Watch Repair Kit Comparison $25 vs. $70
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- Is it worth spending more money on a "semi-professional" watch repair kit or should you save your money and go budget? Let's compare.
$25 kit on eBay: ebay.to/30z5Cqo
$70 kit from Long Island Watch: bit.ly/32H3lw4
Music: www.bensound.com
I purchased the 25$ kit, used press to help me close case on son’s watch. I struggled to snap case by hand, with the press I just measured the closest press dies and it closed watch case. Awesome.
It seems that the more expensive kit uses about the same quality Chinese made components as the cheaper one.
In my limited experience of buying watch repair tools, they are all very similar and very cheap unless you go for the way expensive Swiss and German stuff. I think the cheap tools are fine for a hobbyist, and I've done many successful battery changes, bracelet adjustments and movement replacements with mine.
Great review thanks. One thing I love about the plethora of affordable Chinese watches is using them as learning tools, pulling them apart to see what makes them ‘tick’.
Good to be able to service your own affordable collection. I would not consider pulling my Tissot or Longines apart.
Agreed
I literally got this same $25 box in the mail recently.
I haven't used it yet, but like it so far for being my first watch repair kit.
Have are the tools holding up?
I use the blue press for putting the back on watched. Works great for that. A crystal removal tool, from my experience, has claws that compress the diameter of a crystal so you can pop it in. I’m no expert, but my dad was a watch maker and showed me a thing or two. Thanks for the videos. I’m just an amateur guy like so many getting into it as a hobby.
Thanks for watching and the info!
Just to clarify, the tool you described is called a crystal lift, and it also comes with a setter which helps you grip the crystal at the correct hight for insertion. These are great for inserting or removing the crystal before you take the movement out, but there is a potential to break or mark the crystal because it has to squeeze from the sides. The press can be used to remove or insert the crystal, but it's not obvious until you've seen it done, and the back and movement have to be removed first. It doesn't help that these presses don't really come with a dedicated soft(er) cushion to put in the bottom. You place the smaller diameter cushion on the bottom part, then use a (very) slightly small die on the top. This slightly shrinks the outer diameter of the crystal and it can be inserted or removed from the case/bezel very easily. It's also easier to use a cover over the crystal to prevent the die marking it up.
To be fair, you can buy this lever type press for about $12 on it's own, while the professional versions apply pressure with a large vertical screw, cost hundreds of dollars, but also come with the correct bottom die for crystal replacement.
I've got the Chinese version on the way and will probably make a more correct bottom die, but I'm scouting for a good second hand press. I'm also looking for a staking tool, watch parts cleaner, bench mounted back remover, stem tube setter, and well, a few other things. Really, when you start buying tools, it's doesn't stop until you have all of them.
Are you referring to acrylic crystals? Mineral glass and sapphire crystals are quite hard and brittle. They are scratch resistant, yes. However, they do not deform or compress; intead they chip or crack.
@@hgr.7857
Weird story about my 16234 crystal. Back in 2008 I had “taken a tumble” and raked the crystal face on concrete. Thought for sure it was scratched or worse but it wiped clean. Fast forward to this year and noticed a chip.. time for a service. The horologist calls and said the dial is scratched and there’s debris. Apparently the sapphire had micro cracks the whole time and caused the damage, luckily the movement was remarkably clean. Moral of the story, don’t bring a rolex to a fist fight. 😅
I’m glad I waited before getting the watch repair kit sold at Long Island Watch. If the tools were of better quality it might be worth it. Thanks 🙏🏼 for your review!
Glad I could help!
@@the1010watchclub deleted my other comment, both pretty shoddy kits right. Some of the things like the vice and case opener do the job but the spring bar tool and the pin punches and screwdrivers are really poor quality.
This is a fantastic overview! I only recently realized how cool watches are and how interested I am in doing amateur repair, and the price point on high end tools like bergeon that professionals recommend was scaring me off. Thank you for making this video :)
Glad it was helpful! Welcome to the hobby
Great review comparing both kits ! I'm looking to buy my first watch repair kit... Your information helped me make my choice... I'm going with the less expensive kit to start out... Thank you !
Happy I could help!
Th@nks for saving me money , just changing batteries on my wife’s many not expensive watches. Where is best to get batteries. Or a headlamp and magnification headset
Great Video! Thank You very much, Jonah. I now realize I need that $25.00 kit. They should be paying you to review this.
Thank you for the support! Glad I could help
Purchased. Thank you
Thanks for this. I have the cheapo kit arriving today from Amazon. I feel a lot better about the purchase. The guy from Long Island Watch isn't going to be happy but I've heard him toss around the term 'Capitalist' so maybe this will get him to up his Free Market game.
If I was sitting at the bench working on Rolex's all day I would want the good stuff but I don't see why this inexpensive kit won't do everything I want it to do.
Right on man, thanks
when i started working on watches i started with the cheap tools it didn't take me long to know cheap tools are bad the biggest things like screw drivers and spring bar tool. get the Swiss made ones you will be happy the cheap press works ok for me but not the other stuff so much
Top top video just starting out, I do feel let down by long Island watch I do like there video, but not sure now! regards Robert
An interesting and informative review. I would certainly buy the cheaper kit. Also liked and subscribed. Thank you.
Thanks for watching! Welcome to the channel
Keep up to great work on the videos
thank you, will do!
I would not expect anything less coming from long island watches , they sell their home brand shitter watches for a huge amount of money. I agree with you for a beginner the Chinese set will be ok and when you are serious then you get some tools that will last toy a lifetime like bergeon and horrotec
Thank you
Thank you for making this video. You helped me make a difficult decision. You have a new subscriber 🙂👍🏽
Really appreciate it, thanks for the sub!
Thank you for your review. It helps to decide which one to choose. I would surely choose the $25 kit because it seems more worth each penny and since the quality is the same. So, you are paying $45 for the box 😂
Appreciate it.
I came for the watch knowledge but I ma staying for the demo sound effects.
👍
Most (Not all ofc) of the more expensive kits are actually the same tools, like literally SAME, and then they just slap their own brand on it and make some profit with higher margins.
It's a major bummer but I guess at least now I have two tiny hammers?
The irony is, most of the expensive tool/kit/gear or whatever we use daily is something they buy from China for dirt cheap price before they repackage it in nicer box with luxurious branding to fool people.
Well done!
I am going to need your help repairing watches
Great review, I've been looking for an affordable entry level kit with all the bells and whistles. I now have a good idea of what to get. Also, that's a great peice of art behind you, is it a Lauren Marx piece?
It is! Got it from her at an art festival when I was living in St. Louis
On the spring bar removal tool. See if you can unscrew the pin pusher side and flip it around. There may be a smaller pin removal head underneath
Yes I was hoping it would be double sided, but unfortunately when you unscrew either side it’s just threads on the other ends
Solid and honest review. Instasubbed!
answer is at @8:45
Nice video man 👍🏻
Thanks! 👍
I came here to see reviews and only tool I wish was more stronger and last long is the(Blue Tool) pin press where use it to push the pin out, well seem the needle press not strong and it get bent /snap off . Does anyone know or suggest which brand that won’t have that issue? Thanks .
Sir kiw parse ha Oman ma
Nice video, thanks. 7:23 not sure if I get you re the spring bar remover. It is a two-sided tool - the side in your left hand is too big for normal-sized watches, but the side in your right hand is fine.
It is a two-sided tool, but the other side isn't a smaller spring bar remover, it's a bracelet pin removal tool (just a straight thin piece of metal)
@@the1010watchclub OK, thanks for making this clear. On the (similar) kit I have, the other side is a smaller spring bar remover.
So you have the crystal press but how are you going to extract the crystal with ne tools or tweezers..
The "crystal" is the watch glass. Even though many are actually acrylic, they are still called crystals (they used to be actual crystal glass or saphire etc)
There ARE tweezers in the kit that had the press, but they are just for small parts like the split bars and spring bars.
You might be thinking of the "jewels" which are synthetic ruby/sapphire shock settings. Strangely enough, the cheap set is the one that might get you closer to doing that kind of work but still lacks a lot of things that would be essential.
None of the kits came with a hand placing tool?
They did not
Great job l want $25☺️
Most of the times expensive means presentation and fancy box.
i like tha cheaper better i can do more with it
Don't waste your money unless you are a certified professional!
Unfortunately it's sold out
That 70$ one seems like a scam tbh... Buy the cheaper set, and invest the extra 50$ into good screwdrivers if you want something nice.
Repacked and rebranded? 😂
All made in china, the re-sold boxed set was just a massive rip off
The Long Island kit is overpriced. It doesn't even have a vise to hold the watch for removing the case back or tweaking the watch innards.
Yeah I was surprised at what was missing for the price of the kit
Comparing crap with crap 🤔
we should not be promoting the chinese poor quality crap. please don't mislead your viewers.
The cheaper is better, the Long Island Kit is overpriced af.
STOP promoting these. You cannot tell tool steel(A11) from mild steel by looking. You will however find out the difference when you begin using the screwdrivers/pindrivers and find the mild steel chips at the edges, twists and bends when torqued or literally snaps in half.
@GK1 Racing how much torque are you using on a watch? His channels is called affordable watches.