Vent: wasted $150 on a cheap lens cleaning kit from Amazon

I thought I was being smart saving money. Bought a 12-piece cleaning kit for like $15. It had a blower, some cloths, solution - looked fine. Used the blower on a vintage 50mm f/1.4 I was repairing and it just sprayed dust all over the elements. Took me an extra hour to clean everything again with proper stuff from a real supplier. Ended up spending $150 on quality swabs and fluid from KEH to fix the damage properly. Has anyone else had a cheap kit ruin a job like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

piper_reed14d ago

God the "spray dust everywhere" part hit home. I grabbed a cheap kit off Amazon last year for my mirrorless and the blower just shot grit all over the sensor. Took me two hours with proper swabs and a ton of patience to get it clean. These cheap kits are a total scam, man. I feel your pain on that $150 fix.

the_nina14d agoOG Member

Grab a rocket blower next time instead of the cheap ones. Those actually seal properly and won't blow crap everywhere. Saved me so much headache.