How's the quality of tools made by American Bonsai?

[Adair M]

https://www.americanbonsai.com/Articles.asp?ID=256 <-- Then this clouds things up a bit. On its own, its not clear. Coupled with what you're saying, ...sounds like somebody needs to change their story.

Read that carefully... it says “designed and engineered” in the US. What they’re saying is they ordered the product from here in the US, based on their specifications. Later on, they go on to state something about having to “source” products internationally. It’s very carefully written to be able to be misinterpreted.

Don’t you think that if they really made them in the US they would say something like “made here in the USA in our factory in Gainesville, FL”? They don’t.

Don’t you think they would stamp the tools “Made in the USA”? They don’t.

I’m not saying they’re bad tools. They market them giving the customer the false impression that they are an American product.

 

[bwaynef]

Read that carefully... it says “designed and engineered” in the US. What they’re saying is they ordered the product from here in the US, based on their specifications. Later on, they go on to state something about having to “source” products internationally. It’s very carefully written to be able to be misinterpreted.

Don’t you think that if they really made them in the US they would say something like “made here in the USA in our factory in Gainesville, FL”? They don’t.

Don’t you think they would stamp the tools “Made in the USA”? They don’t.

I’m not saying they’re bad tools. They market them giving the customer the false impression that they are an American product.

That's part of what I was saying is, at best, unclear. They also say: (my bold)

All of our products were designed and engineered in-house, 100% made in the USA, and covered by our Lifetime Warranty.

At best, that's referring to their 2012 line-up, before the business launched in 2013. Thereafter we have this:

Our vision is to have a 100% American-made bonsai product line - our mindset is, if we can do it here in the USA, thats what we do. Any process that we must internationally source is thoroughly vetted to abide by our high standards.

 

[bwaynef]

I can accept that some things aren't economical to source/manufacture here. I'd appreciate it being stated as such, ...or at least not implying that it WASN'T the case.

 

[PaulH]

Most of my tools are Masakuni that I've had over 40 years and most still work well but a few have worn out from use and I've had to replace them. My favorite shears are Kaneshin but I dropped them and broke the tip so I bought a pair of AB shears at the GSBF Riverside convention and I hate them. I plan to talk to them about it as They advertise 100% satisfaction guarantee. My masakuni wire cutters have suffered the most from years of wear so I bought a pair of AB wire cutters a few year ago that are excellent, better than the Masakunis. I also have a pair of AB concave cutters that are great.

 

[Vance Wood]

I joined this mainly because I bought American Bonsai's multi-purpose tool. I inspected it and noticed chunks of metal missing. I have tried for weeks to return them. I finally gave up. The metal is "grainy" if you look closely and it's not ground/ cleaned as a hood Japanese tool is. I won't purchase from they again. Honestly the tool reminds me of cheap Chinese tools.View attachment 274971

After looking at this again could you post a full photo with the logos engraved in the sides of the tool? Please? I can see part of a logo burried deep in shadow, and it does not look like Americal Bonsai logo.

Vance, they ARE made in China. I asked them. They said they were hoping to find a manufacturer here in the US.

This was about a year ago when I asked.

Thank you. So often around here we have people going off half cocked over a business. You tools are not like what I got from them.

 

[Walter Pall]

I have ten or so of their tools and I am very happy with them, can only recommend them.

 

[Johnnyl]

I’ve have never tried any stainless tools as many consider them lesser quality. Considering the split then no need to pay a premium unless you like shiny tools. I use the ARS scissors Adair mentioned. Ones with the green handle and one angled with a white handle. I have a pair of Kaneshin shears and rarely pull them out.

Best tools I have ever bought are the concave cutters from Kaneshin with the rounded blades. They are a game changer. If you don’t have knob cutters this is close to a 2-in-1 tool. They have two sizes and I have both.

I also have a small Kaneshin cutter with a spring I use more than any tool except scissors. It is very small and perfect for small branches and pre-bonsai work.

My other tools are cheap amazon tools my wife surprised me with a few years ago. Not recommended but I use the cheap wire cutters a lot. Doesn’t matter since mainly unwire vs. cut off.

I probably will get the largest Kaneshin concave cutters next and then a better knob cutter. As you can see I am looking at a fourth concave cutter before upgrading my other tools so clearly they are the items I believe you just can’t skimp on. I can’t imagine most would ever justify a high end root cutter or trunk splitter.

I don't consider $65 for a so called American made tool expensive, if it were American and of quality as them claim or imply. I was also

I’ve have never tried any stainless tools as many consider them lesser quality. Considering the split then no need to pay a premium unless you like shiny tools. I use the ARS scissors Adair mentioned. Ones with the green handle and one angled with a white handle. I have a pair of Kaneshin shears and rarely pull them out. Best tools I have ever bought are the concave cutters from Kaneshin with the rounded blades. They are a game changer. If you don’t have knob cutters this is close to a 2-in-1 tool. They have two sizes and I have both. I also have a small Kaneshin cutter with a spring I use more than any tool except scissors. It is very small and perfect for small branches and pre-bonsai work. My other tools are cheap amazon tools my wife surprised me with a few years ago. Not recommended but I use the cheap wire cutters a lot. Doesn’t matter since mainly unwire vs. cut off. I probably will get the largest Kaneshin concave cutters next and then a better knob cutter. As you can see I am looking at a fourth concave cutter before upgrading my other tools so clearly they are the items I believe you just can’t skimp on. I can’t imagine most would ever justify a high end root cutter or trunk splitter.

thinking of people being out of wor

After looking at this again could you post a full photo with the logos engraved in the sides of the tool? Please? I can see part of a logo burried deep in shadow, and it does not look like Americal Bonsai logo.

Thank you. So often around here we have people going off half cocked over a business. You tools are not like what I got from them.

 

[Johnnyl]

I don't consider $65 for a so called American made tool expensive, if it were American and of quality as them claim or imply. I was also

thinking of people being out of wor

Sorry if my replies look strange. My pc is being upgraded and I'm using my cell. If the tool was of quality, both in the making and the metal, I would have not even posted. But then, here I'm a "seed". Shiny is not why I bought them. I normally buy used/vintage Japanese bonsai tools anyway. I like cleaning, sharpening and tuning them. I have machining experience so I'm not ignorant about tool quality. But I just thought I might be helping an American manufacturer keep it going.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I have a fair number of their tools, and have been pleased with them. The quality for the price is quite good in my opinion. I recommend them to anyone who is asking about bonsai tool sets.

 

[yenling83]

Vance, they ARE made in China. I asked them. They said they were hoping to find a manufacturer here in the US.

This was about a year ago when I asked.

It's interesting that it says their tools are made in the US on their site now and that they told Adair they were made in China. I asked the vendors at the 2017 GSBF booth for "American Bonsai" where they were made and they said they were not allowed to tell me that. This turned me off a bit. Maybe they have changed since then, i'm not sure...

There's a few questionable issues with this company. I'd recommend buying Kaneshin from BonsaiTonight or Masakuni from California Bonsai. Two great companies. I also like Knipex wire cutters.

 

[Adair M]

It's interesting that it says their tools are made in the US on their site now and that they told Adair they were made in China. I asked the vendors at the 2017 GSBF booth for "American Bonsai" where they were made and they said they were not allowed to tell me that. This turned me off a bit. Maybe they have changed since then, i'm not sure...

There's a few questionable issues with this company. I'd recommend buying Kaneshin from BonsaiTonight or Masakuni from California Bonsai. Two great companies. I also like Knipex wire cutters.

It was a year or maybe two (or three?? I’m getting old...) when they told me they were made in China, but were looking for an American manufacturer. Maybe they are now. But, if they were, seems like they’d be bragging about it. Not being vague.

 

[Paradox]

I now have about 5 or 6 cutters of differing sizes and types from AB. All of them work great and I've had no problemswith them

 

[roberthu]

I stumbled upon here because I recently bought a few Kaneshin tools and I look forward to compare them to the Ryuga tools have had since 2012. The Ryuga worked fine mostly but the shears don’t cut clean on small twigs. They tear them quite often and I finally grew tired of it and placed an order for some Kaneshin.
Don’t own and AB tools but the price point does sound like Chinese made tools. As a Chinese immigrant, I can say the Ryuga or Tian Bonsai tools work fine. But if there are things to be desired from them. I have never had a tool broken on me but the cuts aren’t always as clean as I like.

 

[Adair M]

I stumbled upon here because I recently bought a few Kaneshin tools and I look forward to compare them to the Ryuga tools have had since 2012. The Ryuga worked fine mostly but the shears don’t cut clean on small twigs. They tear them quite often and I finally grew tired of it and placed an order for some Kaneshin.
Don’t own and AB tools but the price point does sound like Chinese made tools. As a Chinese immigrant, I can say the Ryuga or Tian Bonsai tools work fine. But if there are things to be desired from them. I have never had a tool broken on me but the cuts aren’t always as clean as I like.

Have you sharpened your scissors since you purchased them? All sharp tools, designed to cut, require sharpening from time to time, regardless of the manufacturer if they get used. They’ll stay sharp if you don’t use them, lol!

 

[roberthu]

Have you sharpened your scissors since you purchased them? All sharp tools, designed to cut, require sharpening from time to time, regardless of the manufacturer if they get used. They’ll stay sharp if you don’t use them, lol!

I did. And you are right I could probably realign the shears so they close up tightly. But it is happening on multiple shears, big and small. And I didn’t really use them that much. I have fewer than 30 trees in total. Most of them are still small so the tools aren’t used aggressively.

 

[Ming dynasty]

I'm testing this out. I have a pair of concave cutters. I was working on an azalea yesterday and noticed that any cuts were uneven, leaving a 'tag'. Somehow the jaws are no longer aligned. And it's weird because I don't feel any slop in the joint at all. So I'm not sure how they stopped aligning. I've only used them a few times and I don't recall working on anything really big. It's probably a fluke. I emailed them yesterday and it's supposed to have a 2 year warranty so we'll see.