Are bonsai wire cutters worth it?

[Adair M]

In 50 years of practicing bonsai, I have never sharpened wire cutters.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Stainless steel has a high chromium content which prevents rusting. Carbon makes iron hard. Nickel does both. There are many grades of Stainless and all steels have some carbon. When people use the term Carbon Steel, they mean High Carbon Steel which is harder than ordinary steel. Cheap Stainless steels are mostly rust-proof, but don't hold an edge as well as those that also contain more carbon, nickel and other metals, the more, the better and more expensive. The same can be said for High Carbon Steel except chromium is not usually used. At some point there is a cross-over of properties between the two kinds of steel because the sky is the limit on what special metals can be included in any formula. Hardness is increased by exposing to controlled high temperatures and/or high temperatures with nitrogen gas. Toughness is increased by plunging hot finished goods in oil which can also contain trace elements and special metals in trace amounts. At some point hardness transitions to brittle, so a balance between toughness and hardness is desirable. Price almost always speaks to quality. You always pay for what you get, but you don't always get what you pay for. A wise shopper only buys what is cost-effective to his need, and snob appeal is always available, for a premium.

 

[dtreesj]

Coming from a noob, I buy a tool as and when I have a problem that particular tool can solve. If you don't know what the benefits are, you probably don't need one. It's not bonsai, but I bought special flush cutters to use in small electronics projects, because they are small, light, very sharp, and they make a straight cut. I bought them because I knew normal wire cutters weren't good enough for what I wanted to do with them. When you use the wrong tool, you'll feel it, and know you need something else. Because it doesn't fit, or it doesn't make the cut that you want, or it's hard to get the correct angle, or you have to use too much force, or you just get tired of holding it. As you start running into those situations, you'll know when and why you need a different tool.

 

[sorce]

@QuantumSparky do you have a picture of your Kliens?

The flat blunt end is superior to the rounded ends of "bonsai" wire cutters, with the bonus of strippers.

More surface area to press to the branch before cutting will always make the least damage.

I can't believe this conversation is so long.

Sorce

 

[QuantumSparky]

@QuantumSparky do you have a picture of your Kliens?

The flat blunt end is superior to the rounded ends of "bonsai" wire cutters, with the bonus of strippers.

More surface area to press to the branch before cutting will always make the least damage.

I can't believe this conversation is so long.

Sorce

I use this line of kleins

 

[sorce]

All porpoise.

Sorce

 

[Forsoothe!]

When you're cheap, you're cheap.

 

[TinyArt]

View attachment 386092

All porpoise.

Sorce

Compound cutters not dainty enough for ya?

 

[coh]

In 50 years of practicing bonsai, I have never sharpened wire cutters.

I must have bought a cheap/poorly made wire cutter (not sure of the brand) as mine no longer cuts well at all, especially thin copper wire. Go figure! I picked up one of the knipex (red handled) wire cutters (I think someone posted a photo of one earlier) and that thing can power through 6 gauge copper pretty easily. Not so easy to maneuver into tight spaces, though, as it is considerably bulkier than "bonsai" wire cutters.

 

[MrWunderful]

As an electrician I'd say it depends on how good you are with cutters. I use Klein diagonal cutters for all my wire work because
A) I don't have many trees so I can afford to take the extra few seconds per cut to be careful, and
B) It's what I already own and it's basically an extention of my hand at this point.

I do admit that those rounded tip bonsai wire cutters are much safer to use on trees because there is no pointed tip that could cut into the bark, but if you don't have the issue of accidentally damaging your tree with diagonal cutters then there isn't much of a reason to prioritize buying new ones (especially if there are other tools on your radar that you don't own yet).

Im an electrician too. I use my linesmans, and diagonals for everything with no problem. Removing wire, cutting it off, tying in trees, etc. I have bonsai wire cutter but they feel like a toy.

Never had an issue with regular diagnals cutting into bark, but I dont leave my wire on so its that embedded.


Its all about what one is comfortable with.

 

[TinyArt]

Its all about what one is comfortable with.

Makes perfect sense -- I've got nice, compact diagonal cutters already, and I suppose if I'm feeling chicken about attacking my shohin-wannabe serissas, I can go out & wire something in the backyard for experience, and then clip the wire off. That way I'll KNOW if I can/can't see and reach at the same time....

 

[atlarsenal]

View attachment 386092

All porpoise.

Sorce

 

[Adair M]

If I am going to be wiring a tree, I’ll use these:



They’re great for the smaller gauge wire, up to about gauge 10. Heavier than that, I’ll use the blunt nose wire cutters.

These are small enough to just stay in my hand while I’m applying the wire. I don’t have to pick up the cutters every time I cut a new piece off the roll, or trim the ends when I’m done. They’re just there, in the palm of my hand.

The tines are rather sturdy, and you can use them as levers to help bend the wired branch once the wire is applied.

I’ve had the opportunity to watch Daisaku Nomoto wire some trees, and these are the cutters he used. Watching him work was an epiphany! My wiring skills improved immensely!

These are NOT used to cut off wire from branches. As I said earlier (on this and many other threads) it’s far faster and better to unspin the wire when removing it from the tree. The tool fir that is a pair of Jin pliers.

 

[sorce]

View attachment 386128

Fitting to be in Cartersville for the next week.

What's the "climate" like yonder? Like, the human climate?

Hit me!

Sorce