TIL spending $80 on a lens spanner set saved my backside on a stuck filter ring

I had a 50mm f1.4 with a filter ring that was completely seized from some old corrosion. Bought a cheap $20 spanner off Amazon and it bent on the second twist, so I dropped $80 on a proper Duratool set and it sorted that ring in 2 minutes flat. Anyone else found that a good set of spanners pays for itself fast?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessel3529d ago

Man that $20 spanner bending on you is a nightmare I know all too well. Had a similar thing happen with a vintage Helios 44-2 where the cheap tool just twisted right out of shape like it was made of tinfoil. Ended up using a couple of old screwdrivers with electrical tape wrapped around the tips as a desperate fix, which worked but scratched up the ring something awful. An $80 set sounds like a fair investment when you think about how many lenses you can save with it. I mean, one stuck filter can turn a perfectly good lens into a paperweight if you don't have the right tool. Did the Duratool have those reversible tips that let you switch between flat and pointed ends? That's the feature that finally convinced me to spend real money on a set.

faithj1029d ago

Pick up a cheap sharpening stone and touch up the tips on the Duratool set right out of the box. They come decent but not perfect, and a slightly sharper tip makes a huge difference on tight retaining rings. Also, use blue Loctite on the set screws that hold the reversible tips in place, because they will work themselves loose mid repair and then you're hunting for a tiny screw on the floor.