Where do you buy your three corner files??

[john brenton]

Home Depot occasionally has 6" xx-slim and 6" slim, but other than that they got nothin'. Lowe's has absolutely nothing, and I've been to smaller hardware stores and they have nothing either. Back home in Fresno we had "Fresno Ag", which had every kind and size of file imaginable. I can't stand the lack of availability on tools and lumber here...it's driving me nuts..

If you buy them online, who have you found to be the best dealer?

[Peter Pedisich]

My local (to work) Ace hardware has all of them and more - but its in an industrial park.
Maybe Ace hardware online has some.

[David Weaver]

Home Depot occasionally has 6" xx-slim and 6" slim, but other than that they got nothin'. Lowe's has absolutely nothing, and I've been to smaller hardware stores and they have nothing either. Back home in Fresno we had "Fresno Ag", which had every kind and size of file imaginable. I can't stand the lack of availability on tools and lumber here...it's driving me nuts..

If you buy them online, who have you found to be the best dealer?

McMaster carr and Wenzloff are the two places that have them for a good price. The woodworking tool suppliers and saw sharpening specialty places are a bit on the pricey side, especially for the small files. I would imagine that the fact that they sell them individually and have to handle them that way drives up the price.

It's nice to support the WW tool suppliers, but it's senseless to pay a lot more for files to do it because they are not a permanent tool, and they disappear fast restoring saws.

McMaster's small files that I've gotten have been grobet (and swiss origin), and their larger ones nicholson, unknown origin since nicholson doesn't stamp it on the files and they come loose from McM. I'm trying to avoid nicholson because their new files are made in mexico, and because their customer service has ignored repeated emails of mine with questions that they must not want to answer, but it's hard to sometimes to ignore them because their so widely distributed. They are OK for files made in mexico, but they are priced like US made files, and that doesn't agree with my patterns of parting with money.

[Chris Vandiver]

Here you go: http://store.b2bprofessionaltools.co...taper-saw.html

[David Weaver]

Here you go: http://store.b2bprofessionaltools.co...taper-saw.html

Chris - have you gotten any files from those guys? I would guess they're just a drop shipper because the availability stuff is vague, and the last time I went to order from them (on amazon), I got some ungodly shipping quote for a small box of files - $17 or 18 or something.

I'm assuming the files they have are not of swiss origin, but off the top of my head, I can't remember where grobet's second or third world files come from...maybe india, I can't tell from their page. I just checked, and their swiss files are described as "swiss made". They also say they have manufacturing facilities in the US. They have two classes of american pattern files:

* swiss made american pattern (these are excellent files, but hard to find in dozens cheaply)
* american pattern files (haven't used these that I know of, not sure of origin, but hard to believe they would be $30 a dozen US made)

I am cynical about files. I've gotten too many that aren't as good as i expected them to be.

[Chris Vandiver]

David,
As far as I know, Grobet's second line of files are from Portugal. I have used them and they are pretty good.

I have ordered from the site I listed and the shipping was reasonable but it was a fairly large order that I made. b2bprofessionaltools is located in New Jersey(I believe)so you could just go there to avoid shipping costs.

You can also get the Swiss made American pattern Grobets from this vender, just drop them an email for more info.

[David Weaver]

I've had bahco portugal files and they have been good (as far as I can remember), so maybe the blue box grobets might be a good way to save money.

[Mike Davis NC]

I bought some Nicholsons through Amazon.

[Mark Wyatt]

This is probably an error, but you can order a 12 pack of Nicholson files from Amazon.com for $4 right now.

http://www.amazon.com/Nicholson-Tria.../dp/B0002JT40Q

[Jerome Hanby]

I bought a pack of Bosch circular saws from Amazon priced like that once. Turned out to be a single blade. Got to keep the blade and Amazon refunded the purchase...

[lowell holmes]

Lee Valley, Lie Nielsen, and Highland Hardware are three sources.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I've had good luck at a local hardware/tool store that caters more towards tradespeople than weekend warriors, and some of the independently owned hardware stores in the small towns around here that have been open forever often have old stock still kicking around for sale. They still sell yankee drill bits at one place a short bike ride from where I live. The farm and tractor supply places in the area used to be a good bet, but they've mostly got round files for chainsaws now.

[george wilson]

Mark,I just ordered 6 packages of files. It says several places that they are packages of 12. If so,this is a great bargain,but I hope I don't end up sending them back if it is a mistake. Due on July 7. I could report on the files when they come in. Trouble is,they may all be gone by then.

[Larry Williams]

Some time in the last few years Nicholson moved their production of taper files to Mexico. In the process they reduced the quality significantly. The quality of a file depends a lot on the preparation of the blank before the teeth are cut. The current production of Nicholson's Mexico made files are from blanks that are very coarsely ground. The coarse grinding signatures telegraph through the teeth making the files pretty worthless. Here's a photo of a new XXSlim taper file on the left and an older US production file on the right. I don't think you'll have any trouble seeing the problem with the new Nicholson files:
XXSlim.jpg

BTW, I believe that Grobet does have production facilities in the US.

[David Weaver]

I understand that they go overseas for various reasons related to cost.

What I don't understand is why none of these companies are smart enough to look at their products, exactly like that, and take steps to keep them the same.

Well, I understand they don't care. They can tell you they care, but if they cared, they'd get results and fix issues. They don't care. That bothers me.

There is no reason (other than that they don't care enough to do it) that they can't make the same quality of files in mexico as they did in the US.

I don't know who cooper makes files and tooling for, but they lost my attention when they wouldn't give me a simple answer years ago as to whether or not there were still any retail outlets that would be selling US made files.