Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
That's sad that you had to modify those Bergeon winders to make them work correctly. That set costs $1500 new!
GMOG
Well-known
Many new tools for watchmakers and other trades come unfinished from the factories. The individual applies finishing touches according to their preferences.
Screwdrivers are a good example. Replacement tips come rough, not in a condition that is usable. They are left that way so I don't have to pay the factory to finish something I'm going modify anyway.
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Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
If I buy something for $1500, it godammned well better be f--king flawless. If it isn't, why pay that when you can get a Chinese copy that is just as bad for less than $100?
GMOG
Well-known
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
I didn't miss anything. Bergeon tools are extremely expensive; there's no reason to pay such extortionate prices for something that is not made well. If it needs modification to make it work correctly, it is, by definition, NOT made well. You convinced me, I'll buy the Chinese version. If I have to modify them to make them work, I got what I paid for.
You have to understand: I am not wealthy. I am poor. I am disabled fro a stroke and a long list of health issues. I have barely done any photography for the last year because I was too sick to go out and work. I live with my 28 year old son who makes sure I eat every day and my doctors are paid. I would be homeless if it were not for him. I have a small income from from the donations I get from my tutorials site; that's it. I have to watch my money. I got into watchmaking to fix my grandpa's watch and to have something I could do without being on my feet aside from staring at the walls in my son's house.
If I seem a little harsh in my judgement of overpriced tools, there is a reason.
My health has begun to improve a little this year, and I actually went out photographing a few days ago for the first time in a month. Hopefully things will get better. In the meantime, playing with old watches has given me something productive to do. I am not someone who can handle being useless and dependent on my family. My son makes VERY good money, more than I have ever earned. He's a software engineer. He doesn't mind supporting me; I raised him by myself, his mother has been gone completely from his life for a long time. I still feel like I am a burden on him, but having something useful to do makes me happier.
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KoNickon
Nick Merritt
This reminds me of the first chapter of Tomosy's "Camera Maintenance and Repair" book, where he basically tells me, the reader, to make my own tools, or at least significantly modify existing tools, in order to perform repairs. Huh? I get the idea that those experienced in working on cameras may out of necessity or preference fabricate some specialized tools, but don't tell me, a novice, that I have to do so.
Similarly here -- yes, I may wish to modify watch screwdriver tips, but for the kind of money Bergeon is charging, I would certainly expect them to provide tools that do the job without modification for 95% of the situations I may encounter. If it's a matter of their tools leaving the factory not adequately finished, then as you say, the Chinese product wins out.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
I have a friend who has been a camera repairman since the 70s. He told me a long time ago that many camera manufacturers made their cameras to be repaired with special tools the camera company made themselves. Some companies wouldn't sell these tools to independent shops, some would; but those who would sometimes charged ridiculous prices. This became a bigger problem for repair shops that worked on cameras made before the shop existed; the special tools were no longer made and often rare/impossible to find secondhand. In cases like that, repairmen made their own tools. That's understandable, and probably is why Tomosoy said that.
A widely available, still made tool should 'just work.' Especially since watch companies didn't generally use proprietary tools like camera makers often did.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
For a time, I worked as an automotive and motorcycle mechanic. Tools are a hugely important part of the game ... the high-end tools make work (and life) a lot easier by being nicer on the machinery and better in your hands.
BUT ... Even in the best of situations with the best tools, a huge number of them have to be modified to work best for your specific preferences or the needs of particular jobs. It's the nature of the beast, IMO.
I still modify stuff all the time to suit me and/or what I'm doing best, whether it's hand tools for working on the car/moto/bicycle or camera gear, or whatever. I do it so often that I often don't even remember having done it. Doesn't matter what I paid for the tool...
G
BUT ... Even in the best of situations with the best tools, a huge number of them have to be modified to work best for your specific preferences or the needs of particular jobs. It's the nature of the beast, IMO.
I still modify stuff all the time to suit me and/or what I'm doing best, whether it's hand tools for working on the car/moto/bicycle or camera gear, or whatever. I do it so often that I often don't even remember having done it. Doesn't matter what I paid for the tool...
G
Jonathan R
Well-known
+1. I have zero ambition to repair watches, but his videos are like a kind of relaxation therapy for me.