$35,000 bonsai shears--discuss

[Bonsai Nut]

I can't really speak to $35,000. I assume you have to understand what is driving that value - and I don't. However in his defense, he didn't really say what made his most expensive shears worth $35K... just that the most expensive ones cost that much.

On a more limited scale, you can do what @Vin did, and get some engraving work done by @D'Angelo...



He keeps his concave cutters in a holster. Branches avert their eyes when he walks into the garden...

 

[Forsoothe!]

Pride of Ownership. For people who have more money than...

 

[Potawatomi13]

so when you're talking Jacques-Louis David, Géricault, or Delacroix

WHO?

 

[Potawatomi13]

Plus as clay goes, it all the same, just the finish makes
the difference.

Very strong suspicion some few pot makers would take issue with statement Anthony.

 

[Vance Wood]

It could be the ideal product for those bonsai masters who don't really grow their own bonsai and have other people care for and style their bonsai for them, the right tools for the job.

 

[bonsaidave]

If I had a billion dollars, my cheap tools would be $35k.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Hah! You cheap, low-tech schlumps need to look at today's latest equipment! You know how I hate to brag, but here's my latest attempt to gain an edge on Kumura:

The American Bonsai BS 2GIG, Bonsai Scissors for the Gods of Bonsai! More BS than you can find anywhere on the face of the Earth...

 

[Deleted member 21616]

@Forsoothe! you want an edge on Kimura? then you need to get yourself some of these bad boys! The latest of the latest in hedge pruning technology:



you're living in the past if you're still using the tools preferred by "some japanese gardener"

 

[Forsoothe!]

@Forsoothe! you want an edge on Kimura? then you need to get yourself some of these bad boys! The latest of the latest in hedge pruning technology:

View attachment 227136

you're living in the past if you're still using the tools preferred by "some Japanese gardener"

Actually, my trees must be a great deal smaller than yours....

 

[substratum]

People with lots of money have a different perspective and as a result, behave in interesting ways. I have a multi-millionaire friend (my college roommate), who is a professional colleague in the world of public policy (technically, I'm his client). He routinely spends hundreds of dollars on bottles of wine at dinner. It seems to be part of his persona. I'm not poor, mind you, but I'm far more inclined to purchase a wine that tastes good with the meal... in the under $30 range, LOL! The sommelier is not even going to know who I am if I'm ordering the wine, while my friend will seek an introduction to the sommelier upon entering a high-end establishment. It honestly never occurs to me to ask for the sommelier.

It's the same sort of thing in my mind regarding tools. I enjoy woodworking, and I'll buy a precision tool or blade when I need it, but I don't consider purchasing the most expensive tool simply because of its etherial qualities.

With respect to bonsai tools, I suspect it's safe to surmise that the vast majority of masters of the art of bonsai don't use $35,000 shears, and they produce amazing trees though skill, technique, and patience.

Love the engraved cutters and six-shooter, above!

 

[Deleted member 21616]

He routinely spends hundreds of dollars on bottles of wine at dinner

I get the point you're making, and i agree that some people with more money can be inclined to spend more on things that others might not, and that to them this might be important in a way that others may not find relatable (indeed, they might find it excessive, or even irrational).

But the important distinction here is that people all over the world routinely drink expensive wine. On the other hand, in this video (as I pointed out above) the artist is very obviously referring to a unique, exceptional, and perhaps once-in-a-lifetime special project he was asked to do.

If you really want to compare it to some thing, it's the equivalent of all of us driving ordinary cars, while that 1 person walks into lamborghini and, rather than buy the cars they have available, demands a fully customized car.

This occurs in all domains, including the wine industry. Some people buy mica pots, others buy tokoname, others buy tofukuji. but only a few people are buying tens of thousands of dollars on antiques.

it's important to realize that the artist himself is quite clear (and a lot of people in this thread are overlooking this point) - the bonsai tool craftsman isn't talking Chablis at 500 bucks. he's talking that one time somebody walked in and asked for Musigny at 50k.

 

[rockm]

The point of having a pair of $35k bonsai shears is not to use them, but to have a piece of a tradition, especially one that is disappearing.

I know some folks in the U.S. are paying similar prices on occasion for collectible bonsai pots from famous Japanese potters (who are also dying off). Those folks MAY have the last laugh when those potters die, or their pots become more limited in supply...

None of those high end pots are actually USED and no one really criticizes people that throw around a few grand for a five inch by five in by inch deep piece of stoneware...

 

[Vance Wood]

Expensive tools will not cause you to make show stopping bonsai if all your artistic ability is capable of producing is Captain-Kangaroo bonsai mallsai ripoffs.

 

[Deleted member 21616]

Expensive tools will not cause you to make show stopping bonsai

read what @rockm wrote immediately above

you don't even need to own trees or practice bonsai to respect the tradition, the artist, and to commission a piece of significant value.

 

[substratum]

I watched the video. Didn’t catch that it was perhaps a once in a lifetime commission. I thought he made these with some regularity. That does change the tone and tenor of the conversation.

 

[Deleted member 21616]

I thought he made these with some regularity.

you’re right, there must be nothing more routine and mundane in this man’s life than producing 35k dollar scissors.

 

[Smoke]

My shears, Lowe's $179.99

 

[penumbra]

Plus as clay goes, it all the same, just the finish makes
the difference.

Only someone who does not work with clay could believe this.

 

[penumbra]

Understand your point, yes. Agree with it, absolutely not.
Some frames are quite valuable, and are works of art themselves. At that level, the painting better be special too!

I have a framer friend who has been framing for over 40 years. It is all she has ever done. I had the opportunity to work with her for about 10 years. Framing is an art that frequently out does the painting. She uses this phrase; "Making your shit look as good as it can." Believe me this was often the case. Even now I would rather build a frame than paint. I can crank out a pretty little oil landscape in 20 minutes and sell it right away. There are many considerations involved in the frame and mat. It is more of a challange to me. Custom framing is art. Unfortunately it is, like many other things, a dying art. Welcome to the "Brave New World".

 

[rockm]

Blade making, similar to making shears...yes, there is a publication called "most expensive"
http://most-expensive.com/katana