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Making $35,000 Bonsai Scissors

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Musicinabottle

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Wow! I had a friend whom won a contest to go to Japan and work with a bonsai tree master. He passed away a few years back in his mid 40s. Super neat guy.
 
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GirlnAgarage

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It's always impressed me how seriously a person takes their craft in Japan. It's inspiring, and humbling.

You made me miss the place with that video.
 
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Git

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Ryan - whatever happened with your Festool/Cabinet project?
 
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rlitman

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Wow indeed. Thanks for posting this! Some craftsmanship really stands out. It's true that swords and knives get most of the glory, but bladesmiths certainly also catered to their woodworking and gardening masters, and this is a great example of that.
 
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CobraRed

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I believe the video is of making ~$1800 Bonsai Scissors

He said the most expensive ones he's ever made were a set of custom ~$32K ones.
 
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Git

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Ya, I know that feeling. Looking forward to seeing it when you get them done
 
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Nick Danger

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ducksface said:
His Forging Anvil shouts volumes as to skill versus tool.
Anyone who ever disparages
Anvil shaped object
Should be forced to watch this then adjust their comments to reality.

Brilliant work by this man.
Click to expand...

I'll bet the anvil is older than he is, and is the best possible anvil for making knives and shears.
 
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kctyphoon

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I was joking... lol.. really??
All i know is i cut tree branches with chain saws and that **** grows back just fine.. “i want custom scissors for pruning” - “that’ll be one year of research, 6 months of fabrication and $30,000 sir” - awesome where do i sign up???


I mean obviously I’m joking, and the guy is prodigy- but seriously, u think the plant know the difference???
 
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zktk01

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Why would you need a Nepro ratchet when a craftsmen will work? People like what they like. I am sure the tree hardly notices as long as the scissors are sharp.
 
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ChrisLS8

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kctyphoon said:
I was joking... lol.. really??
All i know is i cut tree branches with chain saws and that **** grows back just fine.. “i want custom scissors for pruning” - “that’ll be one year of research, 6 months of fabrication and $30,000 sir” - awesome where do i sign up???


I mean obviously I’m joking, and the guy is prodigy- but seriously, u think the plant know the difference???
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My mom tried to grow a bansai tree and she has the best green thumb I've ever seen. She tried her hand at it and using kitchen shears to trim back and it was killing the branches. She switched to dedicated bansai shears and solved the issue.

There is definitely an art to it
 
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marineman

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That was pretty cool seeing what he does and a part of how he does it. I understand the craftsmanship and everything but I really want to know about the buyer of the $35,000 ($32,400 in the video) pair of scissors. Exactly what problem did that guy have that a $35,000 pair of scissors solved?
 
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Jayman17

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marineman said:
That was pretty cool seeing what he does and a part of how he does it. I understand the craftsmanship and everything but I really want to know about the buyer of the $35,000 ($32,400 in the video) pair of scissors. Exactly what problem did that guy have that a $35,000 pair of scissors solved?
Click to expand...

He had an extra $35,000 he needed to get rid of, and the scissors took care of that.
:lol_hitti

Jay
 
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ChrisLS8

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There will always be people out there that demand the absolute best possible and will pay extra for the added touch of being handcrafted by a master. They would balk at some people having 1k dollars of the same kind of ratchet
 
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GirlnAgarage

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kctyphoon said:
Amazon.com - $13.. made in japan.. free shipping.

Wakashishi/Bonsai scissors MADE IN JAPAN 180mm by Wakashishi https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00739Q4PQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20
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Sir, get your lopping sheers and move to the back of the line already. You probably just posted the japanese equivalent of the Kobalt brand photos in the Snap-on thread :lol_hitti

marineman said:
That was pretty cool seeing what he does and a part of how he does it. I understand the craftsmanship and everything but I really want to know about the buyer of the $35,000 ($32,400 in the video) pair of scissors. Exactly what problem did that guy have that a $35,000 pair of scissors solved?
Click to expand...
Why do people pay thousands of dollars for a particular stud dog to hump their cute Smoochie-Poo?? Why pay crazy money for a Shelby mustang rotting in a Texas field?? Why collect stamps? Why hundreds or thousand for a particular bottle of liquor when a $10 throat burner does the same job?
 
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Bagherra

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the Japanese are highly dedicated to their skills and I can appreciate that....

but....

$35,000 for a pair of scissors.....that ain't "cutting" it for me....
 
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rlitman

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Bagherra said:
the Japanese are highly dedicated to their skills and I can appreciate that....

but....

$35,000 for a pair of scissors.....that ain't "cutting" it for me....
Click to expand...

His basic pairs are not much over $1000. Go and buy a custom knife from a known American knifemaker for much less than that. And remember that shears are two knives mated to each other. He's not as far out of line as it seems.

$35k is for an art piece. I'd love to see it.

nmantas said:
Super awesome!

PS: I have the $2 HF model: https://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-utility-shears-67145.html. Maybe HF should put compare to $35,000.00 in their ads.
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LMAO. They should buy a pair just to put in their ads for comparison.
 
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K13

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pcmeiners said:
Roughly $500/hour to make a Bonsai Scissors ?, I'll purchase those right after I can afford to have a good number of $100,000 cocktails.
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I am guessing the $35,000 take a lot longer than the week the narrator suggested it takes. For the average $1,100 ones that's $15/hr. The Bonsai artist said it takes 6 months to year to get the custom ones.
 
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protegeV

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ChrisLS8

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pcmeiners said:
Roughly $500/hour to make a Bonsai Scissors ?, I'll purchase those right after I can afford to have a good number of $100,000 cocktails.
Click to expand...

I have a full bar setup in my house( big into mixology)

I'm running a special on Last Words using Kur Gin for the low price of 5000 dollhairs
 
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zendriver

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A $10,000 shotgun, does not necessarily shoot better, than a $900 model, but people want them and they buy them.

The Japanese take their bonsai trees seriously, so it's not surprising they don't want to groom them, with just any scissors.

Personally I love the Japan obsession with quality/engineering and collect many mechanical/electronic things Japanese. They set a high standard that others strive to follow.
 
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Madc

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Great video, amazing craftsmanship, I immediately thought of the shotgun analogy. After my first civilian-job bonus, thought I'd treat myself and I went to the "Berreta Shotgun boutique" I heard about in Manhattan. Amazing to see, but I very humbly walked out after looking at a few "entry level models" that were $5k. They had shotguns there that were $200k.
 
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M6erfan

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pcmeiners said:
Roughly $500/hour to make a Bonsai Scissors ?, I'll purchase those right after I can afford to have a good number of $100,000 cocktails.
Click to expand...


At some point in the video there was a reference to one year from concept to delivered product. If you look at it that way, $35k a year...
 
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mattygee

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I love watching a master at work, but it does get depressing when these stories are inevitably prefaced with 'the last of maker of (insert artisanal object)'. So much will be lost to the world in the next 20 years.. or less.
 
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SilverBulletZ06

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zendriver said:
A $10,000 shotgun, does not necessarily shoot better, than a $900 model, but people want them and they buy them.

The Japanese take their bonsai trees seriously, so it's not surprising they don't want to groom them, with just any scissors.

Personally I love the Japan obsession with quality/engineering and collect many mechanical/electronic things Japanese. They set a high standard that others strive to follow.
Click to expand...

The locks and barrels are better plus the 10k shotgun will typically come with a variety of barrels each having the same swing weight so the shooter does not need to readjust if they are shooting 12, 20, or 410. The stock's will be an English or French walnut and hand etched in some cases. Guy and finish will be better.


35,000 gets you this at Holland and Holland.
 
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OldeTimeEtc

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Good Grief......I don't care if the blacksmith makes them only using his toes and blindfolded......anyone who pays $35000 for a pair of scissors is nuts.......and I used to have Bonsai Trees in my back yard, still have an interest and still have all my tools but unfortunately the desert heat here limits what you can grow.
 
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zendriver

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SilverBulletZ06 said:
The locks and barrels are better plus the 10k shotgun will typically come with a variety of barrels each having the same swing weight so the shooter does not need to readjust if they are shooting 12, 20, or 410. The stock's will be an English or French walnut and hand etched in some cases. Guy and finish will be better.


35,000 gets you this at Holland and Holland.
Click to expand...

You missed my point.

This guy does just fine with a $900 pump shotgun. :beer:

The skill is not in the tool.


Can someone properly trim a bonsai,with $2 HF clippers?

Of course they can.
 
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