Japanese power tool manufacturers that have an international presence, like Ryobi and Makita, are, of course, well-known globally. However, there are some other Japanese power tool manufacturers that only make tools for the domestic market. One of these is Max. Max was founded in 1942 to make wings for aircraft, but has since changed their business model to developing a wide range of products for businesses and consumers. They make a popular range of office staplers, printers and label makers, industrial machinery and parts for the home construction industry. But their most popular direct-to-consumer product range is their power tools. Max makes everything from rebar binding machines, to impact drivers and drills, to circular saws and hammer disc grinders. They’ve even developed a popular silent power drill for hospitals, hotels and nursing homes - so as not to disturb the guests. MCC – threaded rod tools These are found mostly in places where maintenance is infrequent, such as bus stations or prisons. Helical-cut steel, heat-treated steel gears for long life. #8. Frearson or Reed and Prince Screwdriver: Experience what is meant by high-quality files by using those manufactured by Iwasaki. Made by a dedicated file maker, you can expect a fine sharpness, clogging-free function, and toughness from their artisan files. The files also offer a clean and smooth finish with less strokes and pressure. As a result, their files are ideal for wood carving. King (Matsunaga Stone) – sharpening stones Capotosto, Rosario (December 1996), "Screwdriver Basics", Popular Mechanics, 173 (12): 82–83, ISSN 0032-4558, archived from the original on 2017-02-16.

What about just wanting to try the world’s best of some product, and being able to do so for a type of product we use a lot and can afford to buy the world’s best of. If your hobby is either creating model vehicles, plastic models (also termed as plamodel in Japan), accessories, wire sculptures, or figure model kits, tools from Godhand may be useful for you. One of the most famous products originally made by Godhand is Kamiyasu: a spongy abrasive paper that allows you to sand an area in narrow spaces. Hakko – soldering tools The Pozidriv drive style was originally formed to solve the issue come in Phillips screwdrivers that are prone to cam-out. The slipping out of a drive recess that occurs when torque exceeds a certain limit is called cam-out. I always keep a couple of damaged screwdrivers in my toolbox to use for prying, cutting and the like.This standard stipulates Phillips screwdrivers used for threaded parts with H-type and S-type cross recesses of JIS B 1012.

Adler, Alexander (1998-05-18). Testing and Understanding Screwdriver Bit Wear (Master's thesis). Virginia Tech. hdl: 10919/36701. Note this is a reference to quality standards and nothing to do with the dimensions of screws and screwdrivers.

Patiently I tried again to explain to him just exactly what I was looking for: A Japanese-spec screwdriver that wouldn’t strip out the screws on my old KZ 650. Located in a town called Seki, a place famous for processing high-quality cutlery, Hayashi Cutlery has been manufacturing a series of technical shears under the brand of Allex: a coined term that combines “all” and “expand” to express further development in everything. These include surgical scissors and general-use scissors called Powerful Cutter. Anex (Kaneko Mfg) – low profile screwdrivers I have been a professional electrician and millwright for more years then I care to admit and never had anything but Klein in my tool belt. The lineman pliers we use are even refered to as “Kleins” no matter eho made them, but when it comes to mechanical work and for use in the shop I have never had a single complaint with regular old Craftsman Screwdrivers. No matter how I have abused them they have never failed me. I have a set in my mechanics box at the shop I have had for going on 50 years. – I have dressed the flat blades a number of times and they replaced the #2 Phillips a couple o f times at no charge because it was worn out, but the rest of the set works every bit as good as the day I took them out of the Sears store somewhere around 1971.

The designs consist of a tapered square-tipped screwdriver that fits into a matching square recess in the screw head. That is often the question when it comes to discussing JIS or Japanese Industrial Standard screwdrivers. As you might know, Vessel is the oldest screwdriver manufacturer in Japan, and made a contribution to set a Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) standard.

IPS – pliers

Japanese companies were also beginning to use cross-shaped screws, but they developed them without influence from Henry F. Phillips. Phillips owned the rights to his screw design, so the only people allowed to produce Phillips screws were people approved by him. Phillips screws were mass-produced using automated machinery, which made screws with a consistent shape and fit. However, Japanese screws were made by hand, resulting in slight variations in design. Allowing for the dodgy translation, it seems that what is being explained here is that Vessel are no longer accredited to JIS manufacturing standards (they now comply with the globally recognised ISO 9001 standards), and this is why they no longer include JIS product certification markon their products. The Japanese Industrial Standards Mark certification requires sample testing and a factory audit to confirm products conform with Given that most of the work to adopt common fastener standards happened over 20 years ago, you may well be wondering what the fuss about "JIS" screws is all about. The answer lies in the US of A. Fasteners in the United States If you've ever worked on a vintage Japanese motorcycle you've almost certainly struggled with countless buggered-up cross head screws. The usual recommendation to avoid further screw mangling is to put aside your old Phillips screwdrivers and get some "JIS" ones instead. We do follow JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) standard for cross point screwdrivers. Because the technology to manufacture screwdrivers in Japan had already become above a certain level, JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) recognition system for screwdrivers became extinct in 2008.

The United States first started to make significant moves to metric fasteners in the 1970s when Ford, Chrysler and GM agreed to use the metric system. Given the importance of these businesses the major suppliers of fasteners soon followed suit. This commitment to metric by the US auto industry was a big deal as it paved the way for cars designed for the US market to be sold all over the world, and for parts produced in one country to be incorporated into machines made in another with no change to tooling. Given the huge economic opportunities this enabled, it was inevitable that other US manufacturers would be hot on the heels of the big three auto manufacturers, and this is what happened. As you will see from the 1936 patent (below), these screws were designed to be self centring and, when wedged in place on the tip of the screwdriver, allowed screws to be installed with one hand, a big advantage over the slot head screws used at the time that helped speed up work on fast moving assembly lines. Phillips patent I won't bore you with the details of tests as the results were inconclusive. My main observations were: The invention of different screws and screwdrivers revolutionized many industries. When Henry Ford switched from slotted screws to Robertson screws, he noted that the simple change saved him two hours of work producing each Ford Model T car.I also fished out the screwdrivers from the Kowa toolkits that came with my old Hondas, one from the 70s and one from the 60s. There was a clear visual difference between the two, with the older versions being noticeably narrower at the tip: L-R: 1960s #3, 1970s #3, 1960s #2, 1960s #2 If you want to see why a JIS screwdriver is almost always the best tool for the job, let’s compare JIS and Phillips head screws, and how they work with each kind of driver. I’m not an electrician but have gotten crosswise a few times with some very sparky results. Thankfully a plastic handle)