# Springbar tool-- Bergeon 6767F or 6111?



## johnchoe

I've tried to find a definitive answer to this question, but seem to find a variety of opinions without clear answer.

I've always used cheap springbar tools for removing straps and bracelets. I don't do a whole lot, but I've been meaning to spend a bit more for a higher quality tool for the job. The two tools that are often mentioned are the Bergeon 6767F:



(from mywatchmaker.net)

and the 6111:










(from ottofrei.com)

I'd prefer to buy just one, but is one more useful/ versatile than the other? Or, can I buy just one of these, and buy extra tips to swap as needed?


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## J.D.B.

I use the 6767F. The other has a larger fork I don't like, the 6767F hasn't missed yet. That lower picture looks like the one I paid a penny for on e-bay from Hong Kong/

Josh


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## Somewhere else

I'm not entirely sure why there is a need for more expensive spring bar tools unless one wants to spend a lot of money. I buy my spring bar tools at my local parts house for a few dollars each. They work perfectly.


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## Eeeb

J.D.B. said:


> I use the 6767F. The other has a larger fork I don't like, the 6767F hasn't missed yet. That lower picture looks like the one I paid a penny for on e-bay from Hong Kong/
> 
> Josh


Interesting... I find the larger fork to be more useful most of the time. In any case, buy a set of spare fork inserts. Sometimes corroded spring bars are so hard to budge you end up chipping off a corner of the fork.

I find this tool to be one of the most useful I have...


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## johnchoe

J.D.B. said:


> I use the 6767F. The other has a larger fork I don't like, the 6767F hasn't missed yet.





Eeeb said:


> Interesting... I find the larger fork to be more useful most of the time.
> 
> I find this tool to be one of the most useful I have...


JDB, Eeeb--

Clearly, the larger fork is the main difference between the two tools. Why do you hate/ like the larger fork? What does it do worse/ better than the small fork?



Somewhere else said:


> I'm not entirely sure why there is a need for more expensive spring bar tools unless one wants to spend a lot of money. I buy my spring bar tools at my local parts house for a few dollars each. They work perfectly.


I've been using no-name spring bar tools for the past six months. I've had bad luck with chipping the corners off of some of them, and I find that the fork points don't stay screwed into them very well and are constantly coming loose. I haven't tried using pliers to tighten them up, but I've got one or two that have lost their forked end because they twisted off.


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## johnchoe

Ahhh... Never mind. It seems like this is a pretty good thread discussing some of the different tools:

https://www.watchuseek.com/f2/different-types-spring-bar-removers-342769.html

Based on this, I might check out the 6111. Does anyone know if the small fork at the end of the 6111 is as small as the small fork of the 6767F? When would I use the larger fork vs. the smaller fork for the 6111?


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## J.D.B.

I have generally been working with fairly small spring-bars that are in tight places(G-Shock, etc.). The small fork has performed very well, especially when compared to the inexpensive type. The watches I've been handling haven't been old and rusty/corroded either. I usually remove the strap/bracelet to prepare a new or new-to-me watch before use. I'm sure I'll run across some sort of troublesome spring-bar, but, so far I have had good success with the 6767F.

Josh


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## Outta Time

I've been using the cheap ones with no problems, I haven't even chipped one yet after a year of use. What would George Daniels say? He'd say make your own, of course! I have lots of those generic small screwdrivers with black shafts you can buy in kits from hardware stores, in a pinch you could take a flat bladed one and file or grind the end to make a fork. If you have a lathe, of course, you could make one yourself with replaceable ends that would last several lifetimes.


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## SteveDodds

I use the 6767. I used a cheap ebay one for about a year and then got the good Bergeon one. The Bergeon one made a hell of a difference. Never tried the 6111 because I have never needed to.


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## Somewhere else

Outta Time said:


> I've been using the cheap ones with no problems, I haven't even chipped one yet after a year of use. What would George Daniels say? He'd say make your own, of course!


I rather suspect that George Daniels has sufficient demands on his time so that he does not make his own spring bar removers.


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## tomshep

I have a Bergeon tool that cost less than £10. The tips are interchangeable, well finished and fit for purpose.
I would spend much more than £10 worth of time making an inferior one!


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## mcgeorge

I am new to watch collection and am in the market for some watch tools. I had done some research and had decided to get the Bergeon 6767F and a few other tools from the below site recommended by another thread.

Watchmaker's Tools for Collectors

The reason I am getting the 6767F with the smaller tip instead of other removers with standard/bigger tip is that the 6767F would work in almost all situations. I had read that the bigger tip removers might be too big to be used in removing SS bracelet which in most cases do not give you much space to work with. So, you might want to get the 6767F if you intend to remove SS bracelet in the future.


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## mickmo92

I use the 6767F and I'm satisfied with the quality of it. But if you buy the 6767 you will still end up with the problem of the forks that won't stay screwed. Personally I don't think that's a problem, but if you do I would recommend the 6111, because that tool allows you to screw the ends more tightly than the 6767.
The forks of the 6767F and 6767S are interchangeable, so what I did, was to buy a 6767F and together with that I bought a 6767S fork point, so that I have both the big and the small fork, but just one tool.

I would also like to say that there IS a difference in quality between the Bergeon models and the cheap models. The most noticeable difference are the forks, because the Bergeon's forks are much stronger than the ones of the cheap models. The forks of cheap models are likely to break or bend under minor pressure.

Kindly regards,
Mick


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