Kama (Japanese Rice Sickle)

Any advice on where to buy a good quality Kama? I have found them on ebay, but I am looking for more sources.

I am from germany thats why I recommend this shop to you. this shop is really amazing. The have all japanese tools you could possibly imagine, high quality carpentry stuff. Amazing saws and everything.
http://www.fine-tools.com/gartenjj.htm
they ship to all Europe at least. I dont know about the US. You can ask maybe.
The rest of the shop is worth a look too. The knives are just... 

No... send you hard currency to my ecoregion
http://www.smithandspeed.com/page/page/4383413.htm

I usually support http://www.ehardwicks.com/ in Seattle, gods own hardware store... but they are just getting into e-commerce...

I love Hardwicks!  My first stop if I am looking for something of quality, or out of the "norm".  Plus, it is on my way home from Trader Joe's.

i got two of the cheap ones from Amazon, 6 " and 8 ", but the first day I used it (and yes i did like it) i ended up getting a pinched nerve in my hip from the position i was using it in..bummer

Lee Valley carries them <http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/page.aspx?p=62038&cat=2,2300,44822&ap=1>.

Enewell - thats a Weeder and not the Rice Knife or Kama Sickle.
Quite a different tool
Brenda - Try putting a longer handle on one .

Strange - it looks a lot like the kamas I was using in Japan.  Not quite the same, but I thought close enough.  Not, I guess 

On a related note, DO NOT go looking for 'kama' in google image search without a few other search terms 

The blade is very short - for cutting weed roots just below surface.

Thanks for the responses everyone!

Is there a strong range of quality when it comes down to this tool? I typically find that unless you pitch in a pretty penny, the tools don't last as long.

This is why I have been hesitant to order one, as I do not enjoy spending money to replace a tool that can no longer be repaired.

On a complete different note, I just got my scythe today from www.scytheworks.ca!

In Tokyo at the moment, and had a trip to the home improvement store.  Managed to escape the wife and M.I.L. and loose myself in the garden tools section. 

Quite a wide range of kama, from about $5 US up to $35 US.  In fact, I even saw a cheapie at the 100 yen store ($1.20!). 

What are you guys using these for?

I use a medium weight japaese one-handed sickle for cutting mulch crops in the food forest in late spring and early summer before the dry-down begins, particularly where I want to be more selective or don't have room to swing the scythe, or don't want to take the time to go get a different tool.  I also use it to process branches that I take from my green manure trees with soft wood like alder. 

The japanese hand axes are also very nice (and expensive) for processing woodier material in a similar fashion.

I just recently found this website and I love the selection of hand tools. There Kama's are priced from $28-$38 for light, medium, and heavy. Here is an email conversation I had with them:

Hello,
You have a really great website and I love the tools you offer. Your 
kama's seem to be 2-3x the prices of other offering websites. Is this 
because the quality is that much better or is it for a different 
reason? I am an individual on a shoe string budget, but value a high 
quality tool and will pay more if the tool is honestly that much 
stronger.

I highly appreciate your honest answer, and thank you for your time!

Jason

And their reply was:

Hi Jason,
Thanks for your email.  My kama prices are in line and some lower than some
out there on other websites... There are some that they call kama which are
straighter than run around $14-15 but that is not the same product as the
one I sell.  There is also a small sickle that people are calling a kama
which is more for bonsai and runs around $8-10.... Not the same product.
I have sold these kamas for 8 years and have never raised the prices.
I appreciate your question and hope my answer was helpful.

All the best,

Since I was happy with there response, I plan to be ordering a medium kama through them. I will let you all know the quality.

Jen0454 wrote:
Enewell - thats a Weeder and not the Rice Knife or Kama Sickle.
Quite a different tool
Brenda - Try putting a longer handle on one .

The one for weeding has heavier metal in the blade to stand the harder use. It also has a slight tilt to the blade. The rice kama is thinner and straighter.
I have both and use both of them often. I use the weeding one to clear off weeds. It cuts the roots below the surface so it works well on many grass weeds. I use the rice kama to cut greens for my rabbits.

Jason Long wrote:Any advice on where to buy a good quality Kama? I have found them on ebay, but I am looking for more sources.

Just wondering if anyone has any more information on where to buy a good Kama.

Also it seems there are two types of Kamas a weeding type and a chop and drop type. Is this true?

Machetespecialists.com has one of the best selections of agricultural cutting tools anywhere. No Kamas, strictly speaking, but a wide variety of other sickles. This one the Wortools 12", looks closest to the Kama design.

of the two I bought, one has a notch in the handle and one does not, the notch REALLY helps to use it..so go for the notch when you get one..much easier to pull and hold onto than no notch.

I ended up ordering this billhook from DR Power. They call it the "Italian farmer's knife." I'm guessing that this would help me more with the woody stuff I have to deal with than a Kama would.