American Bonsai experience

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Mame
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Ok...admittedly this is a bit of a bait and switch as I don’t have the tools yet, but I did want to share the experience thus far.

I received two gift cards as gifts this week. First, they’re very cute little wooden cards, and they came with a coozie and a tool usage guide that will be very handy.

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However, upon trying to apply the codes, I found that they had not been activated. I emailed American Bonsai immediately - around 11:30pm at that point - and when I woke the next morning, I had an apology and notification that they were activated and good to go. Obviously would have preferred that they worked on arrival, but they nailed it in the follow up and had my order shipped that morning less than an hour after I placed it.

Unboxing photos and comments to follow.
 

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Mame
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Every business makes mistakes. The true test of customer service is how they react when they find out they've made one.
Agreed. And the guys at American Bonsai nailed it on the back end.

Also, package arrived today. Pictures and impressions to follow.
 
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My local club gives an AB package as a welcome gift to all new members - its got info on all the tools and services they offer, a coozie, and a pencil, but by far the coolest thing is the sales rep's wooden business card with wire gauge holes built in!
 

shinmai

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Agreed! With the exception of one convex cutter from Matsukani, everything in my toolbox is from ABS. I like the stainless, and the tools just seem to feel really good in the hand, even when working for a long time. I have tremendous problems with arthritic hands, and feel and fit have become a lot more important.
 

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Mame
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Ok! As promised...unboxing.

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First impression is that it is packaged well (which I feel qualified to speak to given my job). Everything is packed snugly in the box with nothing moving around when shaken.

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Removing the tissue revealed the contents: two tools, gallon sack of UltraMix, and another coozie.

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Ultimately, I unpacked the aforementioned items as well as another sticker, a tool usage sheet, and a handwritten thank you note. Score another point for customer service.

The tools I settled on were the wire shears and spherical concave cutters. Both are what I would consider hybrid tools and, combined with the inexpensive pair of red-handled scissors everyone is familiar with, should cover pretty much every need that arises in my pursuit of bonsai for a while. Additional pictures and comments on each of these to follow.
 

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Mame
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First up, the ROUNDED concave cutter - I did misstate the name of the tool in the previous post. I selected this particular tool after reading much discussion in this forum debating flush vs rounded concave cutters. I ultimately decided that the additional strength from the rounded edge would do the job of a knob cutter for me for quite a while given my material, and the added complexity in sharpening is a non issue as I’ll be sending it off to be sharpened either way.

Now pictures...
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First impression is that this is a very well made tool, speaking with no real bonsai tool experience but plenty of experience with tools in general over the years. Heavy, in a good way, and very well balanced. Feels very good in the hands, to echo @shinmai. The logo is laser etched with pretty fine detail, and the edges of the blades do slightly overlap upon closure. No wiggling or other movement anywhere other than expected.

If I’m nitpicking, there is a small burr on the widest part of one blade but far away from the cutting edge and not in a position to rub or catch on anything.

Overall, very happy with the purchase and can’t wait to use it.
 

Vance Wood

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Every business makes mistakes. The true test of customer service is how they react when they find out they've made one.
That's true but they are always available and quick to solve any problem. If you are looking for tools these guys have a great product and are looking to improve what is already top of the line service.
 

shinmai

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I have, unfortunately, had more than my share of experience with trauma-related surgery. The ABS tools remind me of surgical implements—very sharp, brightly clean, and ergonomically efficient.
Personally, I think it’s cool that the company’s founder had done collecting hikes with his dad as a kid, and then left Bonsai behind until his wife gave him a tree for a present. Getting back into it, he used the facilities of his already-successful business to create a series of tools at the quality level he wanted but couldn’t readily find.
 

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Next up is the multi-use shear; again, incorrect name in above post. While it is intended for cutting wire off of branches, the handle design (versus dedicated wire cutters) makes it serviceable for pruning as well. Another hybrid tool, I’m hoping to use it to fill the gap between the standard pruning scissors and the concave cutters as well as wire work as needed.

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Honestly, same comments as for the concave cutter minus the burr I found on the other. Really fantastic balance. This guy is a new product on the website, so I’ll try to share a better review once I get a chance to use it a bit. I imagine a comparison to the traditional scissors might interest some. Since I’m new to these specialty tools equally, we can consider my opinion of them unfettered by previous bias...

Or something like that.

Thanks for reading. Hopefully, this thread provides some info that others can find useful.
 

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Mame
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The ABS tools remind me of surgical implements—very sharp, brightly clean, and ergonomically efficient.

“Surgical” is exactly the impression I got as well.

Also, I’m “yamadori” now. Hell yes.
 

Adair M

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Next up is the multi-use shear; again, incorrect name in above post. While it is intended for cutting wire off of branches, the handle design (versus dedicated wire cutters) makes it serviceable for pruning as well. Another hybrid tool, I’m hoping to use it to fill the gap between the standard pruning scissors and the concave cutters as well as wire work as needed.

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View attachment 226173

Honestly, same comments as for the concave cutter minus the burr I found on the other. Really fantastic balance. This guy is a new product on the website, so I’ll try to share a better review once I get a chance to use it a bit. I imagine a comparison to the traditional scissors might interest some. Since I’m new to these specialty tools equally, we can consider my opinion of them unfettered by previous bias...

Or something like that.

Thanks for reading. Hopefully, this thread provides some info that others can find useful.
I wouldn’t use those for anything other than wire.
 

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Mame
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I wouldn’t use those for anything other than wire.

Would you mind elaborating on why?

They seem to be, at least visually, comparable in function to standard shears/scissors. I’m assuming not as useful in detail work due to the size and shape of the blades, but perhaps useful on larger branches in comparison due to being more robust.

As I said, though, that’s conjecture based on visuals only. I absolutely defer to your, and other’s, expertise. I have no desire to make a task harder for myself to prove a point of some kind.
 

Adair M

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Cutting wire will dull them. Not to where they become too dull to cut wire, but they will tend to crush their way they wood rather than cut it.

The blades are thick to withstand the force required to cut wire. Wood cutting tools are generally thinner so that they cut rather than crush.

If you sharpen them to cut wood effectively, they will break cutting wire.
 

nrgizerrod

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@pback how are these tools working for you? I'm looking for a good concave cutter and the American Bonsai is appealing.
 

Bonsai Nut

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I have owned about a dozen American Bonsai tools for several years and love them. I dropped my pair of long handle shears several months ago and slightly bent the tips. When I was talking to an American Bonsai employee at the Bonsai-A-Thon show and told him about it, he said "ship them back - we have a lifetime guarantee - we'll repair or replace".
 

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Mame
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@pback how are these tools working for you? I'm looking for a good concave cutter and the American Bonsai is appealing.

I’ve been very happy with them so far, admittedly with no other bonsai tools with which to compare them.

I went with the rounded concave cutters, and I’m glad I did. They’ve allowed me to clean out the interior of a Depot boxwood better than the flush cutters would have. I haven’t used the hybrid shears for wire at all, using them instead to cut branches that were too thick for my scissors but that I couldn’t reach with the concave cutters.

Great experience overall. I’m thinking I need a pair of knob cutters next and will be getting them from American Bonsai for sure.
 

substratum

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I was just in their neck of the woods, and didn't realize it. Definitely would have dropped in and left some money behind if I'd known. For some reason, I thought they were in NY.
 
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