PSA: Don't cheap out on lens spanner wrenches like I did

Bought a $12 adjustable spanner off Amazon last week to fix a stuck retaining ring on a vintage Nikkor. First twist and the tips bent like butter, scratched the ring and knocked the helicoid out of alignment. Ended up spending $45 on a proper VELCRO-branded spanner from a repair shop in Seattle and it grabbed perfectly on the first try. Anyone else have a cheap tool break at the worst possible moment?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_morgan8117d ago

That's a bummer about the scratched ring... but I gotta say, VELCRO doesn't make lens spanners. VELCRO is the hook-and-loop stuff for straps and cable ties. The brand you're probably thinking of is VEMACO or maybe VINTAGE TOOL CO or something similar... there's a shop in Seattle called "Camera Repair Seattle" that sells good spanners but they're not VELCRO brand. Just a heads up so you don't go looking for that specific name and get confused. The point still stands though... cheap adjustable spanners are basically just soft metal shaped like a tool, not a real tool. The bending tips thing is super common on those Amazon ones, happened to a friend of mine with a Canon FD lens.

emeryn8317d ago

That sucks man, I've been there with cheap tools and it's always frustrating.