When I first started working on Japanese cars I was broke and using a lot of hand me down tools. Coincidentally I had a lot of screws that ended up needing vice grips to come off. Years later I found out the problem wasn’t that the screws were stuck or too tight, it was that most of these Japanese cars just use JIS screws.
Japanese Industrial Standard screws are very similar in appearance to the US Phillips, but they are actually very different. I could rewrite whats already been written, but why? Vessel’s US distributor does a good job of explaining things. If you don’t want to just take the sellers word for things a quick google search will give you a ton more info.
I ordered a basic set of 3 Vessel drivers (#1, #2, & #3) years ago from McMaster. The other day I decided to step up my game so I ordered a few more things.
It started with a search for these bits. I have run into a few situations where I had to use a bit in a ratchet or something similar to fit in a location.
I rounded our my order with an assortment of flat head screwdrivers, a few precision drivers, and even a hammer.
I honestly intended to take the hammer to work, but after playing with it, I decided the Snap on was going to work and the Vessel is staying home where it gets more use. The gel handle on this feels amazing. I played around a bit and I couldn’t feel a thing through the hammer handle.
I can’t wait for the next time I need to take a bracket off a MAF, or ECU, or Throttle body, or OEM radio, or any other number of things that have JIS screws.
Update:
I have recently found that Amazon Japan has a great selection of Vessel drivers, for a really reasonable price. I also have a guide to help you order from Amazon Japan if it’s your first time doing so.
