But WAIT.....there's more!!!!
IF the JIS drivers and screws are so superior.....why are they not used more.....and why (other than Amazon) are they not widely available....or even labeled as JIS?
I live in a rural area with the normal outlets, as I suspect many of us do, so if I want/need something NOW to fix my thingamajig NOW..... I don't have the luxury of going to a highly specialized source with umpteen grades/specs of parts or waiting for online deliveries.
Can anybody explain???
NIH - Not Invented Here Syndrome is common in U.S. manufacturing.
GM won't use superior tech from outside vendors. Some of it is cost-cutting and profit-padding. As whole (average) Denso plugs and injectors have better performance and durability than Autolite, AC-Delco or Champion. Bosch makes best petrol pumps and filtres. ZF makes great rack-n-pinion steering. GM will actually use it when there's no local alternative for better performance, like on Corvette.
ECE headlamp standards were upgraded 1983 with superior replaceable bulbs and beam-pattern than DOT's sealed-beam flashlight spot-beams. GM was fine with using sealed-beams forever. Ford had to petition DOT to be able to use headlights with replaceable bulbs (made outside U.S.). DOT didn't approve new replaceable bulb-standards until decades later and had to come up with their own specifications and regulations, i.e. 9003 = HB2/H4, 9004 = HB1. This was just ploy to keep foreign products out.
Another ECE breakthrough standard was HID and best lighting on market for over 10-yrs before it showed up in U.S. model. Even then, crappy copy not matching foreigner's performance. Lexus, Infinity, BMW HID lamps are top-picks for retrofiting older cars with HID lamps
Difference in culture - U.S. consumers tend to look at lowest cost. Whereas Japanese demand quality 1st. They'll inspect materials of products and manufacturing methods when making purchasing decisions. They care that screwdriver shaft is made of chromoly instead of mild 1022 steel. Result is costs of Japanese products are extremely high relative to what's available in U.S. How many of us wouldn't think twice about spending $15 for screwdriver when there's $1.50 alternative ? There's tonne of top-quality products that's priced way out of U.S. market because no one would ever buy them here. Once you've tasted yubari melons from Hokkaido, you won't ever go back to eating stuff grown by Motari Farms here or imported by Dole from Mexico or S.America. They go for $200 to $45,000
each!!! And they're selling every single one of them!!!
Study was done in 1996 as part of trade-wars over auto-sales. GM demanded more of their vehicles be sold in Japan. Study showed that dealers of GM autos had to have them repainted to better standards before Japanese buyers would even look at them.
JIS A standard wasn't extended in 2008. JIS B is similar to DIN 5260-PH/ISO 8763-1. Matching screws and drivers work extremely well, probably 90% of torque of JIS A before cam-out and still 100,000% better than Phillips when it comes to extreme cases of corrosion and precise fit. As with headlamps, we're clinging to 100-yr old screwdriver standards that should've been updated long time ago.
Information exchange and media sources - U.S. is isolated, many people don't venture much beyond their birthplace their entire lives and speak only 1 language. In Europe & Asia, you can travel in couple hours into completely different country with different language and culture. Information comes from multiple sources, whereas in U.S. 99.99% of media most people get their info from is owned and controlled by 7 families.
Somewhere there's a line. I use Parado Principle, 80% of Japanese standards is good enough for me. However, demanding top-quality "kaizen", has improved everything over the decades: autos, motos, household electronics (TVs, stereos, phones, etc.). I recommend checking out "
Built To Last" by Collins. Also 1994 documentary "
Challenge to America", which contrasted philosophy and production methods between IBM, GM, Toyota, etc. vs. their competitors. It actually predicted downfall of IBM and GM as "blue chips". Toyota now exports more cars out of U.S. than GM; without forcing anyone to buy them...
