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Vent: Had to choose between a universal lens spanner or a name brand one for a tricky repair
I was working on a old Pentax lens last weekend and needed a spanner wrench to get the retaining ring off. The cheap universal set was $18 at the local shop but the brand name one was $45 online. I went with the universal one and the tips slipped right off the ring, scratched the barrel a little. Ended up ordering the nicer one anyway and it took 3 more days to finish the job. Anyone else have a tool you wish you just bought right the first time?
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wood.zara19d agoMost Upvoted
Honestly, the real kicker is that the universal ones are often just rebranded junk from the same factory anyway. That $45 brand name might be the exact same metal with a different stamp and a better heat treatment. I've seen more expensive tools fail just as hard because the tip geometry is still wrong for vintage stuff. The trick is finding a used industrial one from the 70s that survived 40 years of abuse. That's the real money saver if you can hunt one down.
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That $18 lesson is the same reason I've got a drawer full of those cheap hex key sets that round off at the worst possible moment. Isn't it funny how we always think we're saving money, but really we're just paying for the lesson twice?
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james99515d ago
That bit about paying for the lesson twice really hits home. I've got a whole box of those stripped out hex keys and cheap screwdrivers that bent on the first real job. It's like we keep hoping this time the budget set will be different but it never is. My rule now is if I have to replace the same cheap tool twice, I just buy the good one and call it even.
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