod would enter the die is not tapered like the Craftsman ones, and I don't see how anyone could use them to make threads that way.

The main thing that got me started to wonder about it was what I read on the McMaster-Carr site about the round vs. hex.

Thanks!