best wood chisel set under $200?

[scott vroom]

Suggestions appreciated....looking for 6 pc set under $200

[James Taglienti]

But seriously
Lee Valley makes a nice set if you're ok with plastic handles. I personally use the vintage socket chisels, you could put together about 4 unmatched sets for 200 bucks. Lie Nielsen makes some classic looking bench chisels like old stanley's. Narex is i believe a czech brand and they have gotten great reviews, the handles look bulky. it all depends on how many sizes you want in your set...

[John Morrison60]

Just before Christmas I purchesed a set of Narex chisels
that look to be of reasonable quality.
They are certainly better than any I have had previously.

Lee Valley has several sets more expensive than the Narex,
but for my use, I think the ones I got will be terrific.


Good Luck.
John

[Danny Burns]

This might be helpful.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=46317&cat=1,41504

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=43500&cat=1,41504

[scott vroom]

Anyone own "2 cherries" chisels from Germany? They sell for $170 on Amazon and Lee Valley.

Scott

[wayne Jepson]

Try Ashley Isles from Toolsforworkingwood.com I have some. I really like them and they are great value.

[george wilson]

My favorites are Pfiel that Woodcraft sells. I don't know what a set of six costs offhand. the Narex's are also an excellent buy,though I'd make nicer handles. I have a fine Narex universal boring head set for a milling machine. It cost about $2500.00,so don't get the idea that Narex makes cheap stuff!

[Callan Campbell]

Try Traditional Woodworker, they're carrying a German maker as their house brand/private labelled for very reasonable prices. Not sure if it's Hirsh or other, they'd probably tell you if you ask them. Anyway, an 11 piece bench chisel set of true Imperial sized chisels is $199, and comes in a decent wood case. Once I finish honing my set that I bought, I'll let you and anyone else who wants to know, how well they work and how long the edge lasts. Their 6 piece set is $120

[dan sherman]

In the September 2008 issue of FWW Chris Gochnour reviewed a bunch of chisels, he rated the Narex chisels the "best value" for western style chisels, and had this to say about them.


The beech handle, with a hoop and ferrule, is easy to grasp whether chopping with one hand or paring with two. The back of the chrome manganese blade was nice and flat and the edges were beveled sufficiently for excellent dovetailing. The cutting edge held up quite well, and at $6, this is the obvious choice for best value among Western-style chisels.

I have the 5 piece set, and while the backs where pretty flat, they still required some flattening. I'm still a novice when it comes to hand tools, so I might not be the best person to reference, but they are a lot better than my fathers old craftsman set I used to use.

[Dan Forman]

I sure like the Ashley Isles set that Wayne mentioned.

Dan

[lou sansone]

I like pfiel - have several types but like them a lot. the sorby ones with octagonal handles look nice though

lou

[Cliff Holmes]

+1 on the Narex. Although the handles are really crappy-looking.

[george wilson]

The Sorbys may look nice,but I've found Sorby tools to be way too soft. I had to reharden some lathe tools some years ago,to make them retain a decent edge a little better. I don't know what grade of tool steel they are made from.

[Zach England]

Anyone own "2 cherries" chisels from Germany? They sell for $170 on Amazon and Lee Valley.

Scott


I have them. I don't have any complaints except that they are very light weight and don't have the heft I appreciate. They hold an edge fairly well for me, but my chisel use is pretty light. I also have some pfiel chisels and I like the overall feel of those much better, but functionally I'd say they are very comparable.

Before too long I will get some Lie-Nielsen chisels just for comparison.

Check out www.japanwoodworker.com. They have some budget-minded sets that look interesting.

[John Thompson]

I have a set of Ashley Isles and they are indeed great chisels. With that said my main go-to's are a set of Marple's I purchased in 1975 and especially for chopping dove-tail waste which I do often. And... I have used the Narex which I consider excellent for the price also.

I personally think you would be just as well served purchased a budget set as the Narex.. learning to flatten the back and put an edge on them. An expensive chisel is not going to make you an experienced chisel user or craftsman from the git-go.. that requires extensive effort and learning on your part.

Good luck...

[Matt Winterowd]

Try Ashley Isles from Toolsforworkingwood.com I have some. I really like them and they are great value.

Another vote for the Ashley Iles. I've got a set of the Mk II bevel edge chisels and a couple of the American pattern butt chisels. Beautiful tools for a very fair price.

[Paul Canaris]

My Japanese laminated chisels are my go to for most everything I do, they were not a very expensive set when I bought them 18 years ago from Garret Wade. They simply hold an edge that is sharper and stays that way longer than any European style I have owned over the years. Manny’s Woodworking has a six piece set for $85 that I don’t think you could go wrong with. The only time I would go with a European style would be a mortise chisel where I am doing really deep cuts in very hard woods with hard mallet whacks as the Japanese Chisels can be a little more brittle because they run around RC 63 instead of RC 58. And that preference is only because I have yet to try any Japanese style mortise chisels for comparison. I do routinely cut normal depth mortises with my Japanese with no issues.

[Roger Benton]

+3 on the pheil set from woodcraft. set of 6 was around $170 i think.
in the fww story mentioned earlier, they were mentioned as being a close second to the over all winners, which was the LN. that review helped me make up my mind. handles are comfy and the steel holds an edge quite well.