I'm new to bonsai. I have almost taken the dive in many times over the years, and now and again have purchased and grown some mass-produced half-hearted bonsai facsimiles.

I've always been fascinated by the real thing though, and am ready to move beyond the cheap garden center versions.

I've been doing a lot of reading, and am beginning some serious air-layering on my many Japanese Maples, as well as beginning some initial pruning and training of some shrubs here and there in my yard, which I intend to let grow for some time yet.

All that to say...in the meantime, I am poring over the nursey aisles in search of suitable starter material. So far I've purchased a juniper, a Korean Hornbeam, an azalea, and a Pieris Japonica "Variegata". All but the hornbeam were under $10 and will allow me to practice my pruning and wiring technique. These are my "impatient" bonsai and I want to make them work now, even if they become little trees.

While doing the initial clipping to open up the structures of these plants so I can see where even to begin, I discovered I am going to need to do some serious cleanup of both existing and future major branch cuts.

My question is this:

After reading several books telling me I need a knob cutter, an angled cutter, a concave branch cutter (a flat concave and a full concave--and according to one book there's supposesdly a "hybrid"), and a root cutter, I've checked pricing. I just can't make a huge investment at this time.

Given that I never really expect my trees to be award winners, I want to know--if you could purchase only one of the above tools, which would you get?

The 4 different books I've read all give these different names, and sometimes I think what is called one thing in one book is the same tool called something else in another book. Clarification would really help. With the limited knowledge I have, I'm thinking a straight branch cutter (not the concave) might serve multiple purposes for me.

I know the curved cutter createds a cleaner wound that heals better, but I read somewhere the other day (but only in one place that I now can't find) that azaleas do not respond well to the deep cuts a concave cutter makes. Does anyone know about this?

In any case, I'd like to purchase the appropriate tool as soon as possible while it's still early spring and I can see the branch structures best and also have a long seasong for the trees to grow and heal.

Which tool should I get?

Thank you in advance for all your help.

Greg in Portland

Ron