Tool quality comparison

[Craig Powers]

How does the Two Cherries brand compare in quality to Pfeil, Ashley Iles etc.?

[Mark Yundt]

Surprised there hasn't been a flurry of responses as a question like this usually generates quite a few on some sites. I'll stir the pot a bit and say that most of the big name tools are of similar quality. They're all good and many fine carvings have been made with them.
I tend to think it comes down to personal preferences. On an elementary level it's sort of a Ford vs. Chevy thing. Both are good cars, some just prefer one over another.
For my two cents,, I ( and all the other full time carvers I know ) use Pfeil .
And,, if you're still looking around and asking advice, some might say one tool is better for hard woods, or "big" jobs, or smaller jobs, mallet work, or any number of other reasons they can think up. I never bought into this line of thinking.
Again , just my own opinion.

[Jonathan McCullough]

Have you tried Dastra tools? I think I like the steel a little better than the Pfeils, and the ones I have seem to be just a tad bit longer/thicker handled than the Pfeils. Not to take anything away from them, the ones I have are excellent. But I just fiddle and don't do it for a living. The O-1 that Ashley Iles uses is very nice too.

[Mark Yundt]

As a general question, not sure if it was directed at me or Craig, I can give my personal response. I do not like actually feeling a chisel in my hand. I don't like tools with "heft" , thick shanks, etc. and I don't like using , especially for any length of time, a chisel with a shape that almost forces you to hold it a specific way. Pulling or pushing I love the shape of the Pfeils as it is so versatile even going from a mallet holding position to holding the chisel like a pencil, or even just cradled between your thumb and forefinger or pulling a cut towards you.. It just offers so many more possibilities. Heavier chisels with a bulky handle have a clumsy feel to them. Some like that feel as if it can really take a beating and do a lot of work. One is like driving a sports car, the other driving a tank. Might be fine if you're making mortise and tenons for a log cabin,, but that's not my idea of carving.

Also I like lighter chisels. Not that I don't have the strength to hold 'em, It's just that I like the tool to almost disappear in my hand as if it's an extension of one of my fingers.
Being that a tool may not be as heavy,meaning thinner steel , doesn't mean you can wail on the thing with a mallet through any type of wood. Carving everything from Oak, Maple, Cherry etc. to bass... I've had most of mine for over 20 yrs and their still going strong. At times I'm stressing the tool to the point of having it flex and the next moment I'm taking a delicate light cut.
Just my preferences to suit my needs and style of carving.

[Jonathan McCullough]

Different strokes for different folks I guess. The Dastras aren't anything like firmer gouges. The uh, drop forgings I guess you'd call them, seem to be about the same thickness or gauge of steel as the corresponding Pfeil gouges, but in comparison the length seems to be a little longer both in the steel and in the handle, sort of like the difference between a butt chisel and a paring chisel. The handles seem just a little bit thicker too; although my paws aren't huge they do get "crabby" after holding a tool for a while and the bigger handles help. Could merely be my perception though. I picked some up because they were on sale at my local Woodcraft and would have to say I probably prefer them. They are expensive and the distribution appears to be somewhat limited. My conjecture is that anyone would be well served by them, the Pfeils, or Ashley Iles carving tools. Many people use and like Stubai carving tools but I don't have personal experience with those.

[Mark Yundt]

Yup,, different strokes,,,,,,

[Mark Yundt]

Just a follow up as well, I've had experience with many of the others, had carvers in my studio with them. Ironic that I, nor them could reproduce some cuts on my work with their chisels. Granted my chisels aren't prepped as 'out of the box" as i tailor my tools to my preference. I treat them as if they are blanks and modify them to my needs and desires.

Had I had my way with their tools I might have been able to make them work to some extent. But for my tastes,, I didn't care for them.
My guests were surprised to use my personal tools and do things they never considered doing before, even on my own carvings that I was currently working on. They couldn't get their own tools to make the same cuts.
Even after that, considering what they could ,,,,and COULDN'T do,, they still thought their tools were just fine.
As much as I like Pfiels,, they're just a starting point. I consider them blanks. But a better blank than any other tool I've come across. I keep nothing as it comes from the factory where many try desperately ,, or religiously keep their tools as they came from the factory.
That's another story and conversation I've gotten into.

Ultimately, and not to be rude,, but when guests come into my studio and sing the praises of a particular tool, ,,and claim theirs are superior to some other,,,, the great steel they're made from,,,the quality of their construction,,the handles ,, etc. etc..just show me the carvings you can produce with that tool. Excuses are like bellybuttons,, everyone has them but carvings never lie.

[Jonathan McCullough]

Ultimately, and not to be rude,, but when guests come into my studio and sing the praises of a particular tool, ,,and claim theirs are superior to some other,,,, the great steel they're made from,,,the quality of their construction,,the handles ,, etc. etc..just show me the carvings you can produce with that tool. Excuses are like bellybuttons,, everyone has them but carvings never lie.

That's nice.

[Joel Ficke]

Well said Mark. Pfiels are great and we should let our work do the talking!

[Mark Yundt]

Thanks Joel,
Yup, Pfeils certainly are. Although I'm willing to bet there are carvers somewhere out there using other tools that will put me under the table! I'm no be all end all carver but for what I need to do and how I like to do it and what I happen to look for in a tool, these fit the bill better than most I've tried. I do have tools other than Pfeils but they are antiques in shapes that can't be found today. Very old Addisons etc. But as far as new tools go to round out the collection I personally have one choice.
Just a random observation, but they ( Pfeils) seem to be the equivalent of Snap-On tools to mechanics.
Yeah, there are Mac, Sears, Kobalt etc.and other tools, but what will most mechanics lean towards and agree upon?,,,

Same thing happens with the other woodshops I visit, the same tools keep showing up.