I agree that buying cheap tools is often a foolish gamble but there's more to it than that.
The tips of *real* Phillips No.1 and No.2 screwdrivers are different. The No.1 tip comes to a point where the No.2 and No. 3 have blunt end. And then there's the other cross point tips that many confuse for a Phillips, such as the Reed and Prince, the JIS cross-head screwdrivers and even the Pozidriv screwdrivers. They all have the familiar cross appearance of a Phillips but with very different dimensions. In half a century of servicing electronics professionally and as a Ham, I always carry at least those three in order to ensure a good fit with no tendency to "cam out" and scratch or damage the screw head. The right size provides the maximum contact area between the screwdriver and the screw head. Taking care, one can get away with using the "wrong" size - and I've done it plenty of times when one screwdriver was at hand - but the almost "click in" fit or the right size is a much better feeling IMHO. 73, Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- The problem is not "confusion between manufacturers," but rather failure of the manufacturers of junk tools to follow long established international standards. There are MANY junk products of all sorts that are IMITATIONS of the real thing, everything from tools to shoes to ham gear (ever seen one of those $90 Chinese talkies?). Don is right -- a REAL #1 is all you need, That REAL #1 is all I've used to build two K3s, the KPA500, except, perhaps, to mount that big power XFMR in the KPA500 (don't remember what head is on it). 73, Jim K9YC ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
