Vent: That $60 set of farrier rasps I bought online were terrible

I figured I'd save some money and grabbed a pack of three rasps off a discount site for shoeing my own horses. Big mistake. They started clogging up with metal shavings after like the second pass on a hoof, and the teeth just wore down flat within maybe 15 minutes of actual work. I ended up spending another $45 at a local tack shop for a single Nicholson that cut smooth and clean for months. So I lost a solid $60 on those cheap rasps, plus the frustration of having to reschedule two trims while I waited for the replacement. Anyone else run into junk tools from those online surplus sites?

2 comments

2 Comments

thompson.christopher20d agoMost Upvoted

Those discount site rasps are almost always made from a softer steel that just cant handle the density of horse hoof material. I had a buddy that bought a bulk pack of farrier tools from a similar site and they were so bad the metal actually started flaking off into the cut. You really do get what you pay for with rasps because the cheap ones skip the heat treating process that keeps the teeth sharp.

hollym1220d ago

That thing about the metal flaking off is scary, but honestly the bigger issue is those cheap rasps messing with the hoof's natural moisture balance. The softer steel acts like a weird sponge and draws out too much water, making the hoof brittle for like a week after.