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lowell holmes
05-11-2015, 9:21 AM
They are available on Amazon.

Are they good?

Thks.

Ron Bontz
05-11-2015, 5:54 PM
Hi Lowell. This is a loaded subject.
1) the Swiss made needle files are excellent as usual
2) If they are the "Made in India" files, they are crap. Period You are better off buying Bacho or Pferd. Bacho, I think, has the edge.
3) If they are the "Made in Italy" files, they seem to be pretty good, ( so far ) I have some myself.
According to a rep. I chatted with, Grobet has very few files left on the shelf that are made by the Swiss. There are still a few 7xx available but at a cost of about $120.00 a box of 12, which is expensive, but really not that bad when you consider the quality of the swiss made compared to the others. The Italian made files are about half the cost. Check B2Bprofessional.com for them.
Bottom line: Avoid buying files from any source unless you can verify where they are coming from. If you only need one or two at a time. You might just contact Lie Nielsen, Lee Valley, or perhaps Issac at Blackburn Tools. Seems like he was selling some these days as well. I do not stock them at this point. Good luck.

Rob Lee
05-11-2015, 6:16 PM
Hi Lowell -

I'll second Ron's comments. We are in the process of re-sourcing files, as Grobet is now sourcing from many countries - we've seen India, Mexico, and Italy so far...

It's a shame - but quality files for sharpening handsaws are likely on the tool endangered list now....

Cheers -

Rob

lowell holmes
05-11-2015, 6:36 PM
Thanks guys for the response. I appreciate it

george wilson
05-11-2015, 8:36 PM
Rob,PLEASE do not buy the Mexican Nicholsons. I have a dozen,and they are soft as butter!!!!

Steve Voigt
05-11-2015, 8:47 PM
Hi Lowell -

I'll second Ron's comments. We are in the process of re-sourcing files, as Grobet is now sourcing from many countries - we've seen India, Mexico, and Italy so far...

It's a shame - but quality files for sharpening handsaws are likely on the tool endangered list now....

Cheers -

Rob

Rob, I'm glad to hear you are looking at resourcing. The last round of Grobets I bought were very inconsistent, not that different from the Nicholsons. It's a bit discouraging.

It seems like what Ron says, that Bahcos are tops and pferd a close second, is the consensus among the pro filers these days. It would be great if you guys started carrying one of those brands--might even send a message to these companies that there's an upside to taking quality seriously.

Tony Zaffuto
05-12-2015, 5:10 AM
Rob,PLEASE do not buy the Mexican Nicholsons. I have a dozen,and they are soft as butter!!!!

This past Sunday evening I took a Lowes purchased Nicholson (imported) to a no-name rip saw. I honestly don't think the file was as hard as the saw steel.

Dimitrije Stamenkovic
05-12-2015, 10:24 AM
While living in Italy I could commonly find Italian Stella Bianca (White Star) files and rasps and also the Spanish Bellota at very reasonable prices. Both are good old brands that make solid tools but I don't know if they are available in the US.

Nicholas Lawrence
05-12-2015, 8:47 PM
I saw a post by Paul Sellers indicating the Nicholson files were not very good, and recommending the Grobets (which I gather have gone downhill as well). He mentioned he has had good results from Stanley files. I see Amazon has them for much less then the Bahco files. Has anyone tried the Stanleys?

Ron Bontz
05-12-2015, 9:45 PM
I will be carrying them at some point soon, I hope. Trying to make space in my little shop. But I was also looking closer at the various makers. I had planned on hunting down as many swiss made needle, 6xx, and 7xx as I could afford. But time and resources got the better of me. Those little dollar bills caught a gust of wind and blew out the door. Anyway, If you use 7xx much or have a friend that will split a box., I would definitely buy a box of the swiss made while you still can. Providing they are not already gone. Good luck.

Stewie Simpson
05-13-2015, 12:28 AM
Hi Ron. I still have a full box of 12 (3 Square Needle Files/180 mm x Cut #3) Glardon Vallorbe, Swiss Made (Blue Box with yellow sticker on top). Rang my supplier today and was informed they still stock the same Swiss Made. I have ordered another box of 12. The price has certainly increased from the last time I ordered. Au$172.00 (after the 10% discount). Will send you a pm when I find out more details.

Stewie;

Ron Bontz
05-13-2015, 1:08 AM
"it's a shame - but quality files for sharpening handsaws are likely on the tool endangered list now...."

Indeed. :(

Stewie Simpson
05-13-2015, 2:14 AM
My decision to purchase full boxes of NOS Nicholson USA Taper Files a few years ago was a sound investment.

Tony Zaffuto
05-13-2015, 5:08 AM
Has anyone here ever tried using reconditioned files? Used to be a file reconditioning service n California (Boggs, I believe was the name). Maybe 6 - 8 years ago, I bought many old flea market files & rasps, in a various state of disrepair and sent them to "Boggs". For around a buck a piece, they came back better than new. All were sharpened, in some sort of acidic slurry, inspected, and those files that were deemed no good (due to damage or previous wear) had the tangs painted red so the sender would know, with no charge for them (still far better than what was sent).

Dan Duperron
05-13-2015, 6:03 AM
boggstool.com is the one Tony is thinking of. I used them to sharpen a drawer full of old American files and rasps last year and am very happy with the results. However I am not a saw maker, you guys are probably pickier / have more precision requirements. Given your stories about the scarcity and prices of good new saw files though it may be worth someone giving Boggs a try and reporting back.

Tom M King
05-13-2015, 7:51 AM
The sharpening services do work a couple of times if the corners aren't already gone. If the corners are smooth, there's no way acid will bring them back. Learning to use the majority of the length of file helps a lot. I've seen too many videos where the sharpener uses an inch or two.