Showerthought: 90% of camera screws are JIS not Phillips

I was cleaning a stuck screw on an old Pentax and it just would not budge with my standard driver. Turned out JIS screws look almost identical but strip way easier if you use the wrong bit. Ordered a proper JIS set from Amazon for $12. Anyone else make that mistake early on?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannah_perry3d ago

I used to think Phillips and JIS were basically the same thing, just different brands. Then I tried to take apart an old Nikon F2 and ended up rounding out a screw head so bad I had to drill it out. That $12 Amazon set saved me from ruining more gear, and now I check every screw before I even touch it. It's crazy how such a small difference in the tip shape makes the whole thing work or just strip out. Definitely changed my mind about being careful with old cameras.

daniel_martin2d agoRising Star

haha @hannah_perry yeah the F2 is a classic for that, i stripped a screw on my old Minolta before i learned the hard way too. what helped me was getting a good JIS set from Vessel, those things bite way better than any Phillips i ever used and haven't had an issue since.

mila_campbell251d ago

Vessel screwdrivers are night and day different from cheap hardware store Phillips bits, they really dig in and hold without wanting to cam out like everything else does. Made the mistake of using a worn out #2 bit on a tiny JIS screw once and that was enough to learn my lesson.