Reply To: L&R watch cleaners (rebuild)?

[david pierce]

Watchdog,
Always match your tool to the job and don’t worry about designer labels. The large machines are good for large parts and/or large quantities. If you are doing small parts in small quantities the small machine will do the job for you. Anything else is superfluous. The large machine does not clean parts better than the small machine. If you look at the shop pictures for Randy’s shop you will see one of these machines on the right side of his workbench. I usually buy stuff on sale, especially from Harbor Freight, but, if you need the item now you may have to pay a higher price for it. Occasionally you will find that you need a top of the line item for certain things such as Dumont #5 tweezers but, all of your tweezers do not have to be Dumont. I like Bergeon screwdrivers, however, you can buy a knockoff set with a revolving stand for about $30.00 from places like Finding King. These screwdrivers are very good. Bausch & Lomb loupes are as good as you will need for watch repair. You do not need to spend several hundred dollars for a Swiss made loupe. Get what you need to do the job properly and always keep in mind the basic function of the tool. A screwdriver will either remove the screw or it won’t. Tweezers will either pick up small items or they won’t. The more movements you take apart and put back together, the more you will realize that this is true.
David Pierce