Unpopular opinion: stop telling new guys to buy a full ifixit kit before their first teardown

Leo Hall · 2026-10-19T11:15:03.94436+00:00

I get why people push it, but a full kit is overkill for someone opening their first body, and it puts money in tools they won't touch for a year. Last month a kid came into the shop with a $70 kit and a stuck Canon AE-1 wind lever, and all he really needed was a $4 spanner and a cheap set of JIS drivers. I sat with him on the bench in the back for about 20 minutes and we got the cover off with two tools while the rest of the kit sat in the case. The money he could have put toward a junker body to practice on would have taught him way more. What's the one tool you actually reach for every week?

Librear

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Unpopular opinion: stop telling new guys to buy a full ifixit kit before their first teardown | Camera Repairers - Librear