Is dropping $150 on a lens spanner worth it or should you keep using the makeshift method?

I spent $150 on a proper lens spanner set last year after ruining a vintage lens ring with a cheap screwdriver trick. The spanner paid off on a sticky helicoid on a Canon FD 50mm f1.4, got it apart clean in 5 minutes. But my buddy swears by his homemade tool from a paperclip and pliers and says I wasted cash. Has anyone else gone back and forth between spending money on a real tool versus the jerry-rigged way and regretted one side?

3 comments

3 Comments

king.val1mo ago

Yeah, paperclips and pliers are just asking for trouble. A real tool is always worth it on vintage gear.

angelaw781mo ago

Your buddy might have gotten lucky with a paperclip, but those homemade tools can slip and gouge the metal. A proper lens spanner gives you a firm grip and the right angle to apply even pressure, which matters a lot on older lenses with tight threads. I learned that the hard way when a slip stripped the notch on a vintage Nikkor ring, and that repair cost more than the spanner would have. So no, I don't think you wasted cash at all. It's one of those tools that pays for itself the first time you use it right.

dylan_brown301mo ago

I had a similar thing happen with an old Pentax Super Takumar lens. I tried using a pair of needle nose pliers with some tape on the tips, and it just slipped right off and left a nasty scratch on the retaining ring. That ring had to be replaced, and finding a matching part took forever. After that I bought a basic lens spanner for like thirty bucks, and it's been smooth sailing ever since. It's one of those things where spending a little money upfront saves you a lot of headache and cash down the road.