TIL a jeweler's screwdriver set works great for tiny camera screws

I was at a pawn shop in Spokane last weekend looking for old cameras and the guy behind the counter handed me a beat-up jeweler's kit. Said he uses it for watch bands but it fit the tiny JIS screws on a Pentax I had in my bag perfectly. The handles give way better grip than those cheap eyeglass kits I've been using. Anyone else got a non-camera tool that's become a go-to in your repair kit?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_gibson841mo ago

Have you actually stripped a screw head before though, @reesea49? I've watched too many people trash a vintage camera using a loose fitting eyeglass screwdriver that slipped and gouged the thread. JIS screws are a different shape than Phillips, so the wrong tool chews them up.

reesea491mo ago

I mean, is this really that deep though? You're acting like a regular eyeglass screwdriver is somehow going to ruin your life or something. I've been using the same little keychain multitool for years and it's never failed me on any camera screw. Maybe it's just me but I feel like people get way too caught up in having the "perfect" tool for every little thing when whatever's in your junk drawer works fine.

nancyw971mo ago

Oh my gosh THANK YOU. I feel like I've been screaming this into the void for years! I have this old beat up screwdriver that came with a Christmas toy from like 2010 and I use it for EVERYTHING around the house, including camera stuff. It's got a flathead and a Phillips end and it's always worked fine. People get SO hung up on buying some special fancy tool for a job that's basically just turning a tiny screw. It's a screw, not brain surgery. My grandpa fixed watches with a butter knife and a toothpick, I think we'll survive using a regular screwdriver on a camera.