Bought a $35 'vintage camera repair kit' online and it was just a bunch of random watch tools and a tiny magnet

I was fixing up an old Yashica TLR last week and needed a specific spanner wrench. Saw this 'all-in-one' kit advertised for classic cameras. It arrived in a nice case, but inside was a mess. There were three different screwdrivers for eyeglasses, a pair of tweezers, a loupe that was scratched, and this little round magnet. The only thing that even looked camera-related was a spring hook, but it was bent. Total waste! Has anyone actually found a good universal tool set for this kind of work, or am I better off just buying individual tools as I need them?

4 comments

4 Comments

gibson.morgan3mo ago

leo_black76 is spot on about the fancy case being a trap. What camera were you even trying to fix? That might help figure out what you actually need. Those universal kits are always garbage because every old camera needs something weirdly specific. I learned the hard way with a Zorki. You're better off hunting for the exact tool on a hobbyist site or even making it yourself sometimes.

xena_bailey183mo ago

Ugh but like... is it really that deep? It's just some cheap tools for a hobby. If the case keeps them together and you only need it once a year, who cares if it's a bit of a scam? Not everyone wants to hunt for a single weird screwdriver for three weeks. Sometimes the easy option is fine even if it's not perfect.

michaelgrant26d ago

Did you ever get one of those cheesy "100 in 1" electronics kits as a kid? That's what these camera tool sets remind me of. I bought a universal eyeglass repair kit once thinking it'd fix everything. Ended up using the tiny screwdriver to pry open a paint can and the case fell apart two days later. Seems like all that stuff comes from the same factory with a different sticker slapped on it. I just use a random wooden box now, it holds my actual useful tools and looks better doing it.

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leo_black763mo ago

That "nice case" is the whole scam, they spend more on the packaging than the junk inside. You're right to just buy tools one at a time.