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

[CuriousLayman]

If I'm not mistaken, they are supposed to overlap ever so slightly so they cut clean through like bypass pruners. From the picture they look just like any normal concave cutters should.

Well, that does make sense. I didn't think they did that before and I only started looking because the cut was no longer clean. On the left of the cut they leave a raised area that I have to go back and get a knife or something to carve. Is that normal?

 

[Guy Vitale]

Well, that does make sense. I didn't think they did that before and I only started looking because the cut was no longer clean. On the left of the cut they leave a raised area that I have to go back and get a knife or something to carve. Is that normal?

Similar to what Adair said, learn how each tool feels and works for you. When I use the concave cutters to make rough cuts near the trunk I follow it up with the rounded knob cutter to nibble away at the rest.

 

[CuriousLayman]

This is the "tag" I'm referring to. This is just a small dogwood tree in my yard, not a bonsai. When I compare the cuts it makes now with those I see still healing on the first trees I worked on, they're definitely different. Though those first trees were junipers. I don't have any cuts to make in a juniper right now to test.

 

[Dav4]

Fwiw, I use my concave cutters less and less as the years go by, and mainly for very small branches. For branches 1/2" or larger, I'll cut with a saw then nibble away at the stub with knob cutters.

 

[Adair M]

This is the "tag" I'm referring to. This is just a small dogwood tree in my yard, not a bonsai. When I compare the cuts it makes now with those I see still healing on the first trees I worked on, they're definitely different. Though those first trees were junipers. I don't have any cuts to make in a juniper right now to test.
View attachment 115546

All concave cutters do that. Maybe not as much as that, though.

 

[Guy Vitale]

All concave cutters do that. Maybe not as much as that, though.

Yeah, that seems to be a larger than average tag, but the concave cutter is not designed for detailed clean cuts, get yourself a knob cutter, you will see a world of difference. Your cuts will bite in a little deeper and create a better healed wound.

 

[Guy Vitale]

Fwiw, I use my concave cutters less and less as the years go by, and mainly for very small branches. For branches 1/2" or larger, I'll cut with a saw then nibble away at the stub with knob cutters.

I find myself doing the same thing, I use my older cheaper concave cutters for heavier root pruning on nursery stock. I use reagular bypass pruners for heavy branch pruning and finish it off with knob cutters.

 

[abqjoe]

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.

Yeah I just looked at a pair of concave cutters on their website and yours definitely don't look normal.

 

[Adair M]

Some general comments about bonsai tools:

Carbon steel tools, the black ones, have some advantages over the Stainless Steel ones. For one thing, they're softer. Huh??? How can that be an advantage? A couple things: they sharpen better. You can put a better edge on them than you can the stainless. They also have a "feel" to them. Being a bit softer, you can detect the stress they're under as you cut. If you are making a cut, and you start to feel that resistance or slight flex, and you're tempted to use two hands... well... don't. That's how you damage tools.

Stainless tools look pretty, and won't rust. Being harder, I suppose they're more difficult to manufacture, so they cost more. And they are more difficult to sharpen. But they look pretty!

 

[barrosinc]

 

[CuriousLayman]

I can tell by the design of mine that they should cross at least a little. I guess I'm saying there is some sort of gap now that leaves a larger tag than the same pair left until very recently. I'm thinking it may all just be the difference in the material I was working on. I appreciate the education on the different tools and techniques. I'll be looking into knob cutters.

edit: more detail.

 

[bonsaibp]

All I can tell you is what they have told me. They are made in the USA.

Their cutting tools are not made in the USA, they are high quality chinese tools - similar in quality to Robert Stevens Ryuga brand. Even though Chinese they seem to be of a very good quality. I do know all their non- cutting tools and accessories are of great qualitu and their customer service seems fantastic.

 

[justBonsai]

Unless you live in a super humid environment get carbon tools. If you are so inclined you can even oil them to last longer--keeping them dry and away from moisture will usually suffice. Here are my comments made on an older thread with very similar questions..

Typically high carbon steels will have better edge retention and wear resistance. The trade off is of course they're a "carbon steel" and more easily risk corrosion. Stainless steels have the addition of chromium and other components that give it the "stainless" quality. Depending on the user some might not be comfortable with tool maintenance or may be inclined to forget their tools outside in which case stainless would be better to own. Stainless tends to be more expensive than carbon steels though partially because of a more complex production process but more so being harder to machine and work. To put this into perspective try sharpening an old slip joint on a simple whetstone or Arkansas stone. Then try sharpening one of those modern budget kitchen knives you can find at walmart or what have you. The kitchen knife should be substantially harder to sharpen. Because of this for a carbon steel and stainless steel at the same price point, the carbon steel will almost always performs better. That's how the conception arose that using carbon steels are superior or better. Don't get me wrong though. You can get stainless tools far outperforming many of the carbon steel tools commonly used but the production cost and consequently sale price would be too high. Looking at the American Bonsai site they use "400 series stainless steel." Its probably 440C or 420 commonly found as a simple stainless in pocket knives and kitchen cutlery. For comparable money you probably could get a better performing carbon steel tool which is my preferred option unless you have big rust concerns. Looking at a popular maker of Japanese bonsai tools, Kaneshin, they use blue, white, and yellow paper steels--from highest to lower quality in the order listed. The blue and white steels especially are really nice stuff and have great qualities. Their tools are similarly priced.

That said don't pick tools only based off what they're made of. You can use fancy expensive materials but if the heat treat is done poorly you end up with a poor tool. So buy your stuff from someone with a good reputation--chances are they have their production process sourced well or heat treatment dialed in.

 

[Dav4]

Yeah, I started with the carbon steel, bought a few SS tools, then but have gone back to the carbon steel. They hold their edge beautifully compared to SS, and seem to be better priced.

 

[Lewiscarnes]

I don't have any American Bonsai tools and probably never will because I received a masakuni set for Christmas. . I recently purchased an American Bonsai tool roll and received it yesterday. It's incredibly nice and well made.

 

[Tieball]

I use a few American Bonsai tools and have been very happy with the tools. Their customer service is fantastic and they do stand behind their tools if there is a problem. I haven't had a problem though. I had an opportunity to talk to AB in person about the manufacturing process while reviewing the technical drawings. Tool specs....cool! A lot of hands-on tool-function knowledge goes into their development and manufacturing.

I also have several pairs of scissors from Viet Nam, mostly used for root cutting because that what I designated them to do. The Viet Nam scissors have lasted very well for several seasons and remain sharp even with the cuts into dry and wet soil and roots.

 

[CuriousLayman]

I heard back from AB and they said that based on the pictures I posted (and sent them), that something wasn't quite right. They asked a follow up question saying it was an easy fix and I responded. No response from them. After weeks of waiting I sent another email reminding them that I was till awaiting their response. That was a few days ago. Still no response. Overall it sounds like people have been pleased with their customer service. That has not been my personal experience in this case. Things happen and there may end up being a perfectly good explanation. If not, I'm buying elsewhere in the future.

 

[Jarath]

According to the gentleman who owns a bonsai nursery near me, he doesn't like them. He stated, " they wear out quickly and are not built good".
I trust his opinion, especially since he carries this particular product and didnt try to sell them to me.

 

[Grant Hamby]

I got an AB tool set last Christmas and I'm super pleased. I don't have much experience so I can't really compare them to others. Overall, I've had an extremely satisfactory customer service experience with them.

I've purchased several pots, wire, soil, etc. from them and they always write "Thanks for your continued support, Grant!" on the receipt, which is cool.

Recently, I ordered some of their screen-bottom grow containers. One was damaged in transit because it had a heavy bag of soil on it in the box. I emailed them about it and they said they would use that info to make sure it doesn't happen again, and I quickly received a replacement plus a free sheet of screen mesh.

I also very recently broke my knob cutter. I sent an email but I have yet to hear back. It was only sent a couple days ago. I took responsibility for the break and intend to buy another, but I figured they could use the photo for R&D.

 

[abqjoe]

Here is my update: During the unfolding of this thread I found to many mixed reviews of good and bad to just go ahead and pull the trigger on a full set of AB tools and I ended up going with a full set of SS Masakuni which was decently priced from a dealer out of Japan. A couple of weekends ago at a workshop put on by our local Bonsai Club I was working next to a guy who had and was using a set of AB tools. I asked if I could check them out and while I was taking a good look at them I have to admit that they seemed of decent quality, much better than other brands of the same price range and better than a lot of brands slightly more expensive. But, at the end of the day I know that I made the right decision in buying my Masakuni's I chose SS not only because of the corrosion resistance, but, Masakuni puts a special coating on their SS tools that requires nothing more for clean up than a quick wipe with a wet rag. Before purchasing my Masakuni's I had a few other decent quality Japanese tools that were carbon steel and even in my dry climate of 0-7% humidity on average, and with 3-1 oil, it didn't take more than a couple of weeks for them to start showing signs of surface rust. SS only take 60 seconds longer to sharpen on tools like this than it does on carbon and I can definitely live with that