Anyone have personal experience with Glaser Hitec CPM 15V or 10V tools?

[Jesse Goodwin]

I have recently gone pro with my turning since the housing crash has totally killed my custom stair business. My research has shown that selling utilitarian is most likely to show success. I also have a few galleries to show artistic pieces which will help to keep turning exciting. I have tons of walnut and have spent the last three weeks rough turning bowls and platters and I have barely put a dent in the walnut supply. It has become painfully clear that my HSS tools need alot of sharpening and I am considering buying some 15V or 10V gouges to save the hassle and time of constantly sharpening. They are quite expensive and I would like to hear from folks that have taken the plunge and purchased them. I sharpen on my Tormek system and I can get the HSS tools extremely sharp but they just don't stay sharp very long when roughing all day long. Are the CPM tools really worth the extra money? Do they really stay sharp 4-8 times longer? I would appreciate hearing others experiences.

Thanks in advance.

[Reed Gray]

I have been using the Thompson (same steel but you can buy just the steel and make your own handles) V10 tools for a couple of years, and they are a step or two above the standard HSS. I haven't tried the V15. I have noticed that walnut, especially if it is green really dulls the tools quickly, much more so than other woods. That includes bandsaw blades. The V10 does keep a working edge a lot longer as in you can do a lot more roughing, but I prefer a freshly sharpened tool for finish cuts.

robo hippy

[Ron Bontz]

I pretty much have a full set of Doug's V10 tools with the exception of scrapers. I chose the V10 over v15 because I would prefer to make my own handles, at this point, costing me much less as well as Doug's good service. I don't turn excessively so they hold up well. The V15 metals are a little more brittle from the research I have done. That being said, I sure wish Doug made a V10 Bedan. In 1/2" and 3/8th". Hint hint. I would love to try a Glaser 1/2" bedan. But I am not sure I would like the handle and the cost...well another story. Best wishes.

[John Keeton]

Jesse, from my understanding both Doug Thompson and Glaser Hitec use the same metal, from the same source to make their 10V and 15V tools. I do not have any Glaser tools, but I do have several of Doug's - as well as some HSS tools. There is a marked difference in the length of time between sharpening. I also have an M42 cobalt steel (I think) gouge from D-Way Tools (Dave Schweitzer) and it is a favorite, as well. It seems to hold an edge as long, or nearly as long, as does the 10V steel. There are several owners of Glaser tools on the creek, and the tools seem to have a good following - though much pricier than other tools.

I would guess you would not be able to rough out walnut all day long with any of the tools unless you re-sharpen - or, work with a dull tool.

[Robert Mitchell (Simi Valley)]

I have both the Thompson and Glaser tools. The Glaser tools are superior if you ask me. Get one in your hands and you will never go back. Worth the added cost if you ask me.

[Jake Helmboldt]

I only have one Thompson (10v) and I'll echo Reed's assessment. It certainly holds an edge in that mid-range longer, so you can rough more than with regualr HSS. But the super fine edge on any tool degrades quickly. But with the CPM metals the decline after that is not as rapid.

Given the same supplier to both Glaser and Thompson it would seem the shape/grind of the tool would be at play if someone finds there is a discernable difference in performance.

[Peter Lamb]

I have four Thompsons and one Glaser and love al lof them. Thompson's are priced lower.

[Richard Allen]

The Glaser tools are terrific. They are good for all aspects of woodturning not just roughing. If roughing without sharpening is your goal then the carbide scrapers like the ones from Easy Wood would seam like a good solution for you.

If to much time is spent sharpening, for roughing, then a change to your sharpening procedure might be in order. Put a dry grinder with a 36 or 40 grit wheel next to your lathe with the grinding height at the same level as your turning height. Then sharpening would be much quicker and that coarse sharpen would last longer than the ultra fine edge you are getting from the tormek. Sharpening, for rough turning, should be a quick process. For finish turning a fine edge can save time with the sandpaper. For roughing the surface condition left by the tool is much less important.

I have Glaser V15 tools. I do not feel you would get more than twice the turning life from the V15 over M2 HSS between sharpening. For me the real benefit is in the finish cuts.

[Bill Neddow]

I agree totally with John Keeton. I do a lot of woodturning. As a production woodturner for more than a decade I have gone through a lot of gouges --- every popular brand made from steels ranging from High Carbon to 15V. I have worn out both Glaser and Thompson 5/8 inch bowl gouges over the years. (I am not going to tell you how many bowls I finish a year -- but I need to maintain an inventory of about 3,500 roughed and drying bowls to keep the business going.) I have been accused of "talking more than turning". I don't think I could talk that much.

All gouges wear out -- but there is a dramatic difference in how quickly the sharp edge disappears and it is related directly to the steel. I now use Thompson and Glaser tools, as well as Dave's D-Way tools. These are my "go to" brands. There is a dramatic difference in the length of time you have a sharp edge on the 10V and M42 steels, compared to M2 High Speed steel. From my experience, you get a minimum of five times more "sharp edge time" with the 10V and M42 compared to high speed steel -- maybe slightly more with the 10V. All three brands are sharpened to exactly the same shape on an 8 inch CBN grinding wheel using a Wolverine jig. I hate dull tools because they slow you down and give a terrible finish. In other words, I am not trying to avoid sharpening by using these quality steels.

The 10V steel used by both Thompson and Glaser comes from the same source. In fact, it is coming from the same batch of steel in many instances because very little 10V steel is made. And both companies use the best of Cryo treatment technology. The only other significant variation is flute shape. Both work extremely well.

There is a slight improvement in "sharp edge time" with the 15V steels. I can see it because I production turn. The average hobbyist is going to really have to pay attention to see the difference.

For me, the choice is based on price.

[David DeCristoforo]

I've never known anyone to take up woodworking in any form simply as an excuse to buy expensive tools. But I have known many for whom woodworking was greatly enhanced by using the best tools. And professionals, regardless of what trade they work in, will rarely use anything but the best they can get. For them, the best tools are not a luxury, they are a necessity and represent part of the "cost of doing business". I spent much of my life as a "professional woodworker" and I never gave a second thought to buying top quality equipment. When I started turning, it was not as a "professional". I was looking for a "creative outlet" and I did not encumber my endeavors with the burden of financial return (not to say that I would not like to see some income from it!)


Like you, I began with whatever tools I could gather together and the tools I bought were modestly priced (I have never felt that "cheap" tools were worth even the ridiculously low price most of them can be had for.) But years of working with top quality tools had spoiled me and I soon began looking at the "good stuff". I already had a few Glaser tools from the 1980's and they were the best ones I had. So when I started buying better tools, I naturally gravitated towards the Glasers. Granted, the Glaser tools cost more. But if you look at the price of any top quality tool that includes a handle, you are pretty much in the same ballpark. Make your own handle…save some dough.


After a while, I had accumulated quite a nice arsenal of Glaser tools, greatly enhanced by the recent acquisition of seven more of them. And I can tell you that I am nothing but happy with them. You will find that the difference between 10V CPM and HHS to be dramatic as far as edge holding ability goes. The difference between 10V and 15V will be less dramatic. In fact, unless you are a production turner who uses his tools all day every day, you will probably not notice a great difference. Glaser is also introducing a "new" steel next year which will, presumably, have even better edge holding abilities. But the bottom line is, if you are working with HHS tools, you will undoubtedly appreciate the advantages of CPM steel.

[Jesse Goodwin]

Thanks everyone for the comments. I will spend with confidence now. I think I will stay with the Tormek because it is very fast and always exactly the same once the initial shape is established. Tools last along time because so little steel is removed to regain a good edge. Walnut does seem to dull tools faster than anything else I have turned, except maybe Manzanita root, which is an exercise in masochism.

[Jesse Goodwin]

Thanks David
I started my stair company with what I could afford at the time but, life sure got better when I could afford top quality tools and the bottom line took a giant leap forward. I started turning the same way and now that I am turning all day, everyday, I see the need for the best tools. I did not start with cheap tools either time because, I learned at a young age that cheap tools are not ever a good buy. I did not even know the CPM tools existed when I bought my first turning tools. I have been misguided by advertising claims in the past so, I learned the hard way, that asking others to share their experience is wise.
Thanks again
Jesse Goodwin

[John Keeton]

Jesse, the price you pay here for input on things like this is the obligation to share pics of your turnings!!:D

[Rick Markham]

I am spoiled. I've been using CPM 10V from the start. All of my gouges are Thompsons. Doug just got my money for a 1 1/4" SRG and handle :) I'm a happy turner.

When I got into this aspect of woodworking, I knew this was something I wanted to pursue seriously (as an artistic outlet) I had wanted to get into woodturning for nearly a decade (I resisted the vortex for a long time.) So I sat down, and weighed all the costs, including the costs of getting "cheap" tools to get started. In the end I knew where I would end up, so I contacted Mr. John Keeton to provide me a list of his "most used, most useful" tools to get started with. I then built my budget around starting with those, (and a lathe.) I knew if I bought things to "just get me by" that they would quickly get replaced with what I REALLY wanted, and that would just waste more money.

I will be ordering some of the D Way tools soon, I've heard nothing but wonderful things about them as well.

I won't lie, I want to try some of Glaser's tools too :)

[Scott Hackler]

I will admit that the Glaser tools look cool, but from a tightwad standpoint I can't see spending extra on them over Thompsons when the steel is exactly the same. Now if I ever win some of Paulo's tools, you can bet I will use them with a big ole smile! I can tell you that there is a giant difference between my HSS Sorby's and the Thompson's I own. The edge stays sharp FOREVER on the 10v Thompson's.

[Jason Park]

I recently purchased a 1/2 10v bowl gouge from Glaser Hitec. The man (Paulo Marin) walk me through every step patiently, kindly and allowed me to purchase a longer handle than what was supplied. I know for a fact that whatever you decide to buy from them you will be pleased. I'm not just talking about the EXCELLENT quailty of the tool.....and it is that. To me, it's a piece of art. I love it. But the way you are treated. Paulo really is a great guy and will do everything in his power to make you happy. There is so much more I could say about my experience but I would be writing all night. IT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY.

[Jesse Goodwin]

I will be posting pictures in the near future. Thanks again, I just found this forum and I am already glad I did.

[Tim Rinehart]

I have recently acquired a nice set of Glaser Hitec tools and have found they hold up very well with regard to keeping a keen edge and the edge dresses well with a touch of a diamond stone. I haven't used all of them yet as I've only recently acquired them, but the weighting of the handle and overall depth of flute on the bowl gouges make them aggressive and yet quite controllable. I like them alot from initial observations.
I have representative tools from D-Way, Thompson and now Glaser.
D-Way : My 1/2" bowl gouge is mounted in a Oneway handle and is my go to 1/2" gouge. This is an oval bowl gouge and holds a crisp edge and is fantastic for shear scraping with a nicely swept edge. I also have a 3/8" spindle gouge that can get in and do the little details, or more aggressive as needed. Biggest difference in the D-way and others, the flute on these tools is really polished. Not sure what effect that has overall but it sharpens well using conventional slow speed grinder. Actually...all of these tools sharpen fine using a slow speed grinder with white AO wheels. I haven't gone the CBM route...yet!
Thompson : The only of his tools I have is the 5/8" V-bowl gouge. This has been my go to rougher and also serves to do some nice shaping with the edge it keeps. No complaints. I know this tool keeps an edge far better than my M2 HSS tools, but haven't really ran the paces between it and the 5/8" Glaser U-bowl gouge. I have this tool mounted in a long Oneway handle and it has completely replaced other M2 HSS 5/8" tools I have.
Glaser Hitec: I have 2 bowl gouges (3/8 and 5/8 in 10V) and have only really run the 5/8" thru much work recently. I started with a block of silver maple, and went from a squarish 6x6x6 block to a final form and was still able to pull fine cuts in a shear scrape mode. My initial impression is that the claims on holding an edge are justified. I also have a scraper/skew but haven't tried them yet, but fit/finish/design is fantastic. I really can't wait to use this 1" heavy scraper, this tool is big and well balanced, and should remove fears of catches even when the tool is overhung a bit.

Here's what I can say, based on owning these tools so far...
Any of the three of these manufacturers won't disappoint you. If you like the overall design and appearance of the Glaser Hitec and it's rich history of helping bring CPM to the turning world, you would be remiss not to hold one and see how well it feels and how well it holds it's edge.
If you have your own handles already, or want to experiment with different grinds alot using one tool...it may make more sense buying a tool that is un-handled and you can't go wrong with either D-Way or Thompson in that regard. That carries some downsides, in that almost all retention systems in un-handled tools can result in some lack of rigidity to the connection, but the impact is typically minimal to most users. Some of the tool connections now using collets may better address that weakness...but I haven't tried or looked at any closely.

[John Keeton]

Biggest difference in the D-way and others, the flute on these tools is really polished. Not sure what effect that has overall but it sharpens well using conventional slow speed grinder.Tim, my impressions are the same as yours - I do think the polished flute makes a difference. It is much like flattening and polishing the back of a chisel or plane iron - it has to make for a cleaner edge.

The deeper flute of the D-Way does make it have a bit less mass, and for that reason, I prefer the Thompson for most of the heavier work.

BTW - you NEED a CBN wheel!

[Joe Landon]

I own and use the Glaser Hitec exclusively. I own and have used tools from most of the other tool manufacturers. None of them perform as well as the Glaser tools. They are the best engineered tools for turning wood that money can buy.

Saying that they are all made from the same raw material, therefore the tools will perform the same is simply a poor analogy. That is like saying that a BMW and a Mazda are made from the same raw materials, therefore they will perform the same. The same analogy will try to convince you that a glass vase mass produced in China has the same value as a Chihuly. After all, they both are made from melted sand. Right?

I challenge everyone to pick up and use a Glaser Hitec tool. Then you will experience for yourself what the ultimate turning experience is all about.

[Scott Hackler]

Joe, I will have to offer a disagreement with your statement. Paulo and Doug get there steel from the SAME place. The only difference in the actual steel is the depths of the flutes and the final grinds. 10v Thompson = 10v Glaser. Now there is something to be said about the attachment to the handles and whether each turner prefers the "feel" of Paulo's handles or whether they prefer a home turned or any other handle that will accept that particular diameter of steel. Now there is a difference in the steel from D-Way and some people really like thier product. Their steel does not come from the same supplier as Glaser and Thompson.

To everyone: I have no personal experience with Paulo's tools, but own several Thompson's. I don't really have a giant leaning either way. I own my Thompsons because I have either won them in various contests or because I was able to walk right up to a booth at the two symposiums and buy one. If Glaser would have had a booth in Waco, I am sure I would have been able to find at least one of Paulo's tools that I wouldn't be able to live without! That being said, I have noticed a pattern of low to no post count fellas showing up randomly in threads or starting thier own threads for the sole purpose of telling us their opinion of how awesome Glaser Hitec's tools are. I am not accusing anyone of anything but it does strike me as strange to see the only posts a few brand new members make......seem like a commercial for a particular brand.

Again, I am not accusing anyone of anything and I am likely a bit more sensitive to this because of past dealings on a different (non turning) forum. I hope that noone is offended by my comments (unless your guiltly of what I meantioned.... of course! :) ).

Ken, John or Steve... if this is out of line, please delete this post and send me a nasty PM.

[Reed Gray]

The only performance difference I have noticed, after extensive use of both, is the shot filled handles. I don't like them, just too much weight. I may be alone in this field. At the Symposium, every one and their many brothers who made handles all had hollow handles with a screw lid/plug so you could add shot. I do have a D Way gouge on the way, along with a CBN hone that Dave is not carrying. I will post on it later after I give it a work out. My old DMT big flat stones barely cut any more after 15 years.

robo hippy

[Bill Wyko]

I have to say, my Glaser15V tools are by far the best tools I've ever used. I also like that they have the ballast in the handle. That in itself has made the difference between blowing a piece to bits and cutting right through what would be a catch. If you compare it to my Crown tools there's absolutely no comparison. I broke 2 crown tools in 1/2 where my glaser went right through the same knot. In addition, Crown kept my tools for weeks and still haven't warrantied the ProPM gouge. There's an old saying "The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the cheap price is forgotten" I feel the Glaser tools are priced very fair for the quality of tool you get and I just don't think you'll find a better quality tool anywhere.

[Joe Landon]

Scott, I do not appreciate being accused of being a fellow who shows up randomly for the sole purpose of telling you my opinion and making a commercial for a certain brand.

The origin of this thread asks "Anyone have personal experience with Glaser Hitec CPM 15V or 10V tools?" I simply replied to the thread because I do indeed have experience with these tools. You are the one who brings another manufacturer into the picture. You are the one who says there is no difference even though you do not own any Glaser tools. You are the one who highjacks the thread even though you have no first hand knowledge of the product which the original question was raised about.

Just because tools start with material from the same supplier does not mean that the tools are the same after they are milled and treated. You keep your Mazda and I'll keep my BMW.

Perhaps some of "us" don't contribute more to your reindeer games because "we" are typically attcked when we have an opinion different than yours.

"Rudolf, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

[David DeCristoforo]

I am reminded of the old joke about Canada having to ban street brawls because every time they had a street brawl, a hockey game would break out...

[David E Keller]

Religion, politics, and turning tools...

[Jim Heikes]

I guess I fall into the same catagory as Joe Landon. I am a relative newcomer to turning and to this forum and do not post that much. I never felt it necessary or mandatory to "gloat" every time I purchased a new tool or purchased a new piece of wood for turning. I find it somewhat confusing that now it appears I must post pictures to offer an opinion on a specific tool that I use and enjoy. I started following this forum to learn from the experienced turners on this forum. My biggest disappointment is that posts with constructive criticism are few and far between. I don't know squat about 10V or 15V metal. I don't know squat about manufacturing gouges. There are two things that I do know however. Firstly I know when a company provides me with high quality customer service. In this respect Paulo Marin is one of the finest representatives that I have ever encountered. Secondly I know that the Glaser tools have become my "go to" tools simply because they "work best" for me. I have very few problems when these tools in my hand.

I've met quite a few wonderful people on this forum and in a short time they have become friends of mine. I just find it very disappointing that it seems that I am not encouraged to offer my personal opinions on subjects that I have some limited knowledge as a novice. With that said I will follow the prescribed etiquette and offer no more opinions on this forum.