Tobisho A-Type Secateurs

Name: Tobisho A-Type Secateurs
Brand: Niwaki
SKU: P00269-1
Price: 230.0 CAD
Availability: InStock

$230.00 CAD

Sale More Coming Soon

Size Standard 8" No Vinyl Wrap Large 9" No Vinyl Wrap Standard 8" Large 9"

Product variants

Quantity

These are traditional A-Type style secateurs, with a very pronounced shoulder that fits snugly and very comfortably into the palm of your hand. The 'Standard' size is a bit larger and heavier than the Tobisho SR-1s, and the 'Large' size fits extra large hands comfortably.

Unusually, these secateurs are hand-forged from exceptionally high quality Aogami #2 Hitachi Blue Paper Steel, which is laminated to the wax cast steel handles - look carefully for a thin gold band between the two steels, this is the sign of authenticity.

Pruning with a sharp tool that fits your hand well and is a comfortable weight will lessen repetitive strain for gardeners who use their secateurs frequently and/or for long periods of time.

The locking mechanism on Japanese secateurs is the feature that sets them apart for me - the clasp at the bottom of the handles is very deliberate and easy to use, even with gloves on. The lock never accidentally engages, and unlike Felcos, and you can lock them with one hand by pushing them against your hip. Brilliant!

The red and yellow handles are easy to find if you put them down in the garden. But don't! You'll want to keep this special tool safe and sound in your holster. We also have both sizes available without the vinyl wrapping if you prefer a more traditional look.

Tobisho recommends sharpening with the Niwaki sharpening stones. Blue steel in secateurs is unusual because blue steel is harder and more brittle than other steels - but it will take and hold an edge like nothing else. Not recommended if you're rough with your tools - these should not be used for heavy hacking, cutting wire or opening paint cans! Handle them with care, and clean and sharpen regularly and they should last you a lifetime!

Tobisho pruning tools are the crème de la crème in the Japanese gardening world. They are made in a small family-run factory in Yamagata, an area famous for the quality of its steel. All their tools are drop forged, with great attention to detail - they have incredible weight and balance and are such a pleasure to use!

Product Details

Aogami #2 Hitachi Blue Paper Steel cutting edge
S45-C steel body cast in the lost wax technique
traditional yamagata style of production
made in Japan
removable red and yellow vinyl grips (if you want a more traditional look)

Standard

total length: 8" (20cm)
weight: 0.55lbs (250g)
max cut: Ø15mm

Large

total length: 9" (23cm)
weight: 0.8lbs (380g)
max cut: Ø15mm
for large to XL sized hands

Caring for your Secateurs

Your secateurs are probably the most important tool in your garden kit. They prune, cut and snip and we carry a great selection of high-quality, specialty Japanese secateurs with unique and extremely useful features for the professional gardener. Robust and durable, designed for frequent use and a long life.

The key to a long life for your secateurs is to be sure to maintain them well through regular cleaning & sharpening. As well as ensuring you use them the way there intended to be used.

Correct use of your Secateurs:

Keep them sharp & oiled, sharpen before they get blunt.
Japanese steel is hard and sharp, and can be more brittle than people are used to - it will chip if abused.
Don’t cut anything with a diameter larger than 1/3 the length of the blade (same with saws). Over-doing it can bend/damage blades.
Use the base of the blades, not the tips, for heavier cuts.
Do not twist or apply uneven pressure.
If you’re using two hands to make a cut, it's too big a cut for the tool.
Do not cut wire, metal, stone, plastic or any other hard material (bamboo, some very hard woods, old dead wood, knots and burrs) can damage steel edges

Cleaning & Sharpening:

The first rule of thumb is to keep them clean & sharp...

Click here for a detailed guide on how to clean and sharpen your Japanese pruning tools.

Cleaning & Sharpening your Japanese Pruning Tools

Click here to download The Gardener's Kit Guide to Cleaning & Sharpening your Japanese Pruning Tools

We recommend that you clean, sharpen, oil - in that order and be sure to sharpen before the blades get blunt.

How Often?
It's a common question - how often should I sharpen my cutting tools? Short answer is, it depends on how frequently you use your tools.
Here are recommendations based on frequent use; you can judge from there if you don't use your tools often.

Secateurs: every couple of weeks if you use them daily. Click here to watch the experts at Okatsune sharpen secateurs.
Shears: daily, or even throughout the day, when you’re using them intensively. Especially if clipping boxwood. Click here to watch Jake demonstrate how to sharpen the Niwaki shears
Saws: clean and dry saws after every use. Impulse hardened blades do not need to be sharpened. Click here for our Guide to Saw Care

How To?

Wipe off soil and mud (you should get in the habit of doing this and then drying your tools at the end of each workday).
Clean built-up gunk and rust off the blades with the Abrasive Cleaning Block or Crean Mate rust eraser.
Do a detailed sharpening with a whetstone or two - see below for 'Which Grit' to use. Soak your sharpening stone in water for a couple of minutes before using. Unless you are very handy, don’t take your secateurs and shears apart – it’s very difficult to get the double-locking bolt back together and the blades properly aligned.
You can sharpen on-the-go with the Swiss Istor carbon steel sharpener, but a light touch is required - you don't want to grind off too much steel.
Use the Twin Diamond File or the Niwaki grey #220 grit sharpening stone to restore damaged blades.
Apply Camellia Oil to lubricate and protect blades after cleaning. You're done!

If you don’t like sharpening yourself, or don’t have time for it, use our in-house sharpening service.

Which Grit?
The appropriate whetstone grit depends on the type of steel, how long it's been between sharpening sessions, and whether there’s been any significant damage to the blades.
We recommend using the manufacturer's recommendation for the tools that we sell.

Okatsune #400 grit - for regular sharpening of all Okatsune products; also good for Felco
Niwaki #220 grit (grey) - this is a coarse stone, use for rough/damaged blades
Niwaki #1000 grit (brown) - for regular sharpening of all Niwaki, Tobisho, Kurumi blades.
Niwaki #3000 grit (sand) - this is a fine polishing stone, use for detailed work on high quality steel

Click here for the full collection of Japanese Tool Care products