Henry Taylor Kryo?

[Art Moore]

Newbie here again. Does anybody have hands-on experience with the Henry Taylor Kryo tools? I see that CSUSA has a set of HT Kryo Pen Turning tools (3/32" Parting Tool, 3/8" Gouge, 1/2" Skew) at what seems to me to be a reasonable price. I've used Cryo-treated drill bits in the past and was very pleased with how they performed compared to regular HSS bits. I'm actually more comfortable using "micro" sized tools since my professional background was in electronics, dealing with tiny objects and my primary turning interest is in pen making and miniature spindle work.


Thanks,

[Reed Gray]

Probably good tools, but I prefer the Thompson or D Way tools. I recently bought 2 parabolic fluted gouges that were standard M2 HSS. After using nothing but D Way and Thompson (M42 HSS, and V 10) for years, I was amazed at how fast the M2 went dull.

robo hippy

[Pat Scott]

I have the Kryo 1/2" skew and also a Kryo 1-1/4" scraper and 5/8" bowl gouge and I like them. My skew is getting kind of short and the tang started hitting the tool rest when sharpening, so I have to remove the handle to sharpen. Put the blade in a vise with the blade pointing up and use a rubber mallet to tap the handle loose. When done, put the blade in the vise with the point down and tap the handle back onto the tang.

If you go by what CS website says, the Kryo edge lasts 3-6 times longer than regular M2.

[Art Moore]

Thanks, guys. I've flip-flopped back and forth over 'buy once vs start small' and have decided that I'm still so green that I don't even know what I don't know at this point. So, I've ordered a small set of Benjamins Best M2 HSS tools to start out with. At the same time, I found a set of BB Carbide tools marked down to 45 dollars through Amazon Warehouse Sales (damaged packaging) and have ordered those as well for comparison with HSS. When I gain some experience then it'll be time to pony up for a higher grade of tools.