An arrow could still pierce the eye 
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@anon23112058 which model of Niwaki secateur did you get?
Having seen some videos on the tube of people using chainsaws, I am amazed at how many donāt bother with any protection - no gloves, no helmet, visor, ear defenders, boots or chainsaw trousers. They just rock up with their T-shirt, shorts and plimsolls. Of course, the best videos show them dropping their tree onto a house or their vehicle.
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I have the Tobisho A-Type:
āTraditional A-Type style pruners from Tobisho, hand-forged from exceptionally high quality Aogami #2 Hitachi Blue Paper Steel laminated to the S45-C handlesā.
Wishing you a lovely day 
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That was the pair Iām looking at. I wish they had a stainless version. Iāve had stainless Global knives for 20 years and theyāve held their sharpness, easy to sharpen and obviously donāt corrode. I tend to think the high-end secateur world is a bit backward.
The Tobisho A-Type have a harder steel cutting edge, the Kurumi have a nice walnut inlaid handle but softer steel and rest have different steels and/stronger springs.
Non-stainless steel of good quality can get and hold a better edge than stainless - and can form a form or rust (non-flaky, blackish rather than brown) which is perfectly OK.
The secateur market in Japan follows the path of quality, craftsmanship and tradition. The reason they do not use stainless steel is because it is not as strong/durable:
āStainless steel has a high chromium content which acts as a protective layer against corrosion and rust. Carbon steel is high in carbon that when exposed to moisture can corrode and rust quickly. ā¦ Carbon Steel is stronger and more durable then stainless steelā.
The Tobisho A-Type is comprised of a very hard steel and hence it leaves beautifully clean cuts.
P.S. I am also much enamoured with my selection of Global knifes
Yes I know the theory about carbon steel holding an edge, but once you get into expensive knives, that argument disappears. My global knives are superb for holding their edge. I only have to use a diamond sharpener every now and then and they slice into tomatoes perfectly. 20 years of experience has taught me this. The stainless is extremely hard and easy to sharpen. The downside is cost. Stainless is very expensive. I just think the market is not there in the gardening world. I hear the same old argument when looking at Global knives (or many other Japanese stainless knife manufacturers) - āhand-crafted by traditional methods using the finest Japanese stainless steelā.
Just get a pair of Japanese stainless secateurs made, sell for Ā£195 and Iāll have them.
I would implore you to buy a hand crafted Japanese carbon steel knife: I think it may change your perception of what is considered sharp
Iāll add to my post that all my finest (and considerably more expensive) bonsai tools are stainless and when buying them, itās all the usual Japanese traditional hand-crafted know-what-theyāre-doing marketing that sells them. All my stainless bonsai tools are still razor sharp 15 years later. Although, you still have to take care, as theyāre not 100% corrosion resistant.
Yes I no doubt will buy that Tobisho pair, as after all the research Iāve done for ages, there doesnāt appear to be anything else worth looking at.
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Exactly. Whatās more, if you feel tired, take a break, or better still, just stop.
When youāre tired you less able to read the wood, and a nasty accident can easily result.
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Except when standing out in one during a thunderstormā¦
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I use these for most of my bonsai needs and the over-cut at the tip of the blades naturally leads to precision 
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I use these for all trimming. I like the length and the narrow design allows me to get into branches without damage to twigs. This is my actual pair in front of me now by coincidence.
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Incidentally, be careful where you store your saw when using bio oil.
Iāve heard of rodents gnawing through the tank to get to it.
Also, nice to see that Stihl may have abandoned their flippy caps for conventional ones for the oil tank.
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Thank you for the heads up. Iāll be sure to keep it out of reach of the little critters. Wishing you a lovely day
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Infuriating thing; on all my chainsaws I have, at least once, thought Iād done up the chain oil cap only to find mid sawing that the cap had fallen out and chain oil was now glooping down protective trousers.
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Nothing worse than oil all down your chaps, another problem that diddnt need solving and Stihl should know better, ironically it was the grandson of Ernest Rubik who designed the infernal things, so destined to be awkward.
I switched to Husqvarna 3 series about 8 years ago: 50cc 346xp, 70cc 365xt & maybe a 395xp if I can justify it, mmm 93cc! Hopefully be like my fathers old McCulloch, yerāll cut anything wi this heād say 
You can still get a 346xp over here and Im tempted to get a new power head for when mine eventually gives up but it runs like a dream, cut some big Ash today, full bar depth 15".
TBH, the less gimmicks on chainsaws, the better.
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