hand files atmo -

[e-RICHIE]

what brand are you cats using?

the last three times i bought nicholsons i was very disappointed.
plus, now they are imported from gosh knows where atmo. i just
got another batch of a dozen assorted shapes, and they suck.

anything to add?

[Dave Kirk]

Swiss Gorbet all the way.

dave

[e-RICHIE]

thanks -
is there distribution like MSC handling the line atmo?

[Dazza]

I also saw this downwards dip with Nicholson a year or two ago

Gorbet :thumbs_up:

[e-RICHIE]

jew two guys mean grobet atmo?

[Jonathan]

I got grobets through MSC.

[Dazza]

jew two guys mean grobet atmo?

Yeeeah
thata da one boss

[Zimmermanbicycle]

I was so disapointed with the newer Nicholsons that I went to the oldest old school hardware store in town and bought them out of their old stock files but they wont last forever,I do love my grobet swiss pattern files so I'll try them when my NOS nicholsons are done.
-EZ

[steve garro]

i have seen the same decline. i got some Schmidt files, made in the USA, through United Bicycle Supply. they seem to be just fine & i would {and need to} buy them again. they also have a tapered tip @ the buisness end - not straight the whole way. they make a 14" bastard too - my fave. Steve.

[cement shoes]

Last batch of Nicholsons I bought, all are stamped "Made in Brazil". Previous batch are stamped "Made in USA". Both batches ordered from MSC. I think the offshore ones don't hold an edge as long and I only use mine part-time.

[cicli polito]

i got simonds red tang after being disappointed with the new nicholsons. i am really happy with the cutting edge, but the "mouth" of the cut is a different radius than the nicholsons. it's actually more difficult to miter the bb cluster (for fillet brazed construction) with the simonds.

my next set will be grobets. i am insanely satisfied with their jewler's files and my swiss pattern half rounds (mark 1 and 2)

tangentially: i find myself needing a new file approx. every calendar year for my most used sizes, still coping tubes by hand.

[Tom Kellogg]

a while ago. We had gotten used to the shapes over the decades, but they went south as noted above. We found Warrensville File & Knife, Inc. about a year ago. They sell domestic files and a couple of grades of imports. HUGE variety and range. The "Standard Import Quality" files are about as good (bad) as Nicholsons and the Domestics and especially the "Super Quality Imports" are much better. Some of the Swiss pattern files they sell are truly amazing. Be careful of the shape numbers, they do not necessarily correspond to the shapes of the old Nicholsons. Good luck all.

Oh, Warrensville: 1780 Corporate Dr., Norcross, Ga. 30093-2929 (770)564-0698 warrensvillefile.com

[suspectdevice]

We use red tang'd Simonds here. I file way, way less than some of you guys, but even when I let the highchool interns use them (shudder) they hold their edge pretty well.

[creighton]

I prefer Simonds... and Grobet.. depends on the task.

For me... Nicholson's halo slipped some time ago.

some Grobet but not listed as such... look under swiss patterns http://www.mcmaster.com/#

Simonds.. good life these..

http://www.simonds.cc/

http://bandsawblade.com/SimondsFiles/index.htm

[e-RICHIE]

all of my nicholson files from last week's purchase are being
returned to MSC and i am switching to grobets atmo. thanks
for the feedback huh.

[conorb]

Interesting, from looking at my recently purchased Nicholson files they all say made in the USA so I guess the 'newer' ones haven't made it to my local welding store yet.

I'll keep and eye out - thanks for the head's up.

Conor

[e-RICHIE]

Interesting, from looking at my recently purchased Nicholson files they all say made in the USA so I guess the 'newer' ones haven't made it to my local welding store yet.

I'll keep and eye out - thanks for the head's up.

Conor

my old and skanked made-in-usa files are sharper and more aggressive
than the crap brazil ones that came in last week. keep in mind the old
ones are from years ago. nicholson = bullshit crap atmo.

[creighton]

Also... when filling small file orders, the folks in the McMaster Carr and MSC warehouses will throw loose files into one bag/ box and ship. McMaster Carr is the worst of the two... By the time they arrive at your shop door, having been banged around in a truck and against each other for some time. The files are already half used up due to fractured teeth. Yer not getting yer monies worth. Ask the sales person for the files to be wrapped in packing paper with a layer between each file. To be honest.. this request means NOTHING to the warehouse folks.. They work for the weekend and simply do not care.

However this had nothing to do with the last batch of Nicholsons I ordered a year ago loosing most of their teeth after a few minutes of work. I thought I was doing something wrong.. but no.. the files simply SUCKED!!!

I returned and never used again.

If you need a few of the same type of file, order the box quantity. This means that the files will be sent as packed by the manufacturer and properly rolled and separated with wax packing paper. Simonds do a really good job at this and so does Grobet.

a 'heads up' to you all..

C