this post was submitted on 15 May 2024
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Right to Repair

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Whether it be electronics, automobiles or medical equipment, the manufacturers should not be able to horde “oem” parts, render your stuff useless if you repair it with aftermarket parts, or hide schematics of their products.

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Basic blender went bad (motor ran but spindle wasn't rotating). I wanted to disassemble to see if it could be repaired. Three of the four screws were Phillips head. I had to cut the casing open in order to discover why I couldn't unscrew the fourth. It was a slotted spanner.

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[–] Sethayy 36 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Though it should be noted this does raise the bar above most people, especially on a budget, single use tools are hardly ever worth it.

Arguably more dangerous things have easier screws too, like electricity outlets

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Grinding a notch into a flathead screwdriver is annoying but it'll still work fine as a flathead even afterwards. I would probably just grind the bulge out of the screw though.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

In this case the screw was at the bottom of a narrow slot, and they only found it after breaking things.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

They didn't find the screw by breaking the blender. They were able to reach it with a screwdriver before that, just not the right one. They broke it because they were too impatient to find a way to look into the hole and then find, make, or buy the right tool.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

But they're in no way single use.

[–] Sethayy 4 points 6 months ago

I can't say personally any of my appliances have had this screw, so again relative to someone not doing this for a living it very well could be

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I have a set of these that was part of a larger set of precision bits I was buying anyway. I've only ever used one of the security bits in like a decade of having them. I wouldn't have bought the security bits alone.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

That's more than some sockets or crescent wrenches I have from sets. I don't know that I've ever used an 11mm of either.