💡
16

Just dropped $80 on a JIS screwdriver set and it's already saved me

I got tired of stripping out tiny Phillips screws on old Japanese cameras like my Pentax SV. Bought a set of Vessel JIS screwdrivers for about 80 bucks online. First job was a stuck shutter speed dial on a 1960s Canonet and the fit was night and day. No more camming out or mangling screw heads from using standard Phillips bits. Makes me wonder how many cameras I messed up before realizing the difference. Anyone else had better luck with JIS tools on older gear?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
spencer_park26
Yeah how many poor camera screws did we wreck before we knew better? I probably stripped at least a dozen before someone online clued me in. I did the same thing with a Pentax SV actually, those screws are soft as butter. The Vessel sets are worth every penny just for the peace of mind. I still cringe thinking about all those rounded out heads I left behind.
3
max_torres44
Hits on a bigger thing I've noticed across all kinds of old stuff, not just cameras. Manufacturers used to design tools and fasteners specific to their gear, but now we just throw one size fits all junk at everything and wonder why it breaks. Feels like we lost a lot of that old school attention to detail somewhere along the way.
0
markh85
markh851mo ago
Ngl those old Pentax screws were made of butter from the factory.
3