Who makes really good files?

I have a half round from Bahco that's in what they call Oberg cut. Works great. I think it's made in Portugal. Bahco itself is owned by Snap-On.
 
I just picked up a US made Nicholson, it chews steel up, nice long little curls of steel. I guess I got lucky, we'll see how long it lasts.
 
Even on the USA-made Nicholsons made within the past couple of years have seemingly had QC problems. Sounds like you got a good one, but I've gotten a couple of files at the same time from the store and had one be good and the other one soft. I have a good local source for good quality vintage files at dirt cheap prices, though, so I pretty much don't buy new ones anymore.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Even on the USA-made Nicholsons made within the past couple of years have seemingly had QC problems. Sounds like you got a good one, but I've gotten a couple of files at the same time from the store and had one be good and the other one soft. I have a good local source for good quality vintage files at dirt cheap prices, though, so I pretty much don't buy new ones anymore.
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Same here. Seems like 1 out of 3 actually have some longevity. They all work good for 6-8 uses, then start wearing down. Just as you said, ive been buying older files from a local flea market, ans doing some rust removal. Theyre just costing me 2 or 3 bucks each, and still have more bite than most new files.
 
Dang man, you're buying pricey ones! Mine are only costing me between $0.40 and $1.50! :D If you ever spot old Nicholson "XF" files buy 'em up. I have several from that line, including some exceptionally fine-cut ones and they're all of phenomenal quality.
 
Lol, yeah man, theyre breaking my piggy bank!! :D Im not looking at mine right now, but I believe ive got a half-dozen or so from that line. With my farm work, doing fencing, and lots of brush clearing, I keep a bunch of Three-Square files on hand all the time. They have proven to be the best choice for field sharpening my axes and my brush knives.
 
Nicholson if made in the USA. F. Dick also makes some really nice files. They have a wide assortment all the way to needle files and diamond files for hardened steel.
 
Gaspumps said:
Nicholson if made in the USA. F. Dick also makes some really nice files. They have a wide assortment all the way to needle files and diamond files for hardened steel.
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Forgot about F. Dick for their files, since that's what they started out doing(?) I believe their files are now Made In Switzerland.
 
This is a pretty good thread about files, but the OP mentioned using a file to reprofile knives, including S30V. I don't think even the best steel file will work efficiently on most knife steels hardened around 60Rc, and especially not high-carbide steels. Basically the knives are almost the same hardness as the file (I am guessing about 64-65 Rc for a good file). Any carbides in the knife steel will be harder than the file. The files work well on mild steel and things like axe bits in the low 50s Rc.

Diamonds or other hard abrasives like silicon carbide are the way to go on hardened knife steels. If its not a high-carbide steel then something like a coarse waterstone will probably be the fastest.
 
Robs

Thanks. I don't think I've got the guts to try a file on S30V...not any more. Just not going to go there. Your view I think is correct. Right now, my project knife which needs a good file (I actually found a small Nicholson in my inventory that is very sharp) is a RC-56 1095 ESEE. The little Nicholson cuts it very well. My big file is terribly dull...don't know where it came from but it cuts poorly.

But no, I am going to reserve diamonds for S30V and the other super steels, of which, I own very little anyway.
 
Yeah--for highly wear-resistant steels you'd be better off with extra coarse diamond stones or somethin'.
 
Recommendation: Best new hand file brand and types for axe and garden tool reprofiling and sharpening?

Any better quality than Grobet or Pferd? Has anyone heard of Weiler files?

Also, same idea for quality rasps. Thanks for any replies.
 
Grobet is probably one of, if not the best. Nicholson has gone to sh!t for the last 3-5 years at least. Weiler is a good brand if it's the same as the one I'm thinking of, but I've never used their files. The newer Nicholson files start sharp but dull much quicker than the old ones used to. I'm a 20-year machinist, so I've used a few. Trying to re-profile a knife with a file is silly, unless the hardness of the knife is low-50'sRc or lower. The file is only going to be 65Rc max, and probably more like 60-62Rc in most cases. If you are really dying to use a file to reprofile your knife, get a diamond file. Most axes and garden implements are easily sharpened/profiled with a file, but should be finished with a stone, IMO.
 
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