Shinji Suzuki:
I have never seen such a thing come into the contemporary world of bonsai.
Combined with a uniqueness never seen before, and the craftsmanship of Masakuni, something special has been achieved.
A bonsai will Improve and grow over time, but time will fly while you are using ichban!

Roy Nagatoshi:
In the very beginning it took me about a week to really get used to this.
It is so different then what we had before.
Now it actually IS the tool number one.
I always use it and always have it with me.
On some  days I only use this tool.
I work a lot with this, believe me, and it is still amazingly sharp after three weeks.
Normal tools I have to sharpen ever other day.

Isao Omachi:
Compared to a normal pair of bonsai scissors, these are light and comfortable in the hand; you barely have to raise your elbow.
You can multitask with ease, cutting swiftly through branches and wire as you go about your maintenance and creation.
In addition to ichiban's unique design and efficiency, any level of bonsai student can have fun using a pair of ichiban to their own satisfaction.

Walter Pall:
Besides all the properties of Ichiban that have been advertised and  been spoken about I think maybe the most important one has been overseen  so far: A person who has collection or a nursery will walk through the garden at least once a day and often several times a day.
You know what happens: here is a little branch that is dead an should be cut off, here are a few suckers that need to be cut off soon, here is a little  wired branch and the wire should be cut because it starts biting in, here is a thicker branch that needs to come off soon, here are stumps  that are left over from spring and should go.
Well, what happens? Usually nothing, because one needs the right tools  to do the job immediately. Or the bonsaiist goes back to the workshop  and gets the right tool.
Usually he will say 'I do this later'; 'later  'being a synonym of 'never'.
Or he constantly carries four tools with  him which ruin his pockets.
The answer is Ichiban.
It is the perfect tool to walk the nursery and do  the little jobs RIGHT THERE."

John Pitt:
For me, the most outstanding feature of the Ichiban is the ergonomic  design.
I have arthritis in several of my joints and this tool is a joy to use, it fits perfectly in my hand, is very light and after learning how to use it  properly it has really made a difference to the pleasure I get from working with my  bonsai.

Robert Steven:
ICHIBAN is a truly creative bonsai instrument, I call it instrument because it is simply more than a tool.
It seems uneasy to handle in the beginning, but once put it into practice, it works more efficient and effective in different manner...
Although it is not cheap, but it worths in quality and function and you get the payback.
Now I do not need to carry the banch of tools around my bonsai garden to do different works...I simply LOVE it

Bill N. Valavanis:
I have been using Marco's new ICHIBAN bonsai tool made by Masakuni for six months now and have found it to be handy when trimming bonsai.
It is very light weight which is an important factor for professional bonsai artists who use tools for long periods.
My tool has not become dull yet and has held it's razor sharp Masakuni high quality edges.
ICHIBAN is extremely handy for trimming branches from both the top and bottom.
The ergonomic design fits my hand well and it's a pleasure to use.

I especially like the built in wire cutter especially when fine wiring branches and I only use copper wire when shaping my bonsai.

Today I was preparing a large size pine for shaping and needed to thin it out first.
I was only going to thin out the crown because I was busy preparing for a lecture tour.
But, ICHIBAN was so easy and delightful to use that I nearly completed the thinning out process.
The thinning out went quicker than anticipated. Now all I need to do is to find the time to complete the thinning out and wiring.

Carlos Vandervaart:
When Marco told me about ICHIBAN I couldn't wait to get my hands on one, finally once I got one, I noticed right away his weight because it's extremely light and his design was something I never had seen before.
Obviously it took me some time to get used to it, but now I will never let it go!
Because of his design the ICHIBAN gives me the pleasure to work long hours without getting tired.
Being a real multi tools I have the opportunity to work without getting, and most of all searching, for the many different tools I need.
ICHIBAN takes care of everything, either if you work on your tree, in the garden or during a workshop ICHIBAN, is everything you really need.