Blew $80 on a cheap lens spanner and it stripped on the first use

Picked up a no-name spanner off Amazon for 80 bucks to fix a stuck helicoid on a Pentax 50mm and the pins bent immediately. Anyone got a solid brand that'll actually hold up for more than one job?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim9632d ago

Wait, did you get the one with the brass pins that look like they're made of playdough? I did the exact same thing last year. That $80 Amazon special bent on the first turn. Embarrassing. Picked up a Hozan set from a proper tool supplier. Cost more but the pins are actually hardened steel. They've survived three helicoid jobs and a sticky aperture ring so far. Sometimes you just gotta accept you're paying for metal that doesn't turn into a pretzel.

oliviat172d ago

Three years ago I saw a guy at a camera repair meetup using a cheap screwdriver set he ground down himself on a bench grinder. He said the secret isn't the metal but the coating on the tips, most cheap brass pins have this clear lacquer that adds thickness and makes them slip. I tried stripping mine with acetone first and it actually helped them grab better before the pins eventually snapped.