Just got this in on saturday. $20 on ebay with free shipping. Cheap and works perfectly, the design and construction is suprisingly good also.  At this price i may buy a couple for backups/blades. It says that it cuts up to 1/2" scion but will really fit up to about 5/8". If your hand is not so steady at grafting this is the way to go, the graft union on the middle blade is super tight.  I expect 90% success with this. 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/400488517784?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

How long did it,take,to come in. I am ordering right now.

I got the same thing as a christmas gift, mine only came with 3 U blades. I havent used it much yet. Keep us updated on how it works for you justin.

I've had one for years. Did hundreds of grafts. Worthless, they don't take or break at graft. Someone can have mine for shipping.

Hershell, I purchased a nice grafting knife last year and a set of sharpening stones.  I researched how to sharpen the knife and read a lot about grafting and watched youtube videos but none of my grafts so far have taken. I'm usually pretty good at doing things with my hands and I think it would help to get 1-on-1, in person instruction from someone who knows what they are doing.  But lacking that, I was really thinking that one of these omega-grafting knives might be the answer, at least on the short term.  I'm wondering why this tool is not working for you.  Does anyone else have experience with one of these and can also weigh in?  Justin, you say you expect 90% success with this grafting tool.  Is that based on others that you have used or seen others use?

In my openion the omega bruses the cambium and keeps it from bonding. Most grafters use a sharp knife. Mine will shave but some just use a box cutter but we try not to damage the cambium. In 4 flap the bark is pulled back but mot smashed. I would be willing to help anyone in any way but it it easer when you can work together. I should have made a video. Bobby, I will PM you tonight

I just learned the whip and tongue method last night. Very easy to do. They had a grafting tool there also and tried that also. The whip and tongue was a much stronger graft IMO. Save your money and get a knife for 10 to 15 dollars. But what the hay, I'm just a newbie.

___________________
Rick Lakewood WA Zone 8

Hershell i do the whip and tongue on most types except figs.
what do you do on fig trees and what is your success rate on figs?
i am at 100% on plums apples pears peach trees, just not very happy on my fig success rate.
can you give me your opinion on the best graft type for figs?
ps i dont like bud grafting... (i am not good at it)
thanks

Honestly. I have no fig grafting experience. We do mostly whip and toung. 100 percent, I can't compete with that. An average is about 75 percent but I'm doing several per minute. Some varietys are much better and vice versa. Some years are better. Two years ago the farm average was 30 percent. No clue why other than cold and overcast for weeks. We only get paid in full for the ones that live but you still have to keep up the volume.

Can't you sharpen the blade on the omega tool to avoid crushing the cambium?

I bought it will try all blades on same mother tree with same plant material. I wonder how long it takes to see graft success!

I was using it on citrus. I have found that they Claus together fast really fast so I figured it would work. Was I ever wrong, I never did get one to live very long. I have met other people that had them and none had success. I do wish y'all luck. In theory it looks really good.
Bob. You probably could sharpen the blade with a round file but it would be difficult. And it is pretty sharp to start with.

Hershell i dint put citrus in the 100% list because in greece they do bud grafting n citrus and i am very bad at it.
you are doing several per minute... i need severral minutes per graft. lol
you graft and make a living from it, i graft my plants and some for friends.
you are like a grafting guru... i play with sticks.

I'm a sucker for gadgets and have two of these, for some reason.  I think I used one of them a couple of times and got one graft that survived, I think.  I'm with Hershell on this one.  I don't work for speed....I graft for myself and want every single graft to make it.  When I made about 1,500 grafts in my chestnut orchard in 2007 that took 2-3 weeks with 2 guys helping me but that was top-working some big trees and I was sometimes climbing like a monkey 15' in the air.  I think I had about 5 grafts that didn't make it.  Hershell has a lower percentage but he does them 10 times faster.  His failed grafts just cost him a little bit of lost income and some humility but mine would cost me some significant farm income.  I use a Tina knife and it stays sharp enough for me (I have 3 so I always have a sharp back-up).  Hershell says they don't stay sharp enough for him at his fast pace and makes his own and some day I want to try one of his. :)

Thanks Harvey, for explaining my thoughts. I ramble too much. If anyone wants to post picks that I sent them it's fine by me. I haven't mastered that yet on this forum.

I grafted 3 branches on my fig using the same principles as this tool. I think it might not be the graft as much as the length of the cutting for that method. The longer the stem, the quicker it dried out. The one that took was only about 2 inches and completely covered in wax. I'm new to grafting though, so I might just be talking out of my ars. I'll still probably get it this spring for messing with other fruit trees. Thanks for the post.

Hershell. I figured out how to do a pic. Its a pain. You take pic then you hit edi . Then you hit resize then make it 50% smaller then you expand your message then you hit image. I know its alot. Lol

Troy, have you tried covering the longer grafts completely to see if that would help them survive?

I just did four grafts on one tree. Covered them all in bees wax and thin layer of grafting tape. This is my first graftS. I am no expert at all just didnt want to put a bag over them because the sun will cook them were i live.

Have you guys considered there may be a difference in blade sharpness amongst different tools? Mine is quite sharp. I'm quite a successful grafter using box cutters, grafting knifes and parafilm. I will let everyone know my results this spring.I don't really see how these could fail unless duller blades are crushing the cambium.

There was a video on the forum a few weeks ago that showed how a large French nursery propagates from grape cuttings.  Their grafts were all done with a bench-top tool (like the one described in post #1 except permanently affixed to the bench) that used the omega type graft.  Apparently their blades are super sharp or grapes are not very sensitive to cambium damage - perhaps fig cambium is not very sensitive either?

Rewton. I was going to bring this video up too couldn't remember if it was figs etc. Looks like same method. But with i bigger fast pace assembly line. Cutting probably plays a big role in this grafting too . I bought this

I started a grafting thread on ourfigs. I can post pics there.

Thanks hershell. Going to,check it out

Justin and others - any word yet on how this grafting tool is working for you with figs?  I went to a grafting workshop in Lancaster, PA yesterday and one of the organizers had one of these omega grafting tools.  He said it has worked great for him with apple grafting.  He said he did about 100 grafts with the same blade and it is still sharp.  Sorry - I forgot to note the brand of the tool but could find out.  It seems like if it would works well for apple grafting it would work well with figs with the limitation that only a certain range of scion/rootstock diameters will be accommodated by the tool.