Ryuga Bonsai tools

[Luke308]

After posting this thread on IBC forum http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t9157 ... ken#127595

It has been interesting reading both this thread and Brett summers thread which is referenced in this thread also.

I was recently given a pair of masakuni #16 convave cutters for my birthday and I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with them. MInd you I am still pretty fresh when it comes to experience and Im at the stage of upgrading my tools to good quality tools atm.

I have had a lot of trouble contacting my local supplier, and masakuni are yet to respond but I have found an American supplier but the price of the tools is nearly 30% higher than my australian supplier.

I googled masakuni tools which brought me to this thread and I am glad it did as I was about to upgrade all my cheap tools to masakuni.

The only other brand of Japanese tool I have at the moment is Kikuwa which are priced well, nice tools, but I am sure there is better out there.

The question I have though is who is using what brand tool, and what are your recommendations?

I can see that kaneshin, ryuga, and Nobuichi are recommended which is great. But what are the pros and cons of each brand, and are there others I should consider? Ryuga have listed their positives, but are there any negatives? I should mention I am only interested in black steel tools.

Thanks for any suggestions/feedback

luke308

I was happy to receive a response from Robert Stevens whom pointed me in the direction of an Australian supplier of Ryuga tools ( http://www.bonsainet.com.au ). After reading Ryuga's quality control process http://ryugabonsaitools.blogspot.com.au ... ryuga.html I was confident that they would be good quality. Anyway I bit the bullet and bought a pair of RC-08 knob cutters and RC-03 scissors. My only issue is it took 2 weeks to arrive, but I couldn't have been happier when they did. Not only are they comfortable to use, but the quality is great and the prices are fantastic. ( I thought for the prices I would be getting what I paid for) Also they come with a nice little pencil-case like bag to store the tools in. If your in the market for some tools, I would definitely consider Ryuga tools!

[anttal63]

GOOD FIND WELL DONE !!!

[daiviet_nguyen]

Hi Luke,

I am not familiar with this brand name, but going by how they look, and their quality control page, I think they will last a life time.

Enjoy your new tools and don't over cut your trees

Cheers.

[Bougy Fan]

I called in at Bonsai Environment (who are sole aussie distributors) on a recent road trip to look at ryuga tools in the flesh. I ended up buying a pair of stainless scissors and I am very very happy with them. They feel great in the hand and quality is excellent. I think they are made in China but are awesome quality compared to the cheaper Chinese made tools

[kcpoole]

i know that Ryuga are sponsoring a competition on ofbonsai magazine where there are trips and tols on offer.
I was planning on entering, but the website for the magazine is so crapand confusing i have not been able to work out what was required :lost

They are Chines tools, but many in south east asia are using them and they are thought if highly i believe

Ken

[Luke308]

i know that Ryuga are sponsoring a competition on ofbonsai magazine where there are trips and tols on offer.
I was planning on entering, but the website for the magazine is so crapand confusing i have not been able to work out what was required :lost

They are Chines tools, but many in south east asia are using them and they are thought if highly i believe

Ken

I received an entry form for each tool I bought for the chance for a free bonsai trip to China. That is running in tandem with the ofbonsai competition.


Your right, they aren't made in Japan, but they feel, look and cut as good as if not better than my Masakuni and they are definitely better than my Kikuwa tools. And the Australian distributor was easily contactable and returned emails within the same business day (I am still waiting on Masakuni's reply) Well worth having a look at for sure!!

[Sean M]

Just checked them out and may have to drop some cash on them! Only issue I have is that when I get new toys I need to play with them, and I don't think my trees are going to like that.

[Nathan]

Has anyone been using them for a period of time, just wondering how the cutting edge holds up and if they will show signs of rust after extended period of use??

[63pmp]

I bought a pair of concave cutters on Saturday. Spent most of Sunday using them pruning various things. I have used a variety of different tools over the years, most of the name brands available at different bonsai stores. In that time I have noticed the Kaneshin standards drop a bit. The last branch cutters needed a 1mm thick strip of metal shim added to the stop post so that the jaws would not over close.

Out of the pack the Ryuga's was very sharp and well put together. In appearance it looks almost identical to kaneshin, but the handles are a little thicker. The edges of the blades met very nicely, and there was no sloppiness in the hinge. The stop post was just a fraction of a millimeter out and so the cutters tended to over close. I didn't adjust this, as kaneshin cutters in the past were often set like this, and it took a while before the edge of the knife blade rounded with contact with the anvil blade.

The Ryuga started showing signs of edge damage due to over closing fairly quickly, and by the end of the day I thought they needed sharpening. So I think the blade steel may be a little soft in comparison with Kaneshin.

Other than that, the tool is very good. Comfortable and when the hinge wears in easy to use. Not sure about rust, would imagine they would rust like any other steel tool.

I dare say, that if your tools rust they are not getting enough work.

Paul

[daiviet_nguyen]

Hi Paul,

Thank you for the review . I am not getting any more cutters but it is good to know.

I am guessing that those steels that do not hold their edges well are in general easier to sharpen?

Hi Nathan,

Would you consider using rust preventive paper to protect the tools while they are resting?

Best regards.

[Nathan]

Hi,

I was more referring to the quality of the steel that they were made out of rather and the after use care of them, I have Japanese tools now but I did have some cheaper Chinese ones with suffered from rust after about 6 months of use, I don't seam to have the same problems with the Japanese one.

[63pmp]

Hi Nathan & Daviet,

I also have found the cheap Chinese tools rust really quickly, and not just the bonsai tools. Whatever the treatment is they use, it's not all that good. Once the black treatment on the tools starts to wear off even the Japanese tools begin to rust, mostly it's a dusty, surface rusts that forms, it goes away quickly once you use them. However the Chinese tools get a hard, pitting type rust that only a wire brush will remove.

The black treatment finish on the Ryuga looks comparable to Japanese tools, so I think rust protection will be similar, time will tell of course. A quick wipe over with a cloth soaked in WD40 works well as rust prevention.

The vapor releasing papers are very good, I use it for my hand plane blade, but the tool and paper must be in an air tight container for them to work properly.

Paul

[Jason.S]

Hi Folks,

Can anyone provide an update on their experience with Ryuga brand tools?

Can't decide whether to try them for my next purchase or to spend the extra money on Kaneshin.

Any thoughts?

[Bougy Fan]

Well it has been a year and a half since I bought my stainless steel trimming scissors and am really happy with them. I use them nearly every day and have not had to sharpen them - I just go over them with a crean mate and they keep their edge. If I didn't already have root shears and branch cutters etc I would be buying more Ryuga. The great thing about them was the stainless tools were the same price as cheaper Japanese steel tools but none of the rust issues. If you are unsure buy a pair of scissors or branch cutters and try them out - you won't be disappointed.

[Jason]

Hi Folks,

Can anyone provide an update on their experience with Ryuga brand tools?

Can't decide whether to try them for my next purchase or to spend the extra money on Kaneshin.

Any thoughts?

I swear by my Kaneshin's, best thing I ever bought.

Am curious about the Ryuga though, as I've not yet heard a bad thing about them. If I can get the same quality as Kaneshin, at a more affordable price... and minus shipping... I might just bite