I have been trying for awhile now to get a good tool set at a decent price. If anyone has any information on where to find one or where you got yours, it would be greatly appreciated. My "dream set" is the Joshua Roth 7 piece master grade tool roll, but is't it everyone's? Anyway, I'll be satisfied as long as it has a concave cutter and a long-handled shear. Let me know!

I just use a razor sharp stanley knife and an old pruning schear for the normal stuff. Whenever I feel like clipping leaves, I dig up a pair of sizzors somewhere from my desk at home. No need for fancy equipment, for 99% of the work. And if you are good with a knife, you can create a smoother cut than with concave cutters. Just takes a bit more time, I suppose. I have loads of wire-cutters as I have just renovated a house and needed to do loads of work on the elctrics

Hmm, I think a trip to the Home Depot is in order. Also a trip to grandpa Larry's house. He knows blades, (he was in the Navy and still carries a Stanley knife everywhere he goes for his job) and he's the one who gave me the Swiss Army knife I've been using on a hunk of willow wood. Nice to know that I don't have to get a specialized set!

Bas: Just make sure you sleep before using the knife. Also... Be VERY carefull with it. I managed to slip a cm off of my left index finger when I was tired and tried to quickly get a job done. A trip to the hospital later and I had to wait 6 weeks before I could finish the job (And yeah, the finger healed fine in the end; Just a little scar left, thx).

PS: I know a nice christmas gift / birthday gift you could ask.. I am sure that if you are still dedicated to the trees by Christmas, your mom might be willing to give you a set of nice tools..

Nah, not when a good set of clippers work just as well. Actually, I have a summer project due, and dad says when I finally finish the 100 vocab. definitions, 5 essay annotations, and 3 essays he'll take me to Home Depot for some garden shears, a utility knife, some wire cutters, and some wire.
Also my birthday is in November.
And about being careful, don't worry. Both of my parents have instilled in me a great respect for sharp and/or moving objects. Dad has had a multitude of sports injuries, and still has this wicked awesome scar on his leg from when he was getting a little careless with his diving knife. Mom took off a chunk of her thumb when she was slicing a bagel. And grandpa... like I said, he was in the navy during Vietnam. I don't know how many of his stories are true, but I certainly don't want to find out.
I am proud to say I have never broken a bone or had a more serious injury than a simple knee scrape.
And I'm glad your finger healed up.

i have a cheapy set (70$) and it has worked fine for everything i throw at it.i use surgical scissors for leaf pruning and my shohin stuff and a old pair of sharpend wiess scissors that i found at a garage sale for a mutipurpose tool.
i really cant see spending 500+ for a tool set other than a status symbol.

Hi Hannah,

Well...I submitted this post once already but heaven knows where it went...out in cyber space somewhere, I guess.

There is a video on this site where it says not to use ordinary kitchen siccors on your bonsai because rather than give a clean cut, they tend to crush the leave stems and small branches.

As an artist in painting, woodcarving and pyrography, the one rule I cannot stress enough is "quality tools" are an absolute necessity. So, as a beginner in the art of Bonsai I felt it was important to start out with two, good quality, basic tools.....the scissors and the concave branch cutters.

Have you checked with your Bonsai Club to see if they have these tools for sale or if they can get them at a discount price? I got mine from my bonsai club for a much reduced price. They generally put in an order twice a year for various bonsai materials and/or tools and get a significant discount which they pass on to their members. I paid $15.00 for the scissors and $35.00 for the smaller sized concave cutters. $50.00 for a couple of good quality tools is a good deal. They were made in Japan and the blades are razor sharp. I've had to learn how to properly sharpen and hone my own woodcarving knives and gouges and I know "sharp" when I see it. It would be worth looking into.

Here is a photo of my basic tools:

Leslie, I've done extensive research into this. Really extensive. I know a whole bunch of websites that sell these at a variety of different prices, and I've e-mailed several of them to get an accurate quote on what discounts I can get if I buy multiple things at once. I've been in contact with my bonsai club, and the club treasurer owns a nursery in Indianapolis that sells some of the tools I need.

I have done NO major pruning on ANYTHING besides my willow branches, (when I cut them from the tree) and have only used scissors to snip off dead leaves during the following rooting adventure.

I'm not even thinking about shaping anything until next spring. (I'ts late summer now.) Since all of my plants are new in some way, they can handle that long of an adjustment period, and I can use that time to learn their individual watering and fertilizer needs without the stress that open wounds and wired branches cause.

It's August right now. Every September, the Indianapolis Bonsai Club has a members-only club auction, and I definitely plan on being there. I'm hoping to get a good set of tools, but it's not the end of the world if I don't. After all, my birthday is in November, and my dad has already stated that he is ok with getting me a set for that. Add in Christmas right after that, and even if none of my family members can find anything, I'll probably have enough money to order this beauty:
www.bonsaioutlet.com/10pc-Japanese-Tool-Set-BTK1-P113C23.aspx

Sorry about that huge random tangent, but I haven't updated this in awhile.

That's awsome, Hannah!
Hopefully your club treasurer sells to members at a discount price. Hey, the auction sounds great! It's a super opportunity to get your Birthday present early and at a discount price, too! Nice wesite...I would luv the Japanese water feature! Thanks for sharing.

The odd, random tangent is allowed.