tools...what are you using

Well, time has come to invest in some good quality bonsai tools (have been using cheap Chinese ones for a few years) but with so many brands on the market available for the hobbyist i am after some "insider information" on what people have used over years and would recommend..
With the internet i can access most brands these days so even if you are aware of a shop that has a internet site please post it up...
Regards in advance..

the tools my hands touch the most are.

Concave cutters
small pruning scissors
root rake
wire cutters
needle nose pliers.

Most everything else is just clutter in my top draw that is sometimes used for special reasons, Like my Saws-All.
-Jay

thanks for the reply jay... what i shouldve said to help limit the confusion was what brand of tools do people use or favor....

Any Japanese manufacturer will be fine, I've found. Others will disagree, but I'd recommend that you avoid stainless.

Please don't dismiss Chinese made tools, their quality is getting better. For some tools Chinese tools are my first choice. (wire cutters)

I think its nonsense that one would pay hundreds for wire cutter when i and i hope most of you can find chinese (yes i said it) chinese wire cutters for $20 or less. The pliers and cutters are what i bought as chinese made and they have performed to my expectations very well for a few years now. Now the cutters are always high quality japanese made yagimistu. They are black. I JUST READ ABOUT NOT RECOMMENDING STAINLESS... WHY IS THAT? I AM CURIOUS BECAUSE I WANT TO CONTINUE TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION ON TOOL PURCHASES. THEY COST AND ARM LEG AND HIND END IF MY WIFE FOUND OUT. LOL!

CedarBog wrote:I think its nonsense that one would pay hundreds for wire cutter when i and i hope most of you can find chinese (yes i said it) chinese wire cutters for $20 or less. The pliers and cutters are what i bought as chinese made and they have performed to my expectations very well for a few years now. Now the cutters are always high quality japanese made yagimistu. They are black. I JUST READ ABOUT NOT RECOMMENDING STAINLESS... WHY IS THAT? I AM CURIOUS BECAUSE I WANT TO CONTINUE TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION ON TOOL PURCHASES. THEY COST AND ARM LEG AND HIND END IF MY WIFE FOUND OUT. LOL!

My wire cutter cost $5 at Sears and works just like the bonsai cutters.

I can speak a little about the issues with Stainless Steel, it will still rust but its just not as prone to rusting as say pig iron, due to the nickel content. The drawback I feel with stainless Steel is also conversely one of its strengths. It will take a very sharp edge, and will do so quickly with only minimal honing, yet his softness also allows SS to dull rather quickly too. There is always a trade off with regards to hardness, edge durability, and sharpenability. For the extra price of stainless tools I see little practical benefit except of course for its flashiness.....
-Jay
(disclosure) I have a Swiss-Tool, kinda like swiss Army's version of a Leatherman, and its one of my most valuable tools and is all Stainless Steel. Sure is purdy.

firstly work out the tools you will use the most and buy these in the highest qality you can - my personal choice for the last few years has been masakuni for my fine bud shears, concave cutter, tweezers and small wire cutters as its these tools i use for virtually all my day to day tree work. i have cheaper japanese branded tools for large shears, large side cutter and large knob cutters as these tools are used very rarely on each tree. my initial wire cutters are stanley electrical wire cutters from a tool store -stronger and perfectly suited to cutting lengths of copper wire.

i use bonsai network japans web site for my masakuni tools, saving about 25% on uk prices, and over the last few years have bought one tool a year. personally i hate stainless steel tools - sharp when new, harder to sharpen when blunt, and so far every one i've owned has cracked / chipped / broken

regards Marcus

thanks for the feed back guys..keep it coming..
i dont have a problem with chinese tools...but when im talking about chinese tools im talking $8AUD (ozzie dollars and thats for a concave cutter)..
So real cheap..lol
The only tools im realy after is branch cutters,smaller sheers,that type of thing..wire cutters im happy with the chinese ones.
im looking at more of a investment.then telling my wife im buying more cutters..(she doesnt see the price she sees the quantity i guess)
thanks marcus will check out the bonsai network website..

When I started I think I bought a Joshua Roth tool, not expensive relatively speaking. It seemed on the high side then, but I know better now.
Seems to me that Roth tools are available in 4 (?) quality levels (please correct me if I'm wrong): beginner, novice, professional, master. I may have gotten the novice concave cutter, and it is still in my tool kit. Unfortunately the cutting edges are now misaligned and are not suitable for clean cuts on finished trees. I use it for cutting roots and the like. I have since replaced them with a better brand (name escapes me) but they were about 4 times as much money, and after about 3 years they are still perfectly aligned.
This is the type of difference you will notice after using both high-quality and...lesser quality tools. You'll figure out what to spend your money on after a short while.

I use fujiyama from dallas bonsai. They seem to fit my needs perfectly. I have had them around 4 or 5 years with no problems. I messed up and bought a set. All you really need is a set of shears, concave cutter, knob cutter. Every thing else you can make yourself or buy a cheaper tool that you can use. Such as needle nose pliers, bend a fork for a root rake and a small folding saw and vise grip pliers.

I am still using the mid-range quality of Masakuni tools that I originally bought some 40 years ago and they have many years of life left in them yet. I must say that I use my tools daily, and have done so for many many years and have only had to replace my beveled edge side cutters in all that time. If you take care of your tools, keep them in a nice tool pouch, oil them and sharpen them regularly, they should last a lifetime which I can vounch for.