I finally tried JIS screwdrivers on old Japanese cameras

For years I was using regular Phillips heads on old Nikons and Canons and just fighting the screws the whole time. Last month I picked up a set of Vessel JIS drivers for like 25 bucks. First time I used one on a stuck screw on a 1972 Nikkormat it came out without any cam-out or damage. Why did nobody tell me these were a completely different standard? Has anyone else ruined screws before switching?

2 comments

2 Comments

xenagarcia25d ago

Dude, preach. I had the exact same facepalm moment a few years back. I was restoring an old F-1 and I’d already stripped one of the tiny screws on the prism cover, which is a nightmare. Then a buddy who builds vintage scooters told me JIS was an actual standard. He was like, “Bro, you’ve been forcing a square peg into a round hole this whole time.” The first time a Vessel driver bit into a screw on a beat up Yashica, I swear I felt like a madman for fighting with Phillips for so long. Never looking back.

the_logan25d ago

And the thing that kills me is how many people out there are still fighting with Phillips heads and just assume that's how it's supposed to be. Like a stripped screw on a Canon FTb used to mean I was done for the day, game over. Now I hit it with a Vessel driver and it's like the screw was never even stuck in the first place. I've convinced three other camera nerds to switch over and every single one of them came back with the same "how did I not know this" rant. It's honestly criminal how this isn't standard knowledge in repair circles.