Lee Valley scythe - what do you think?

I'm musing about getting a decent scythe for heavy grass intermixed with pencil size tree stalks.

I don't want to break the bank but I know that if I buy junk I end up buying twice (i.e., not a deal). There's stuff on Amazon but no way to evaluate its quality.

The only one I can find locally is at Lee Valley Tools. The price is eye-watering ($235 CAD plus tax) but if it's good for 15 years it would be an investment.

What do you guys think of it?

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/garden-care/lawn-care/scythes/10198-traditional-austrian-scythe-set

Literally everything on Amazon is...not great. Even the limited gear that isn't INHERENTLY bad will ship in a completely untuned state and require a lot of setup work to get working right, which is inherently difficult for a beginner. The Lee Valley snath is similarly less than ideal. If trying to go with a Canadian vendor I'd suggest Scytheworks.

Benjamin Bouchard wrote:Literally everything on Amazon is...not great. Even the limited gear that isn't INHERENTLY bad will ship in a completely untuned state and require a lot of setup work to get working right, which is inherently difficult for a beginner. The Lee Valley snath is similarly less than ideal. If trying to go with a Canadian vendor I'd suggest Scytheworks.

Thanks. I'm a sharpening nut so IF the steel was decent I would figure it out.

Unfortunately Scytheworks is not accepting new orders.

I have 2.  We have a love hate relationship.

It's a decent enough scythe at $99 to 120 $10 used (the prices I paied way back when for snathe and blade, i think that was 2010ish).  It's a bit heavy and difficult to adjust to my height.  5foot8in, I'm a bit tall for it.  The handles slip and there is no way to tighten them enough.   The more we use it, the more we tighten it, the more the handles twist and it puts a lot of stress on my arms.  One day, i will drill a hole through the aluminum snathe for each handle.

After a few hours, maybe 10, it becomes obvious the blade needs peening as it won't keep the edge and the blade cracks more easily if it hits a rock.  It would be better to peen before using.

It cuts grass well, especially if there is morning dew.  It cuts long grass better.  Where it shines is nettles, thistles, green blackberry vines (not dry) and other stringy weeds.  Once we get the bite right for the plant, and remember our stance to use our weight,  not our arms for the cutting, it's very effective.   I used mine two days ago to clear a massive area of nettle/thistle that the gas powered tools couldn't handle.  It took no time at all with the scythe.   But the final swoop, I chipped the blade on a rock so now I have no choice but to do proper blade maintenance.



I recently invested in a traditional scythe from https://scytheworks.ca/contact/ and I wish I had done this years ago.  It's about half the weight.  I was able to go in person, so the height was adjusted for me, but it's easy to do at home.  Only downsides are the new sythe is specifically for grass and grain, and the snathe doesn't fit my lee valley blades, so i still use the old scythes for brambles and areas where there are hidden rocks.

I found it best to order from scythworks in the late summer to fall.  Spring and harvest time he seems to be swamped.  

The guy there is awesome and if you can afford to wait, it's worth it!

I found my scythe journal thread that goes into more detail of why I upgraded away from the lee valley scythe.
https://permies.com/t/162096/scythes/terrible-scything#1269961

Alternatively, if you're already an experienced sharpener you can follow the instructions in the Big Book of the Scythe on Scytheworks' website (written by Alexander Vido's late brother, Peter, who was known as "the Scythe Pope") for making a wildwood snath. You may also be able to economically find an American pattern scythe at a local antique shop, though you'll have to put in the elbow grease to get it back to fighting fit. They're my personal preference, and they're no less effective or efficient than the European sort, though they have their differences in maintenance, tuning, and technique.

Lee valley scythe is a beautiful tool.    I bought one in the spring for one of my friends.   I used heavy duty ones in Norway and in Ireland and for a day or 2 in Switzerland over the years and the Lee Valley one is nicer to use.  But for pencil thin wood,  you might be better off going with something else.   It will do Himalayan Blackberrys no problem.  but its a grass scythe really,  if you have wood, I think it would do it, (I have done it on a small scale) but a heavier duty blade is in order if you are going to do it every year. It is the nicest scythe I have used.  You need to buy the scythestone and holder too.   You stick the holder into your belt at the back or side,  with a bit of water in it as lubricant,  and sharpen little and often.  

You can also try this company which is located in Maine.   Custom made.  I have heard good things.  Seems a little backed up.

https://scythesupply.com/

Scythe Supply's snaths are not adjustable and have some ergonomic and durability issues. For a European style snath from a USA source I would suggest One Scythe Revolution. For American pattern snaths (and blades) I am also located in Maine.

Good info, thanks.

Given the current trade environment, shipping anything across the border is a giant, expensive hassle.

I'm going to keep poking around the used equipment market. Or maybe I'll get mad and make my own.

Yeah it seemed fairly clear you wanted to avoid cross-border shipping if possible. If waiting for Scytheworks to reopen orders isn't a possibility that's why I suggested consider reading Peter Vido's Big Book of the Scythe and throwing something together yourself, wildwood style. A section of sufficiently sized steel tubing with a wooden wedge or a U-bolt from the hardware store can be sufficient closure methods if you aren't able to source just a ring from Lee Valley along with the blade. There are many styles of snath, but a single-grip Slavic snath is generally pretty simple to throw together quick and dirty.

We have this exact scythe. We are not experts at all or good at sharpening. The handle is too short for my partner to use also and not as ergonomic as I wish. If I could go back in time, I probably would have bought a better scythe. In the end, if we replace it later, we still lose money. But the lee valley one does work relatively well. I haven't used a different scythe, so can't really compare. But I can tell you it didn't fall apart or break in half, so the quality is not terrible.

We have a tough "lawn" that keeps reverting back to a forest. For a while, we strayed and got a brush cutter. It worked pretty good until we realized we have turtles that live in our lawn - they make these holes and stay there. So we are back to scything after trying 4 other methods of cutting grass.

Where I live, there is an agricultural supply  place called Borden Merchentile  that also has scythes,   probably more heavy duty than Lee Valley.  There might be still the "Austrian Scythe guy" who made custom scythes.   I used scythes for a summer in Norway as actual work, and in Ireland,  a lot to keep the weeds on the side of the road clean.  There are a lot of different types.  Even a one handed "lady's scythe"  that was very lightweight in Norway. I just tried it for a few minutes.   When I was working in the orchard in the Fjord,  the scythe was a little bit heavy with a short blade.  We had the scythe stones and we would sharpen them every 10 to 15 minutes.  My co-worker was a city boy from Holland and he couldn't keep up. But he sure tried!  So yeah,  scything is an acquired skill, and some people will never get it.  And there are lots of types, perhaps you need to go to an agricultural fair and try some to see what works.

Brian White wrote:Where I live, there is an agricultural supply  place called Borden Merchentile  that also has scythes,   probably more heavy duty than Lee Valley.  There might be still the "Austrian Scythe guy" who made custom scythes.   I used scythes for a summer in Norway as actual work, and in Ireland,  a lot to keep the weeds on the side of the road clean.  There are a lot of different types.  Even a one handed "lady's scythe"  that was very lightweight in Norway. I just tried it for a few minutes.   When I was working in the orchard in the Fjord,  the scythe was a little bit heavy with a short blade.  We had the scythe stones and we would sharpen them every 10 to 15 minutes.  My co-worker was a city boy from Holland and he couldn't keep up. But he sure tried!  So yeah,  scything is an acquired skill, and some people will never get it.  And there are lots of types, perhaps you need to go to an agricultural fair and try some to see what works.

I may be incorrect here but my understanding of the OP's question is less "what regional STYLE should I use" and more of a "Here's where I'm located; is there anything reasonably good that's nearby and doesn't have to be shipped in cross-borders." The answer is ultimately that there are limited options at the moment.

If truly desperate the Lee Valley snath should suffice, but I'd probably just skip out on it and DIY something "good enough" to start off and take it from there with a blade and ring/wedge. When just trying to slap something serviceable together you can make something sufficient pretty quickly. There's a good article here that shows how to make a Slavic wrap-around nib which is not only quick and adjustable, but it also eliminates the need for making a mortise and tenon junction for the grip.

https://scytheconnected.blogspot.com/2014/06/russian-wrap-around-grip.html

I don't mind if the thread meanders. It's all valuable insight to a neophyte like me.

I got a lee valley scythe as  a present for a friend and I think it is great. Probably ok for pencil sized brush.  Definitely works well on Himalayan blackberries.   But if you want to do something cheaper and more tough, you might try to search old  heavy scythes on the online markets, craigslist, etc.   Get one in half decent condition and cut 1/3 to 1/2 of the blade off , make a point on it like usual, and  it should be fine for rough cutting.   I had a very heavy scythe in Ireland, and I did that to it,  and the same in Canada,  I had a heavy old scythe,  cut it down to more manageable and it was way easier to use.  This was like the shorter scythes that I used in Norway.  And both of them were easier to use for rough work than when they were long.  I just used the angle grinder to sharpen at the start of the season and a scythe stone the rest of the time.  I tried piening once but didn't get the hang of it.  

Brian White wrote:I got a lee valley scythe as  a present for a friend and I think it is great. Probably ok for pencil sized brush.  Definitely works well on Himalayan blackberries.   But if you want to do something cheaper and more tough, you might try to search old  heavy scythes on the online markets, craigslist, etc.   Get one in half decent condition and cut 1/3 to 1/2 of the blade off , make a point on it like usual, and  it should be fine for rough cutting.   I had a very heavy scythe in Ireland, and I did that to it,  and the same in Canada,  I had a heavy old scythe,  cut it down to more manageable and it was way easier to use.  This was like the shorter scythes that I used in Norway.  And both of them were easier to use for rough work than when they were long.  I just used the angle grinder to sharpen at the start of the season and a scythe stone the rest of the time.  I tried piening once but didn't get the hang of it.  

I would strongly advise against cutting the blade! Just find a bush blade. Short blades exist! No need to destroy a longer blade to make it short when short blades are abundant. Also, an angle grinder is likely to burn your edge, and American pattern blades should not be peened for several reasons. A too-heavy snath can be rendered light with a bit of rasping or spokeshaving and some nib band resizing.

I've posted a written guide on the selection, maintenance, and use of American scythes here:

https://byxcoblog.com/?p=6