Any Pfeil Swiss made chisel users out there?

[Anthony Scott]

Hi. Anyone out there using these (http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/CategoryPage.aspx?id=1002076&&BrandForDisplay=pfeil%20Swiss%20made)bench chisels? Especially if you have used other brands to compare them too.
They got a good review in a bench chisel comparison in Fine Woodworking, but I am a little suspicious of the price.
Lie Nielsen come out on top, but they are twice as much.
Thanks

[Dale Cruea]

I have a boxed set of Pfeil chisels.
The take a very fine edge.
I could never get them to hold that edge when striking with a mallet in any wood.
I use them for paring. You have to use them at 30* or the edge breaks.
Some people here said they have them and like them.
They are OK but I like my LN better.
I should note that I did have sharpening issues when I first bought these chisels.
It may have been how I sharpened them that was the problem and not the chisels.
When you get them sharp they are as sharp as any chisel I have, or sharper.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Hi. Anyone out there using these (http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/CategoryPage.aspx?id=1002076&&BrandForDisplay=pfeil%20Swiss%20made)bench chisels? Especially if you have used other brands to compare them too.
They got a good review in a bench chisel comparison in Fine Woodworking, but I am a little suspicious of the price.
Lie Nielsen come out on top, but they are twice as much.
Thanks

I have this set in particular...

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2000300/22625/pfeil-swiss-made-chisel-boxed-set-6-piece.aspx

I purchased them because I knew that they would be sharp out of the box, and they were. I never used them to bang around on stuff, mostly trimming up dovetails and such.

I also have some Stanley "Junk Chisels", which have a totally different handle and a pretty fragile tip, but they sharpen very easily (thankfully because you have to do it often).

If you intend to do fine detail work (like working into those small dovetails), consider detail chisels from Lee Valley. They are small and thin, so they get into those small spaces. Oh, and they are really sharp out of the box.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=46035&cat=1,41504

I have a set of the Lee Valley PM-V11 bench chisels, and I like them. They seem to hold an edge well and I saw no particular issues in sharpening. I am more used to touching up a chisel that is hollow ground and I have not taken the time put them into a sharpening guide or do anything other than some fast hand tests (so I cannot comment on their total potential), but I am happy with them.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=69847&cat=1,41504

Some people complained that the Lie Nielsen chisels were prone to having the handle fall out. Lie Nielsen recommends using hair spray to keep them in. I have never tried their chisels, but I expect them to be excellent with great resale value.

At the moment, Stanley is on my avoid list (Holding a grudge from non-existent customer service related to a new shoulder plane that I had to repair myself), but I ordered a single Stanley sweet heart chisel (1/8") because I was ordering a bunch of chisels from Lee Valley already (and the Stanley was less than $30). As much as I want to, I can't complain about this chisel.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=67689&cat=1,41504

What is your intended use?

Where do you live?

Nice thing about that set is that you can purchase locally from Woodcraft, and they stand behind their products (so you can return it if you don't like them). You can also handle them in store to see what you think. If you live close by me, stop in and you can cut a half-blind dovetail (or something) with them :D

[Anthony Scott]

Thank for the response. The only reason I was considering the Pfeils is the review from FWW. I have been burnt on an inexpensive set before. I may just go with the LN and know I will have an excellent set. I am going to do dovetails, dados, rabbets, etc

[David Weaver]

You can get any chisels you want, and guaranteed you'll be able to do your work just fine.

I have tried just about everything except the new FWW chisels, either I've had them or friends have had them. A friend has the set of Pfeils andrew mentioned. I thought they felt like carbon steel when they sharpened, they took a great edge easily, but they are probably some sort of chrome vanadium. They seemed to hold up well to the kinds of things you do cabinetmaking (trimming and light chopping to a marking line).

If I were starting all over, I probably would just get the narex chisels. I don't know how much I've spent on chisels all told, but it's a lot. I really like the expensive chisels (a lot), but just like the mounds of sharpening stones I have, they're not really required to work wood.

[James Owen]

I've used the Pfeil chisels for several years, and like them.

Chrome vanadium steel; holds an edge well; easy to sharpen. European hornbeam handles with ferules at both ends; the handles withstand heavy mallet work with no problems or splitting.

I've had no problems with edge retention, and have used them for the normal chopping done while making furniture. They hold an edge well when chopping in pine and dried, old douglas fir, walnut, cherry, red oak, and hard maple. Edge retention is somewhat less in hard, abrasive woods like bubinga and purple heart, but that is to be expected.

My only significant criticism is that the lands on the bevels are a little thick for paring in tights spots like dovetails, without bruising the adjacent wood, but other than that, very nice chisels at a reasonable price.

If you need chisels with thin lands for dovetails, etc., the Henry Taylors are thinner than most, but still a bit thick for some applications. From having used them or seen them in person, I can tell you that the Ashley Iles, Blue Spruce, and LN bench chisels all have very thin lands, and I've read that the new LV powdered metal chisels also have very thin lands. The Ashley Iles and Henry Taylors are comparable in price to the Pfeils. The LNs are moderately expensive, while the Blue Spruce are premium priced tools.

Have fun deciding which new toys to add to your tool inventory!!

[glenn bradley]

I have some carving gouges that are ok for that purpose. Their chisels wouldn't hold an edge even as good as my Marples beaters so they went down the highway. These were newer Pfeils so take that into account.

[Peter Hawser]

Hi Anthony, I have both that set and a set of the Lie Nielsen A2 bench chisels. Previous poster is right, they are a little hard to squeeze in on dovetails due to the side bevel. I really like mine, they stay sharp just fine and I used them mainly for pairing and prefer them over the LN for this. I really like them and am glad I have both. However, this is going to depress you. My set of 6 Pfeil's with the box, just like you showed, only cost me $100. It was about 5 years ago. Sorry! So, at $200... I'm a little torn. If you will only have one set and cut lots of dovetails, it may hurt the waller, but I'd go with the LN just for more versatility and mallet-ability. If the Pfeil were still $100ish, it would be a no brainer. Why not just buy a few LN - maybe 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 to start and add others as you go along. They are sold separately! :-)

Oh, I do have some Narex chisels and there is simply no comparison between them and the Pfeil. The Pfeil are at a higher level of quality on every way.

[Shawn Pixley]

Like Andrew, I have the Pfiel 6 chisel box set. I can get them very sharp and they have done what I want. Like others have said, you may want a few others to get in tight places. I have a very narrow 1/8" chisel and a couple skew chisels as well.

[Rob Young]

I have this set: http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2081076/27384/pfeil-swiss-made-cabinetmakers-bench-chisels-6-piece.aspx received as a thank-you gift.

I like them and mine seem to hold their edge well. Somewhere between 25 and 30 degrees for the cutting edge, done freehand so I don't usually measure.