Opinions on newer Footprint chisels

[John P Lewis]

Hi-

I've been lurking for a while and decided to say hi and ask a question too. What do you guys think of the newer blue handled Footprint chisels?

I bought these 4 at Rockler. I took a chance on them since they are Sheffield steel and were only $30. I have a set of the Narex that I use for paring and wanted to use the Footprints for a bit more heavy-handed work.

Thanks-
John

[Jon Toebbe]

Are they actually made in Britain? If so, they're likely to be worth at least what you paid for them -- especially at $30 for a set of four. If you're planning to make them dedicated choppers, a 30 deg secondary bevel is probably a good idea. Keep us posted on getting them setup and how well they hold an edge. I'm sure a lot of people will be interested in the results.

[Jim Koepke]

John,

Welcome to the Creek, or at least to being out in the open instead of lurking.

Most likely, you will have to tell us how they hold up. On doing a quick search it seems there is very little information here on the Footprint chisels. One of my Mallets is made by Footprint and it is well liked.

Just curious, what part of the world do you call home?

jtk

[Jonathan McCullough]

There's a guy named Chen-Tien who posts here who says the steel is very good. Give them a whirl and tell us what you think.

[john brenton]

I have the six chisel set that I got off CL. I think they are fantastic. The balance in the hand is great, they are light, they hold an edge very well and are a great all purpose chisels. From paring to chopping, the are quite the little work horses.

edit: The factory grind and secondary bevel aren't what you really want, but at least they tried. I just removed their grind and reground in two seconds. The backs were flat as well.

[Prashun Patel]

I have a $30 Marples set for "heavy handed" work. That was a good buy. For rough or one-off work, I think they work fine. And I don't feel guilty for using them to pare off the odd glue line, or to do the initial chopping to I can save my 'nicer' chisels for the delicate work.

[John Sanford]

I have the Footprints that I got about 8-10 years ago, I'm quite happy with them. Mine are slightly different, their plastic is red instead of blue.

[John P Lewis]

Hi guys-

Thanks for all the replies - it's nice knowing these are decent chisels. I'll have to sharpen these and take them for a spin shortly.

Jim-

I live in Newnan, Georgia which is just south of Atlanta.