3.8 mm & 4.5 mm gamebit issues

[Xexyz]

I recently decided to break down and buy some gamebit's so that I can replace my dying cart batteries. I bought a 3.5 mm & 4.8 mm duo off of eBay for $5.00. The baggies they came in said they were manufactured in Taiwan. What I want to know is, is there a good chance I may have ordered some duds? Are foregin gamebits manufactured cheaply, resulting in duds that aren't the correct size?

The first thing I tried to do when I recieved the pair was open up Kirby's Dream Land 2 for the Gameboy with the 3.8 mm. The bit however, didn't seem to catch. If anything, it seems to be stripping the screw. I seem to be putting a lot of pressure on the screw just to try and get it to catch. I shouldn't have to put a lot of force into unscrewing the screw right? I also tried out the 4.5 mm on a Genesis cart but had the same problem. Any words of advise from veteran gamebit users?

[Davedeadly]

sounds like u got a cheaply made set. i'm not knocking u though, cause some are made differently. i got a set made from stainless steel and they work just fine.

[cynicalhat]

I got a pair also off ebay and unfortuntely, i got a junk pair as well. They worked well at first however, the 3.5 is now stripped mostly. The larger bit didn't fit into the SNES holes for the shell screws and I had to make a spacer. So it is entirely possible the ones u got are of less than awesome quality.

[Zing]

From what I have read of "reviews", it seems if you get the cheap dark metal type, they will be rendered useless relatively quickly due to getting stripped. You want the stainless steel ones.

[atarikurt]

I have a set of the cheap Ebay bits too, they seem to work fine but the 3.8 mm bit is deformed and missing teeth.

[Xexyz]

Yeah, I got the dark metal type. Now that I know better, I'll pony up for a stainless steel set.

[Parodius Duh!]

nintendorepairshop.com has nice bits for sale and cheap (just before placing orders email them to adjust shipping)

[APE992]

From what I have read of "reviews", it seems if you get the cheap dark metal type, they will be rendered useless relatively quickly due to getting stripped. You want the stainless steel ones.

If I had to guess based upon what is described here, that "cheap dark metal" might very well be brass.

[plasticMan]

yep, the ones made in japan, china, or taiwan are duds. they are sold relatively cheap to the importers and then passed to you to make a fast buck. i stay clear of any gamebits made in those places because they will work for a few days and then strip out all the inside teeth. you will be left with worthless pieces of metal or brass like APE992 said. LOL.

Those bits are notorious for being sold on amazon and ebay. you would probably hear more horror stories about these gamebits if they were worth allot more money. allot of people fall into the trap of getting hustled for these pieces of junk..

Paradius Duh! has a point, the ones at nintendorepairshop.com are pretty good. i did an extensive test in the past. i ordered some from this company and then ordered some from newelectronx.com, and they appeared to be the same bits. so, i would say ask the seller before you buy. ask them if the bits are from newelectronx. if the bits are from newelectronx, then you are getting the stainless steel ones made in usa. if they are not the ones from this place then they are black or dark brown - dont buy 'em. they will piss you off royally.

[Lanzo]

lol, I just ordered one for snes carts, hopefully its a good one, they are shipping from Columbus, OH. My other one for genesis seems to work good so far, it says NEX USA #8 right on it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280736672945 This is the one I got. I think its a shitty one. I guess I'm about to get Royally Pissed off then.

[WesternNYCollector]

Yep, DO NOT get the dark metal gamebits. They work two or three times and then it'll be a useless weight.

[jinn]

Get them here
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/DISTRIBUTED-BY-MCM-GB3-5-/22-1145
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/DISTRIBUTED-BY-MCM-GB4-5-/22-1150
I got them back in 2001 and they are still going strong. I have use them a lot and no wear.

[leatherrebel5150]

Lukiegames.com has good bits, that's where I got mine and they are the stainless type. Very rarely though the bit will not fit into NES carts and some force was used, and by rarley I mean it happened like twice, so it might have been the carts that were the problem.

Oh, and lukie has them on sale for 3.99, well worth it if you open and clean all your games like I do.

[burn_654]

I can also vouch for the 'NEX USA' gamebits. It may take some pressure but I've never had it strip. I got a #6 for my nes carts, it's the lighter-color metal.

For the info mine came from www.electricquarter.com but I see 'The Electric Quarter' has ebay sales as well.

[plasticMan]

no disrespect but the ones i ordered from mcm are garbage. the teeth are malformed and i can't open a darn thing with 'em. they honestly only lasted 2 to 3 times after i ordered them. if the gamebit comes in that little tiny bag that says taiwain and has part number 22-1150 (for 4.5mm) or 22-1145 (for 3.8mm) then your in for disappointment. i'll put my money on the fact that these are the gamebits that Xexyz ordered from eBay.

burn_654, leatherrebel5150, Lanzo and WesternNYCollector can tell you that those dark ones are trouble. electricquarter and lukie are the right ones. but you have to make sure you ask them to send you ones branded with usa on them. Like burn_654 and leatherrebel5150 said.

Hell order 'em both and do your own test and then let us know your opinion on which is the best. My money is going on the ones that still works and from my personal experience with these screwdriver bits.

btw: lukie does has them for 3.99 which is a good price. not sure if thats with free shipping
you can get them at newelectronx for 4.99 with free shipping

[WesternNYCollector]

Got a "NEX USA" type game bit from Lukie (via eBay) earlier in the week, so now I have the pair, and I'm very happy and eager to start cleaning my carts once I get the right supplies.

Be careful though, it looks like they're selling the dark metal version of the 4.5mm bit on the website, so you have to watch what you're ordering even from there.

[plasticMan]

yah, you gotta tell them specifically that you want the newelectronx gamebit, not the cheap one from china @_@

[SparTonberry]

Had some trouble opening my cart (can't remember where I ordered my gamebit. Either ncsx or Play-Asia, maybe.)
Then when I did (a dirty Super Baseball Simulator 1.000 for SNES) I noticed the "trouble" screwhole (which took a bit of pressure) was a bit bigger than the other one (which unscrewed just fine.)
That normal to find a cart like that?

[fluid_matrix]

Just ordered a set of these off of www.electricquarter.com because of advice from this thread. Got them today, and they are the dark ones that state "Made in Taiwan" right on the package. I'll be using them tonight and will update on quality.

[dendawg]

FWIW, I used to own the dark metal Gamebits, bought from Electric Quarter, and they never gave me a bit of trouble. So not all dark metal bits are bad, though YMMV.

[treismac]

Lukiegames.com has good bits, that's where I got mine and they are the stainless type. Very rarely though the bit will not fit into NES carts and some force was used, and by rarley I mean it happened like twice, so it might have been the carts that were the problem.

Oh, and lukie has them on sale for 3.99, well worth it if you open and clean all your games like I do.

I ordered mine off Lukie, too, and they work great. There is an occasional screw or cart (like 1 in 50) that might give it kind of a hard time, but other than that they are great.

[fluid_matrix]

Well, they work, but they don't grip the head of the screw very tight. Is that normal? I have to apply quite a bit of pressure when removing them for it to grab.

[xelement5x]

I've got Lukie ones as well and they've served me well for the large number of games (probably near 100) that I've opened with it already. As someone mentioned though, sometimes I need to take it slow and apply a bit of extra pressure to get it started, but once a bit looser they open up without any issues.

[Shulamana]

Well, they work, but they don't grip the head of the screw very tight. Is that normal? I have to apply quite a bit of pressure when removing them for it to grab.

Considering that you seem to have purchased the ones most people in this thread seemed to be saying you shouldn't buy, I'm not too surprised. :|

[fluid_matrix]

Considering that you seem to have purchased the ones most people in this thread seemed to be saying you shouldn't buy, I'm not too surprised. :|

Actually, I purchased the ones recommended in this thread a few posts up. However, I was sent the ones that others seem to be complaining about.

[Jaruff]

I have a set of the cheap ones and I've never had a problem with them. I guess some of you are just getting different bits from lower quality stocks.

[fluid_matrix]

I have a set of the cheap ones and I've never had a problem with them. I guess some of you are just getting different bits from lower quality stocks.
Well, like I mentioned, mine work so far. I've opened up a couple of N64 games to clean up. It just takes a little bit of pressure for the tip to grip the head of the screw.