Sorry for the long wind, in advance. I have both the Schaaf and Narex Classic chisels (NOT Richter) mentioned in some of the above posts. I had already ordered the Narex set from Lee Valley when the Schaaf set was offered at the incredible price of $19.50 for the set of four, so I had to get them as well. Both brands came sorta sharp but needed flattening. Both took an edge well and I don't recall any consistent difference in the amount of work to make them right. I haven't used either enough to comment on edge retention but I assume it will be similar based upon the flattening/honing experience.
Other observations that may or may not be important to a user...
1) Both brands are comparable in overall length.
2) The Narex tools are a bit heavier in each size, with the factor being larger for the wider blades. Comparable in 1/4 inch, 170 vs 200gm for the 1".
3) The Narex tools have a consistent edge bevel of about 1mm over the entire blade length. The Schaff is about 2mm at the tip increasing to about 3mm at the butt.
4) The Schaaf handle is round. The Narex handle is oval and somewhat larger than the Schaaf.
5) The Narex has a metal ring at both the butt and tang end, the Schaaf only at the tang.
6) The general finish is, in my opinion, better on the Narex.
7) To the best of my knowledge the Schaaf is only offered as a set of 4. The Narex are available as sets or individually and in an extended size range as well as skewed profiles.
8) I did have some quality issues with one of the Schaaf tools. They were responsive to replace it.
My Opinion is that the Narex is a better buy at the current pricing. Your milage may vary.
Here are links to each.
Schaaf (Amazon) $42.99 for set of 4
Narex (Lee Valley) $55.50 for set of 4
www.leevalley.com