Went with JIS screwdrivers over Phillips for that old Pentax

I was fixing a 1970s Pentax Spotmatic last week and kept stripping the bottom plate screws with my usual Phillips set. Swapped to a JIS #1 and everything grabbed perfect, no slipping. Anyone else keep a dedicated JIS driver set for Japanese gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.henry1mo ago

Wait, the JIS tip has an actual indent that stops the camming out? I've been fighting with stripped screws for years and never knew that was the whole trick... @spencer199 just blew my mind with that one. Makes total sense now why my Spotmatic threads felt like butter after the swap.

spencer1991mo ago

Funny you mention that, because most people don't realize JIS and Phillips are actually different standards - JIS has a little indent on the driver tip that stops it from camming out. That Spotmatic's threads are probably soft brass, so even a little slip can ruin them for good. A lot of folks swear by old Vessel or Anex JIS sets for this exact reason, and they're still cheap on eBay if you hunt around.