New Stanley 750"s

[Bob Warfield]

Went to The Woodworkers Show in Collinsville, Il. today and noticed the new 750 chisels in the Hydraflow booth. They were advertised as a set of 4 for $89.00 and a set of 8 for $149.00 both with a leather roll. The price was quite a bit lower than I have seen here on the net. I asked the guy in the booth how many sets he had and was told 2 of each is all they had gotten so far. For $149.00 I figured I couldn't go too wrong so I got a set. I know "no picture didn't happen, but you'll have to take my word on it.
Anyway I waited until we got home to open them. Wish I had done it at the show. When I opened the packaging I noticed right away there were 2 of the 1/8" chisels and no 1/4" chisel in the set. Other than that they look to be machined very well. It don't look like it will take much at all to flatten the backs. I would guess they are flattened to the equal of 400 grit paper out of the box. I'll have to get back to you on what it actually takes to get them set up.
I didn't really want to go back to the show tomorrow but guess I will to see if I can get the 1/4" chisel.
Thanks,
Bob Warfield

[Andrew Gibson]

sounds like a good deal.
I just picked up a set of LN chisels at the show here in Tampa. I will be interested in how the 750's hold an edge.
I went with the LN's because my old chisels had steel softer then my pillow.

[Niels Cosman]

OMG they exist in the wild! :)

[Jason S]

Funny was just getting ready to post a new thread and ask about these. I have dutifly collected a complete set of antique 720's and 750's over Ebay. God only knows how much money I spent on those.

I loce them but would love to stare at them. I ran across the Stanley Sweetheart and they look to be nice and quality for a replacement for the 750's.

How is the steel on these? Have many had a chance to evaluate them.

Currently I use a mixture depending on what I am doing from the LV (butt and bench)chisels, Narex (bench, skew, and mortising), Antique Stanleys (hard pressed to use them because of the money spent on them, could have bought a both O-1 and A-2 LN's for the price I have in these, and Marples (bench)for most chisel chores. I find the most use are the marples because I like the balance as they are closest to the Stanleys. I have a "beater set" of home depot Buck Brothers that sharpen well but do not hold and edge worth a crap. BUt at $3.99 each I could care less if my wife scrapes glue off of the driveway with them. Conversly they are the only chisels in my shop to have bit me requireing stiches.

182367

[Scott Flamm]

I'm curious to see how these new Stanleys turn out as well. I am in the market for some chisels and was thinking of getting a set of Pfeils (LN would be great but I need to save some money for other toys, I mean tools). The new Stanley 750s have caught my eye though. Chris Schwarz has a few posts up on his blog over at popular woodworkings site you may be interested in.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/setting-up-the-new-stanley-chisels
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/new-stanley-chisels-a-fix-for-loose-sockets

[Mike Brady]

As far as I can determine, there are just a few places carying these chisels; two that I know of. Only one of them has a web-based catalog. If they don't find more retail distribution, these might become the rearest of all Stanley tools. Move over, #1 bench plane!

[Jonathan McCullough]

As far as I can determine, there are just a few places carying these chisels; two that I know of. Only one of them has a web-based catalog. If they don't find more retail distribution, these might become the rearest of all Stanley tools. Move over, #1 bench plane!

They're available at:

Woodcraft (http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2083093/Stanley-Sweet-Heart-750-Socket-Chisels.aspx)
Highland Hardware (http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/stanley-sweetheart-socket-chisels-pack-8.aspx)
Burns Tools (http://www.burnstools.com/product/Chisels/16_793_6pc_Stanley_Sweetheart_Chisel_Set.html)

Haven't tried them but would be interested to know how they are from someone who's had them for a while.

[Scott Flamm]

I tried out the Pfeils at my local Woodcraft the other day and didn't like how they felt in my hand. So, after reading the initial reviews at FWW and Highland Hardware I ended up placing an order for a set of the new Stanleys. I don't have much to compare them with, but once I recieve them and get them set up, I'll post back with my own thoughts on them.

[Andrew Yang]

I had a look at the set Chris Schwarz was sent for review. A few thoughts. While it was a bit all over the map chisel to chisel, generally there was a fair bit of material removed to flatten the backs. Even if the backs were nominally flat, there would still need to be a fair amount of material removed as they definitely weren't smooth. I'm sure it varies by person, but having spent a serious amount of time flattening the back of a vintage Stanley chisel, I would rather pay the extra premium to reduce the initial setup time. I have at most a dozen hours a week to spend woodworking, and I'd rather not spend the equivalent of two weeks of my hobby time flattening chisels. Aesthetically, the overall finish on them just wasn't as nice as some other bevel edge chisels I've seen.

[Paul Ryan]

I just bought a set of LN chisels, 5 piece. I contemplated the stanleys for a couple of days. I may have bought the 8 piece set if I could have found it for $149. I decided to go with LN because of their great service to me in the past, they have always taken care of me. I bought them from craftsman studio. What great place, super fast shipping. I ordered them on a friday and they showed up on monday, using the free shipping option.

[Scott Flamm]

Under ideal circumstances I would definitely go for the LN chisels. Unfortunately I am in the part of my life where I have more time than money. I admit that I don't look forward to setting up the chisels (or the hand planes I recently bought off of eBay) but from what I have heard once that task is done they are good chisels for the money (I paid about $145 including shipping for the set of 8). Hopefully one day I will have both time and money:D. But from what I hear my odds of winning the lottery are pretty low so I guess I'll just have to settle for one or the other:(.

[Andrew Yang]

I have 3 LN chisels, as per Chris Schwarz's rec. I haven't really felt the need for a complete "set". So it's been a pretty reasonable investment, if you don't count the other $2k worth of LN tools that accompanied the chisels. I am curious about the tools from some of the other makers like Blue Spruce, Czeck, Harold & Saxon, et al. I handled a few of the Czeck chisels, and currently use a Blue Spruce marking knife, so that's where the curiosity stems from. That's probably as far that'll go since I have a few other tools waiting to round out the proverbial tool chest.

[rick bear]

I have Blue Spruce 1" paring chisel - Love it.

- Rick

[Mark L Tucker]

If these chisels are manufactured in the UK how come the only place to buy them online seems to be the US?!

[Andrew Yang]

Just took at look at Blue Spruce. Looks like Dave's stepped out and is making chisels bigger than 1". When I asked him about it last year, he said there were some heat treating issues that needed to be worked out at the larger sizes. I'm tempted to abandon the Stanley 720 I've been rehabbing and just getting his 1 1/2".

[Cory Gilmer]

Andrew,
I'm just wondering where your reference to Schwarz's recommendation for a 3-chisel set is from? I'm in the market for my first set of chisels and want to make a smart decision. Would be lovely to have a full set - but would feel guilty having twice what I need in the chisel dept. only to burn my budget and have to go without other tools I need. I also have a BS marking knife and love it - and love that it's craftsman-made. I've read somewhere that their chisels are a tad flexy - I think this is from a FWW article.
Cory

[Rob Fisher]

Andrew, I'm just wondering where your reference to Schwarz's recommendation for a 3-chisel set is from? I'm in the market for my first set of chisels and want to make a smart decision. Would be lovely to have a full set - but would feel guilty having twice what I need in the chisel dept. only to burn my budget and have to go without other tools I need. I also have a BS marking knife and love it - and love that it's craftsman-made. I've read somewhere that their chisels are a tad flexy - I think this is from a FWW article.CoryI believe the Schwarz's recommendation was on his blog. And if I recall it was along the lines of buy the size of chisels you use. Meaning you probably don't use 3/8" and 1/2" chisels. So get what you use and you can add more later if needed.

[Don Dorn]

I'm really the odd man out. I purchased three LN chisels quite a while back with them being 1/4, 1/2 & 3/4 A2s. They were high quality tools but personally, I didn't find that they held an edge near as well as I expected. Additionally, when I used them for dovetails, I felt a bit of resination while choping, probably due to the socket style. They just didn't bite into the wood. I don't have any problem sharpening so that wasn't the issue.

I found myself far prefereing the inexpensive Japanese chisels I have. They don't have nearly as nice of a beveled edge, but they retain an edge like nothing else, and when choping, I can easily see them sink into the wood. Can't explain it. I have since bought some Narex chisels on the LV deal that flattened quickly and like them a great deal. Frankly though, I suspected I would get "sellers remorse" after shipping the LN chisels to the new owner, but it didn't happen. Therefore, the new Stanleys are not on my list.

That said, my other LN tools have exceeded my expectations and continue to do so.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I believe the Schwarz's recommendation was on his blog. And if I recall it was along the lines of buy the size of chisels you use. Meaning you probably don't use 3/8" and 1/2" chisels. So get what you use and you can add more later if needed.

Makes sense to me - I really only use three or so chisels most of the time when I'm working on a project; one for paring and beveling and general finessing of joints, and a couple sizes for chopping. seems the only reason I need more is because I have a bad tendency to grab another tool instead of sharpen the dull one; I tend to spend a whole lot of Sunday morning sharpening everything from the week before.

I tend to make my tails with the same size opening at the top, so the bottom thickness only ever varies because of using different size stock. It's not concious, I just tend to lay out dovetails by eye. Given the choice, I'd prefer to have multiples of a frequently used size than a broad set.

[Jim Koepke]

Given the choice, I'd prefer to have multiples of a frequently used size than a broad set.

I like and live by this idea.

My problem is one day I may be making a small box and the next I may be making mortice and tenon joints with 2X4s.

Dove tails on a 2X4 chop slowly with a small chisel.

jtk

[Mark Baldwin III]

I'm curious if anyone who said they got some of the Stanley's earlier in this thread have had a chance to set them up and use them. I handled a few at the local store, and I was less than impressed. The balance and the handles were nice, but the machining on the blades reminds me of the Footprint chisels that I already have. They took a lot of work to get into shape. Unless I hear that these Stanley chisels are great tools, I believe I'll reserve my chisel money for LN's or the the new LV's when they come out.

[Mike Holbrook]

I bought one recently while at Highland Hardware/Woodworking. I wanted a wider chisel to supplement the smaller size Ashley Isles I have and to compare the two. I found the new Stanley to be similar, not quite as nice as the AI's. The prices of the two chisels are close as well. For those use to the 750 handles they may feel good, they feel small to me, but I am use to the larger AI handles. As Chris mentions in his Blog, the handles tend to slip out easily. Chris suggests hair spray to hold them in place. There is also a liquid used on furniture joints to swell them a little that I suspect would work as well. I think the two chisels use similar steels. I believe the AI steel is finished a little better. I prefer the AI's so far, but I have not used the Stanley enough yet to give it a fair comparison at real work.

[george wilson]

I saw my first 750's yesterday in the flesh. I had no way of telling if they were good steel,etc.,but they were very neatly and accurately ground. The supervisor of the Col. Wmsbg. millwork shop had bought them. He said they were not much work to flatten. The edges of the Stanleys were nice and crisp,not rounded by buffing. Nicely made chisels,if they will hold an edge well.

[bob blakeborough]

I got to handle one of the new Stanley chisels last weekend when a friend brought a 3/8th one home. I must admit I had it in my head that right from the get go I was going to pick it apart and find reasons not to like it. The machining marks etc on the tool when new were not very pretty, but it was flat and required just a little work to get it ready to work. It did sharpen up very nicely. I used it for chopping and paring on a total of 24 tails and pins for a box I am making out of some SYP recycled from some pallets that we tore apart. Even though I already had it in my head I was going to be disappointed with the new offering from Stanley, I walked away pleasantly surprised! The edge retention was excellent, the balance in hand was good, and it worked that southern yellow pine like nobodies business. If I didn't already have a set of Blue Spruce bench chisels, which I love dearly, I would definitely consider a set of these for myself. That being said, if I was in the market for a new set of chisels, I would probably be waiting with bated breath as to the release of the new Veritas chisels we all keep hearing about. I have no doubt that Rob Lee and company will be coming up with something of only the finest quality...

[Joe Fabbri]

George, Bob, how do you think they compare to the new Narex classic bevel chisels that Lee Valley and Highland now have? It seems the new Stanley are being compared to the Ashley Iles, with AI's being rated slightly better. Would you say that the Stanley's are a step up from the Narex, though? Because the Narex, especially the new ones are getting only great reviews it seems. I'm not sure if it's just because of the price.

I'm glad this thread is getting some more responses. From what I've heard so far, it seems the steel is good quality in the Stanley's, they sharpen quickly and holds an edge. So I'm guessing quality control in terms of machining will be the issue.

[Bob Warfield]

I guess since I started this thread back in February I really should make an update. As stated in my first post there were some packageing issues. I got that all straightened out and found the 2 largest chisels in the set had concave backs. They could be flattened but it was more work than I felt I should need to do on brand new chisels. Stanley did eventually replace them and let me keep the originals.
All but 2 were easilly flattened useing a 1,000 Norton waterstone. The other 2 needed to go down to 180 grit paper but didn't take much time. Maybe 20 - 30 minutes from 180 paper to 8,000 Norton.
All in all I have been quite happy with them. They have held up well useing them in red oak, walnut, and pine. They were set up with 30* bevels and no hollow grind or secondary bevel. I recently purchased a slow speed 8" grinder and Oneway tool rest from Woodcraft. Haven't set it up yet though.
I think the new Stanley 750's are well worth what I paid for them and would recomend them.
Thanks...Bob

[Mark Baldwin III]

It's good to hear that they are decent chisels. I'll consider them when the time comes (unless LV gets there's out first). From what you guys are saying, they are definitely a step up from what I currently have. In the end, I'll probably just buy individual chisels from a couple of different places as they suit me. Thanks for the reviews.

[george wilson]

As I said,I only looked at the 750's,and had no way of testing their steel. But,they looked as nicely ground as any Stanleys made in the old days. They weren't polished,but were very accurately ground and beveled,and very workmanlike in my opinion. I will say that I personally like tang chisels better,but have no practical reason for saying that. I have just never cared for socket chisels myself. Aesthetics is my only reason.

[bob blakeborough]

I have the last generation Narex bench chisels that I had purchased before my Blue Spruce chisels, and I have to say the backs required a fair bit of work to initially flatten, but once completed, they sharpened very well and edge retention is decent. I only got to play with the 3/8th's Stanley as that is all the only one my buddy brought home from work to try, and let's face it... A 3/8's chisel is not that difficult to flatten as there just isn't that much metal to remove, but just from my one afternoon working with it, the Stanley seemed to hold it's edge better, and balance as well as the handles felt much nicer in hand. The Narex chisels are undeniably an amazing value in quality vs money spent, but long term I think the Stanley seems like a slightly better product overall, but again, that is compared to the last generation Narex bench chisels. I have not tried the new Bevel Edge versions to compare...

[Mark Baldwin III]

Ah, the taste of months old threads...but I didn't want to start a new one to add my comment on the new Stanley 750's. Anywho, I bought a 3/8" 750 since my local woodcraft was having a sale. I put a hollow grind on it with my hand cranker (had to finally test that thing out) and flattened the back up. I was surprised that it held the edge at 25 degrees through all of my botching this evening. It pared the end grain of aspen pretty well. My other chisels just roll over at 25 degrees or less. This one held up well, and is still able to take a fine slice. The back isn't perfect, but some 600 grit, followed by 1000 grit on the granite before final flattening on a stone worked out well (Total prep time was about 15 minutes). I think I may add the 1/2" chisel next. BTW, Stanley must have improved on their machining. The early ones at the store weren't as refined as the one I purchased. Even though the edges aren't as delicate as I wanted, putting on the hollow grind allowed better clearance into a corner.

[Bob Warfield]

Glad you like them Mark. I have been very happy with mine.
Bob

[Mike Brady]

The new 750's aren't a bad value when you buy them on sale. I still prefer that same money spent on vintage chisels. The Stanleys are just too light weight for me. I stopped after buying two of them.

As for comparing them to LN or Blue Spruce....come on! Who're you kidding?