Just realized cheap rasps aren't worth the hassle

I was always skeptical about spending $60 on a new rasp when the $15 ones at the farm store seemed fine... but after fighting with a dull cheap one on a draft horse last Tuesday, I finally caved and got a Nicholson. Three shoes later and I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. The way it cuts through hoof wall without all that extra effort is night and day. Has anyone else made a tool upgrade that they put off way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

cole_patel412mo ago

Honestly that's the thing though, it's not just about the money or even the time you waste. It's about how a bad tool changes how you actually work. Like with that cheap rasp you're probably gripping it harder, using more arm movement, and kind of fighting the horse too because you're frustrated. That's where the real cost is, in the wear and tear on your body and the animal. People don't think about that when they're staring at the price tags, but a bad tool makes you work mean instead of working smart.

matthewsullivan3mo ago

Three bucks for a pair of kitchen scissors I bought at the dollar store five years ago is exactly this pattern in my life. I kept sharpening them with a knife steel and getting mad every time they mangled a package. Then I broke down and spent eighteen dollars on a real pair with nice steel and now it's like I have a new superpower every time I open a box or cut up a chicken. It's wild how we'll fight a bad tool for years because the good one costs a little more up front. Makes me wonder what else I'm putting up with that I shouldn't be.

-1