I covet some premium chisels

demondeacon

Dave
Senior User
As my skills grow and I am doing more handtool work, I have come to the conclusion that I need to buy a nice set of chisels. My old Buck Brothers which I have had for 30 years just can't keep an edge and I was disappointed with the Shaaf chisels that were promoted on here 4 or 5 months ago. I am done buying any more tools from China.

So, what premium chisels do all you recommend if quality is the primary consideration (which I will define as able to get very sharp and keep an edge), and cost is of lesser importance. A google search and some reading generated this list:
Pfeil
Two Cherries, one instructor is very high on them.
Lee Nielsen
Blue Spruce (seem ridiculously expensive)
Stanley sweethearts
Narex Premium or Richter
Veritas PM

Would love to hear some input from those who have invested in top quality chisels. Thanks.
 

cobraguy

Clay
Corporate Member
Narex Richter gets my recommendation.

Wood by Wright did a pretty in depth test of the steel in most current chisels a year or so ago and the Richters came in with a very high rating. Not the highest, but in the top three. That, and their price point, makes them a no brainer. Made in Czechoslovakia I believe. Search online for his test. You will get access to his spreadsheet and can adjust scores based upon your preferences.

I got some for Christmas. Very nice.
 

Oka

Casey
Corporate Member
I have both the Narex premium and Richter
I also have Maples, Two Cherries, H&W, Stanley Sweetheart, some Japanese ones, Schaff, Old Stanley and Bucks and some Chinese framing beaters. (not ocd about chisels am I ?)
Of all of them, I use the Narex premium probably the most. Given the cost when I got them, they are by far the best value and hold an edge very well. The Richters are a great chisel, but given the add cost, if you want something almost as good for a lot less, get the Narex premium

How you set them up is key, if you want to get some expensive ones already totally prepped and setup perfectly, then that is a different subject altogether.
 

Chris C

Chris
Senior User
I have the original Narex bevel edge chisels.... No complaints. I modified the handles to round so they would fit my hand better.

Apparently the ones Lee Valley sells are ground to a more traditional bevel. I don't know if those sold by other resellers are made the same way. I do know that the ones LV sells are made specifically for them in true imperial sizes so I would not be surprised if they are ground to their specs as well.

Screenshot_20220709-184738.png


Given the price difference I'd consider ordering one just to give it a try.

This article is about the Richter's but it touches on the original Narex.


 

Craptastic

Matt
Corporate Member
I got a set of the Narex about 6 months ago to replace some older Veritas. Well the Veritas are still around but very seldom used now since the Narex are so much nicer.
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
I’ve been using the Stanley chisels sense their release with no real complaints. The rest I use are antique. You have mentioned several others that have great reviews and you probably couldn’t go wrong with any of them. Good luck.
 

jlimey

Jeff
Corporate Member
I haven't personally used all of these, but have commented below on those that I have handled.

I have LN as most of my set, though I bought them when they were a lot cheaper than they are now.
As my skills grow and I am doing more handtool work, I have come to the conclusion that I need to buy a nice set of chisels. My old Buck Brothers which I have had for 30 years just can't keep an edge and I was disappointed with the Shaaf chisels that were promoted on here 4 or 5 months ago. I am done buying any more tools from China.

So, what premium chisels do all you recommend if quality is the primary consideration (which I will define as able to get very sharp and keep an edge), and cost is of lesser importance. A google search and some reading generated this list:
Pfeil
Two Cherries, one instructor is very high on them. - seem to have sides that are a little large to easily get into dovetails
Lee Nielsen - love their balance. Take a good edge and hold it pretty well
Blue Spruce (seem ridiculously expensive) - the best lookers in this bunch. Balance close to LN. Edge and retention similar to LN.
Stanley sweethearts- I had a set and returned them. The grind marks on the backs were more than I felt like dealing with as they are not as well balanced to me as the LN. I bought more LN.
Narex Premium or Richter - very limited use, but they seem to take a keen edge.
Veritas PM - limited exposure, but like the LN balance better. I like the PM-V111 steel better than the LN A-2 in plane irons.

Would love to hear some input from those who have invested in top quality chisels. Thanks.
 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
I ordered a set of these Narex from Infinity tools following some recommendations I read here. I was really impressed with how they hold an edge under some rather heavy pounding. The initial grind and sharpening told me that I had done well. They took longer to sharpen and tune up than the other beater chisels I'd been using. Since I don't do all that much hand work, there may be better profiles for specific work.

1      chisels - 1.jpg
 

Phil S

Phil Soper
Staff member
Corporate Member
Check out the Stubai chisels made on Austria Available from woodworldtx.com
Six piece set for $160 is a good value for great steel
 

demondeacon

Dave
Senior User
Thanks for the input. I guess I will be asking Santa for a set of Narex Richters. Best chisel for the money. Unfortunately, Lee Valley are out of stock until November, which likely means January, but appears Infinity has them in stock.
 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
Over the years my satisfaction with Infinity has been so good that I go to them first. Many of the employees there are hobby woodworkers or were professional woodworkers.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Taytools has them on sale right now. That's where got mine from and love them
++ and then some on the Nerlex cro chisels. I got a half inch as it is the usual go-to, but should get a 1 for clean-up paring. I have old ( real) Marples now. Just as sharp, but don't hold up like the Rictor series. Really, even I can feel the difference. Plus, they are 5 minutes from being ready to use, not 5 hours.

Curious, their mortice chisels have a slight taper. Otherwise I would get a set to replace my marples. Mine, the sides are paralell, but not quite 90 to the bottom so just as Cosman shows, they do tend to twist ever so slightly in a mortice. I may be able to hone them to a even inward taper. He of course sells the IBC set, but at $150 each, not going there!
 

Martin Roper

Martin
Senior User
Wood by Wright did a pretty in depth test of the steel in most current chisels a year or so ago and the Richters came in with a very high rating. Not the highest, but in the top three. That, and their price point, makes them a no brainer. Made in Czechoslovakia I believe. Search online for his test. You will get access to his spreadsheet and can adjust scores based upon your preferences.

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I bought a set of 8 Nooitgedagt chisels off eBay many years ago for about $60 when you could still find good deals on there. I knew nothing about them, but if this chart is anywhere near accurate, it looks like they're in pretty fair company.
 

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