kais67•1mo ago

Pro tip: Skip the fancy rasps for cheap ones on hoof work

I kept hearing from other farriers that you gotta spend big on premium rasps like the ones from Nicholson or Hellers to get a good finish. Everyone in my local group swears by them. But after dropping $45 on a top brand, I grabbed a $12 generic rasp from a farm supply store outside Denver just to try it out. Turns out the cheap one cuts just as fast and doesn't clog up as bad on wet hooves. I've been using it for three weeks now and my prep time actually went down. The handle feels a bit rougher, but a wrap of tape fixed that. Anyone else tried going budget on rasps and found it works better for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

amybarnes1mo ago

Man I had basically the same thing happen but with a different tool altogether. Was doing a rescue horse that had been neglected for years, feet were a mess, and my expensive carbide rasp just kept gliding over the hard stuff. Out of frustration I grabbed this beat up old rasp that was in my truck from a garage sale find for like three bucks. That thing tore through the dead sole like butter and actually saved me time. People get too hung up on brand names in this trade, half the time the cheap tools work just fine once you figure out their quirks. The handle on mine was cracked so I wrapped it in hockey tape and now it feels better than the fancy ones.

jesse_craig261mo ago

Took the words right out of my mouth @amybarnes. I had a similar thing with nippers. Bought a cheap set from a flea market for pocket change, they're ugly as sin but cut clean as anything. My fancy ones from the catalog just slip and jam up now. Sometimes the old steel is just better, plain and simple.