If you were going to pay $400 for one of these trees, which would you pick?

This reminds me of that old taco shell commercial where they can't decide on whether to use soft or hard shell tacos and the little girls says, "Why not both?"
 
I see a lot of comments like this. Perhaps that's good in some areas, but there aren't a glut of local bonsai sales where people are giving away great material for less than retail prices. I can't even think of one I've been able to attend in the past year. You'll grow old reading Bnut instead of working on trees if you ascribe to that method alone.
It’s not really about finding pre bonsai at less than retail prices. It’s about not spending a quarter of the cost on shipping. You could get a $400 tree from a vendor’s booth at a show or you could buy a $300 tree online that’ll cost another $100 to ship.

Talking specifically about these two trees: The hinoki has some interesting movement in the trunk, but is lacking taper and I don’t care for the pigeon-breasted area in this front. Would be nice to see some other views to determine if there’s another with better potential to make a good front. The juniper has plenty of taper but is lacking movement at the base. To get any interesting movement near the base, you’d have to jin one of more of the 3 trunks and hack the remaining ones way back to introduce some changes in direction. If you’ve got to do that much work anyway, why not just start with cheaper nursery stock? Unless you really love formal uprights, it’s a hard pass at that price point, IMO.
 
I was at my nursery for some exams this week. In some of the lull I halped unpack a truck of new trees, straight from one of the biggest distributors in the EU. When I saw the prices of the new trees my jaw dropped. Seems like the prices have come up a whopping 50-100% at distributors level over the last 1-2 years. So.. Even though I am not convinced the pricetags are realistic, consider the Juniper I might. Needs some more angles.

The hinoki as a species does not do it for me, and this specimen is a parody of a pre-bonsai, to me.
 
Sounds like the recurring theme is "neither, but if you're gonna choose one, choose the kishu." I think I'll keep searching.
 
I think both are extremely overpriced. Save your money and come to the GSBF Bonsai Rendezvous next month in Santa Nella or the Pacific Bonsai Expo in November in Oakland.. Lots of vendors with great stuff
 
@PaulH has the best suggestion yet. Sure to be wonderful material to choose from at either event, and all in your area.
 
I think both are extremely overpriced. Save your money and come to the GSBF Bonsai Rendezvous next month in Santa Nella or the Pacific Bonsai Expo in November in Oakland.. Lots of vendors with great stuff
I will be at both! Guess I’ll save my money until then. That is, unless I find something better than these two in the meantime. In that case… well, I guess I’ll just have to build another bench 😂
 
I was at my nursery for some exams this week. In some of the lull I halped unpack a truck of new trees, straight from one of the biggest distributors in the EU. When I saw the prices of the new trees my jaw dropped. Seems like the prices have come up a whopping 50-100% at distributors level over the last 1-2 years. So.. Even though I am not convinced the pricetags are realistic, consider the Juniper I might. Needs some more angles.

The hinoki as a species does not do it for me, and this specimen is a parody of a pre-bonsai, to me.
Yes, with the price of oil rising, that cost is being pushed back into the consumer. On all industries! I think that now that the prices are slowly going down, the market will follow suit... but, something inside of me tells me that they will not come down equally, since the industry saw that the consumers kept buying the items at the higher price they may keep the high prices to make up for the losses at the beginning of the pandemic.

From the OP, I don't know if I would spend $400 in either one of those trees.
 
Like most others who have responded, I would keep looking. I think you can get more for your money, but honestly, for me its not about the money with regard to these two choices. I just don't really care much for either of them. Obviously to someone who loves them $400 may be a real deal. In capable hands I am sure either could become excellent bonsai, but they are not there yet and actually have a ways to go imo.
 
Too much for either of them. Keep looking, there’s better examples of both of those species out there at that price point.
 
Ha! I guess I should have read through the thread a little more. My thoughts are definitely not original on this 😅
 
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