My Tools

I get a kick by keeping my hobby cost as low as possible. Cost of some tools purchased in 2015 are given as an indicator. You might have to shell out more. Save the bulk of your hobby money for bonsai pots and aeroponic plant cloners, instead of blowing it on tools. 
My advice here is specifically for the apartment dwelling bonsai hobbyist, who has a restriction on the number of plants that can be fit in the house and hence does not need tools that will last 100 yrs.

Hacksaw blade : to cut hardwood branches / roots, bendable. Must have absolutely ! I just use a folded cloth as a handle. I bought 3 blades in 5 months, as they wear out fast. Apartment dwellers don't need more than that. Pruning saws cost 20 times this ! Rs 10 Flat Bottom Tub : very useful for mixing soil, repotting work, drying cocopeat etc. 15 inches base diameter. Must have. Rs 155   Soldering Gun : for melting holes into plastic. Super duper useful ! Wipe & clean the tip on a folded newspaper edge if plastic sticks to it, after you finish a container. Rs 140  Scissor : thin long ones like this are more useful. Already had this. Its a must have.   Small Bamboo Sticks : for compacting & raking soil. Use anything 'sticky' in your home, like an old pen or a painting brush handle or screw driver. But for heaven's sake, don't buy a chopstick just bcos some expert uses it ! Use your common sense, Indians ! And people using 2 chopsticks are really crazy, regardless of experience & awards ! That is as stupid as working on your bonsai soil with fork & knife ! Iron Crowbar : for deeper & easier digs, 3 feet long, chisel end. Optional purchase. Used couple of times only. Rs 250  Big Screw Driver / Rod : for leverage, digging, nudging. Optional. Already had them. Didn't buy exclusively.  Paintbrush / Old Toothbrush : for applying rooting hormone powder. The original powder is partly transferred to another container for regular use, keeping the original uncontaminated. I have lost faith in rooting hormones and stopped using them. You can take mine for free ! Concave Cutter : Spherical knob cutter is on my wish list. Have to order this highly specialized tool online due to its rarity here. Waiting for the right price & time.  Watering Can : Make a small  hole in the cap and a tiny hole on the handle so water can flow out freely. This is so much better than mug & bottle ! Very useful but optional.

2 Sieves : Must have. The coarse sand & pebbles from the 1st sieve is used in my soil mixture. The waste sand from it is filtered again in the 2nd one.The finer rough sand obtained is used as a growing medium for cuttings & newly collected plants to root into. Better than cocopeat. Fine sand & dust is discarded. Buy cheap plastic sieves instead of metal. Rs 99, Rs 7     Garden Scissor : Must have for cutting branches. Get it sharpened after a few months of heavy usage. Rs 120    Iron Digger : compact, portable, less conspicuous in public. But more hard work in digging. Very useful, must have. Rs 100  Swiss Knife : for peeling bark, cutting branch tips etc. Very useful. Already had this. Any small strong knife will do, including kitchen knife.  Scoop : super duper useful ! Why buy when you can easily make it !   Water Spray Bottle : for misting / mild watering / force clean. Must have. Spray helps in reducing leaf & pot temperature instantly & increases local humidity. Already had this. Small Scissor, Forceps, Long Needle & Earbuds : for pest removal & cleaning. Very useful. Already had them, didn't buy exclusively. Plier : for wiring the bonsai. Already had this. Its a must have. Aluminum Wires : can use thread / twine too, to some extent.