BunjaeKorea
Omono
I use nail pliers to cut theough big roots and old shears for smaller roots.
what are the top root cutting shears and should it be in stainless?
- Thread starter Corrado
- Start date
Trenthany
Chumono
I use corona grass shears and secateurs for rough stuff. That’s all I have right now! But the grass shears will gut everything in a football except bigger 1/2” stuff in one pass. Secateurs get the big stuff and one pass with grass shears around and under the rootball then I’m done. I don’t have a need for any finer tools yet.Maybe in a couple years! 
Oh and my mom has had a pair of Chicago cutlery kitchen shears floating around her potting area for literally longer than I’ve been alive. She’s on her second pair in ≈40 years (she lost a pair for about 5 years and the handles got sun damaged and brittle/cracked bad enough that they aren’t comfortable anymore). She cuts roots, woody stalks, and fine tips with them. Doesn’t matter. She has nice secateurs but if the scissors are in her hand that’s what she cuts with. She doesn’t even sharpen them. They’re stainless and get “cleaned” by dunking in the rain barrel. They still cut like they’re brand new. My current EDC knife is a spyderco, I can’t remember the name of the knife itself but it’s made with H1 stainless steel. Holds an edge doesn’t rust and I clean it by swishing it in water or hosing it out. I work in and around the water all the time. No rust and I always have a sharp knife. Just because they’re stainless doesn’t mean they won’t hold an edge. I plan on getting some of the Chicago cutlery kitchen shears for myself. Preferably older ones lol.
amazon links to what we use.
corona secateurs
Corona shears
Chicago cutlery scissors
Oh and my mom has had a pair of Chicago cutlery kitchen shears floating around her potting area for literally longer than I’ve been alive. She’s on her second pair in ≈40 years (she lost a pair for about 5 years and the handles got sun damaged and brittle/cracked bad enough that they aren’t comfortable anymore). She cuts roots, woody stalks, and fine tips with them. Doesn’t matter. She has nice secateurs but if the scissors are in her hand that’s what she cuts with. She doesn’t even sharpen them. They’re stainless and get “cleaned” by dunking in the rain barrel. They still cut like they’re brand new. My current EDC knife is a spyderco, I can’t remember the name of the knife itself but it’s made with H1 stainless steel. Holds an edge doesn’t rust and I clean it by swishing it in water or hosing it out. I work in and around the water all the time. No rust and I always have a sharp knife. Just because they’re stainless doesn’t mean they won’t hold an edge. I plan on getting some of the Chicago cutlery kitchen shears for myself. Preferably older ones lol.
amazon links to what we use.
corona secateurs
Corona shears
Chicago cutlery scissors
Corrado
Mame
Thankyou Trent, I like those grass shears!!! Too bad you responded a ltittle late -LOL As usual I went fully traditional with a pair of large Makasuni shears but they are so nice I dont want to use them on soil pebble laden cuts-ha ha . So I may just buy those grass shears now---thanks again!!
Kandeshen makes some angled scissors like the ARS ones that Wayne posted, but the blades are longer, and they come in stainless. They actually have two sizes, a 2 1/2 inch size, and a 4 inch size.
I have the 2 1/2 inch size, and they’re great. I use them a lot during potting season, and being stainless, I don’t have to be super careful to have to oil them after each use! Lol!!! I use Boon Mix as my soil, lava/pumice/akadama, and haven’t had any issues with the blades chipping or dulling.
The bent handles allow you to use the shears to cut the bottoms of the rootballs flat, while your fingers are not brushing against the bottom of the rootball.
I’m thinking of getting a pair with the longer blades. It would make the work go faster.
Corrado
Mame
Ah you mean Kaneshin, yes I thought I seen those too. Is it number 829 200 mm size? Also good to know that clay and pumice doesnt damage the stainless steel blades.--thankyou!!!
roberthu
Chumono
Cutting roots are pretty rough on the shears so I don’t use any fancy ones. Just a no name carbon steel and sharp it from time to time.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
That's not what what said.
If you work with mostly finished material it is easy to hold what WAS said as truth.
If you are collecting Yamadori from granite ridden mountains, the truth changes.
Sorce
leatherback
The Treedeemer
truth that
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Grovic
Mame
An important factor to consider is how likely it is that you are going to provide proper maintenance/cleaning for your tool.
If you clean your tools right after you use them, apply oil and sharpen when needed, I would go for carbon steel as they are easier to sharpen and cheaper (when comparing vs stainless from same manufacturer).
If you are going to use them an then put them away right away, I'd use stainless since they'll last longer.
If you clean your tools right after you use them, apply oil and sharpen when needed, I would go for carbon steel as they are easier to sharpen and cheaper (when comparing vs stainless from same manufacturer).
If you are going to use them an then put them away right away, I'd use stainless since they'll last longer.
I would suggest buying stainless steel scissors, but good, reliable ones. If you buy perfect scissors, you won't have any problems at all. I recently bought very good secateurs, which I like very much, they are very comfortable to use, cut very well, there is no discomfort in using them. In general, I am very pleased with the purchase because I bought a very expensive thing, which fully justifies its price and worth its money. They do not need sharpening for a long time, so you can safely take it, I hope that helped you.
canoeguide
Chumono
leatherback
The Treedeemer
I think so too. @Bonsai Nut ?
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
It's ok. If someone just links a purchase they made, that they want to share, I don't consider it spam (within the context of the current conversation).
canoeguide
Chumono
I agree with this, but the day-old account has one single post that links to a product page and uses suspect (read "keyword-laden") language to talk about it. This very well could be a legitimate new poster but it has all the marks of link farming for Google PageRank. Anyway, I'm sure @Bonsai Nut will notice if a bunch more of these accounts/posts start popping up. Sorry for the thread hijack!
"Within the context of the current conversation" - Dang it, if you hadn't have added that, I was going to bust out a link to this new Sauté Pan I bought.
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
Maybe... but bypass pruning shears are a pretty niche product
Pretty slim chance that a spammer is just going to hang out on a bonsai site in the hopes that someone else starts a thread asking about pruning shears 
Eckhoffw
Masterpiece
Chain saw appendage!
My understanding is that carbon steel is “softer”, and therefore sharpens better. The trade off is they are more subject to dulling. And they rust easily.
Stainless steel is harder, and therefore more difficult to sharpen. But, they are more rust resistant. At the cost of being more brittle.
Neither will withstand abuse.
I have some tools of each variety. For jobs where I want precise cuts, I use carbon steel tools. For those jobs that don’t need the precision, like cutting back roots, I use stainless steel. I have some stainless steel tools that I can leave outside on my covered porch, and I can keep them handy without worrying about rust. My carbon tools, I never do that. I always have to take them back inside when I’m finished using them.
Stainless steel is harder, and therefore more difficult to sharpen. But, they are more rust resistant. At the cost of being more brittle.
Neither will withstand abuse.
I have some tools of each variety. For jobs where I want precise cuts, I use carbon steel tools. For those jobs that don’t need the precision, like cutting back roots, I use stainless steel. I have some stainless steel tools that I can leave outside on my covered porch, and I can keep them handy without worrying about rust. My carbon tools, I never do that. I always have to take them back inside when I’m finished using them.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
I am on another forum and there these ghost posters show up too. One post. One in-line link to a purchasing platform. Content just about matches the content of the thread. And then stay out or post another one of these a few days/weeks later. We have classified them as spam and remove these posts.
Similar threads
