What's in an assortment?

[jdm]

Buying assortments is something that you should consider if you like the chance to be covered about common parts. But some are mixed and one can't know in advance if what he needs is there. So maybe we can detail the content to help others, I'll start

Clock brass screws assortments from Cousins, £4.95 for 100pcs

M1, 1.4, 1.6, 2, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 3.2

[oldhippy]

I don't advise buying assortments because you are going to be left parts that will never be used. Buy what you need and after a time you will get to know what is popular and what is not. At first that is what I did and after around 30 years I still had mainsprings, watch glasses, balance staffs and watch stems that I never used. As material is so expensive these days many on here are practicing watchmaking as a hobby or a pastime and they cannot afford to build up a mass of spare parts that will never get used.    

Sorry jdm. 

[mikepilk]

I have bought a few assortments that have been useful - e.g. screws, click springs and jewels - but only as they were cheap and I can use them when I can't source the true part.

As a home hobbyist, I don't have much of a selection of screws, so I bought Cousins mixed screw selection - only about £5. They're not bad quality and go to really small sizes. I've managed to find a screw to do a job quite a few times.

[jdm]

2 hours ago, oldhippy said:

I don't advise buying assortments because you are going to be left parts that will never be used. Buy what you need and after a time you will get to know what is popular and what is not.

That could make sense if one could buy any part that is also in assortments, but that is not always the case. Where an hobbyst starting from zero could buy an M2.2 brass screw? Sure it can be made on the lathe, guess what not everyone has a lathe.

Anyway, we're are talking mostly about cheap items here, 5  - 10 bucks, even multiple times, should not scare anyone in this hobby or profession and will enable a future immediate repair.  It is when beginners start throwing many hundreds after a washing machines, or thousands for a model lathe that I am really puzzled.

Beside, I have long accepted that I won't be able to make good and full use of all my possesions during my lifetime.

[HectorLooi]

Some things are just cheaper in assortments, like spring bars and case gaskets.

The only problem is you end up using all the popular sizes and end up with a lot of (for lack of a better term) junk. 

Some assortments are not that useful, like jewel assortments. I have gone through more than 1000 jewels looking for a particular size and end up having to modify the jewel seat or the jewel itself.

I've also got balance staff assortments which are a bit silly. The time required to check through the pile for something close enough to modify on a lathe could have been spent cutting it from scratch.

And screws. I have several lots of screws bought off eBay and Cousins. But recently I needed 3 case clamp screws and went through thousands of screws and couldn't find any. I went to my mentor, and he found 3 for me in under a minute. So it looks I have come up with a better strategy for buying and organizing assortments. 

[LittleWatchShop]

I buy assortments.  My first example are the split keepers.  One is not going to buy ONE when the need arises.  Likely can't even if you wanted to.

I have bought LOTs of things like GS crystal assortments on ebay.  Sure 90% will never be used.  But to buy one at a time, you may be talking $10 to $15 plus shipping.  If I buy a LOT on ebay for $50 and I use three of them, I have broken even.  So far, I have been pretty lucky and broke even on them (I think).

I have bought assortments of screws as well.  Am I going to buy ONE screw when I need it?  Nope.

I buy assortments for convenience also.

For me...money is no object.

[oldhippy]

Split keepers as you call them then yes you have to buy assortments, what I'm getting at is unless there in packets like stems and staffs are have been identified as to what they are it will be a waste of money. Watch glasses I don't know now but if you wanted a high or low dome they came in a packet containing 3. 

[jdm]

5 hours ago, oldhippy said:

Watch glasses I don't know now but if you wanted a high or low dome they came in a packet containing 3. 

I bought crystal assortments but just for flat glass that is already too wasteful when covering three heights only, these aren't so cheap with 2 per size. Now when it's about to 'rounding up' my shopping on Cousins I look for the 'most popular' tag instead.

[nickelsilver]

7 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

I've also got balance staff assortments which are a bit silly. The time required to check through the pile for something close enough to modify on a lathe could have been spent cutting it from scratch.

 

Ha, this is exactly how I see it. But I extend it to ordering a specific staff- by the time you fish through the, in some cases 6 or more, different possibilities, track down a supplier who has one, and the the 1 in 3 chance (or more) that they send the wrong one anyway- the time plus actual cost adds up to me making staffs pretty much every week.