How do you guys get Aldi chisels to hold up?

[steven c newman]

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Chopping dovetails in Maple?
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Or, maybe...
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Chopping pins, in Hard Maple..
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Doing half-blind dovetails in Ash?
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Chopping mortises in Walnut wasn't too hard to do...

[kent wardecke]

Well it's Father's day and i haven't been able to find the Aldi chisels .When do they usually go on sale? The curiosity is killing me

[steven c newman]

Fathers' Day is the 17th.....try on about the Wednesday before....

Come on up here Saturday, and try a few of them out....

[John C Cox]

My opinion is that the "Chrome Vanadium" is a marketing statement - not a metallurgy statement.... These are super cheap tools - which generally means they are made out what they can get - not expensive, carefully formulated proprietary alloy..

Almost all modern recycled steel contains some Chrome and Vanadium - and so this could legally be stated about almost any modern steel made of recycled material.... Because it all has some amount of Cr and V in it.....

[Pete Taran]

My opinion is that the "Chrome Vanadium" is a marketing statement - not a metallurgy statement....

Call me old fashioned, but my opinion is that the steel is what it says it is. In absence of any sort of real metallurgical analysis, maybe that is the best bet...

[Jim Koepke]

I find my Aldi chisels are great for carpentry. I can use them without concern for prying up and wedging apart boards. I don't need to worry about hitting a stray nail. I can shave a little off a 2x4 to improve a fit or make a notch as long as I don't hit a knot. They work fine when used in this manner and were a great value. The smaller size works good for opening painr cans also. The handles don't like being struck with a hammer though, thats too much for them. The edge holds up pretty well for this type of use. Glad i bought them.

If they are doing the job you assign to them, what more could a person ask?

jtk

[steven c newman]

Like to see him do that, with them L-N Chisels......PVM11 Paint can opener....LOL.

[Warren West]

Different people report getting very different results.. Some like Steven and Paul Sellers report getting very good performance, and some people report poor performance like me... I have to assume that probably means some are made of decent steel and some are not... I ran into the same thing with Harbor Freight chisels - where some seemed pretty decent and others horrible.

I am tired of spinning the wheel on these.... Time to spin the wheel on old cast steel chisels instead. ..

I agree that there is inconsistency. Usually the case with the lowest cost tools of any sort. If you want new, reasonably priced quality tools you could do worse than these Stubai http://www.diefenbacher.com/Chiselink.htm (scroll down)

The problem with buying old tools is some are duds and there is no way to tell until you try them. The good part for the buyer cum seller is that no one else can tell either and back they go on ebay. Churn churn churn. Something to consider.

[Jim Koepke]

The problem with buying old tools is some are duds and there is no way to tell until you try them. The good part for the buyer cum seller is that no one else can tell either and back they go on ebay. Churn churn churn. Something to consider.

With a good eye one can reduce the number of duds that come your way. Over my time of buying there were some practices of particular sellers which caused me to not bid on their offerings. Many of my chisels were found simply by keeping my eyes open and stopping when possible at estate, yard, garage sales and even various businesses that might carry used tools. Talk to people about what you are trying to find. Be careful with this. One of my neighbors heard of my interest in old planes and brought one home for me from an auction. It was a type 17 #5. It only cost me $10. It is still in my shop. One day it will be sold, but it is touchy on the lateral adjuster, it makes me a bit hesitant about selling it.

jtk

[John C Cox]

The trouble for me is that I seem to be running about 50/50 on old cast steel sheffield octagon bolster chisels because of the steel.. That's the difference between ok/adequate ones and the ones that are very good. And so that turns $10 used chisels into $20 chisels... Still not a bad deal for the good ones... But not nearly as fantastic a deal as if they were 100% good at $4 a piece at the flea market.

I am not counting pitted or humped backs in the 50%.. This seems to be 50% where the steel seems to be very good vs OK...

[James Pallas]

I've used the same paint can opener for over 30 years, one of the good ones. Two for one, paint can on one end and your favorite malt beverage on the other. Both ends have had about equal use. The steel is still in good shape. I would guess that if you used a pmv 11 chisel to open paint cans it would do the job for 4 or 5 hundred years without serious damage. The Aldi ones might only go a hundred years or so. Why doesn't someone test that out and report back?
Jim

[John C Cox]

I personally find my Snap On or Wiha screwdrivers are much more effective on paint cans than expensive chisels..... The bevel is too fat with my typical 25 degree primary/30 degree secondary..... Perhaps a 20 degree sharpened chisel would work better on paint cans...

[Tony Zaffuto]

Would not hurt to post brands or characteristics of vintage chisels to lok for or avoid. For example, John Cox mention the octagon bolster: this is usually an indicator of a better vintage chisel. Names also hep, with chisels such as Witherby or Ward desirable. I prefer to buy at tool sales, flea markets, etc., to examine in purchase and have pretty much given up Ebay. One of my last purchases was a Witherby socket. What was delivered was not. I contacted the seller and he told me he must have made a mistake and sent me the wrong chisel. He said I could mail it back for a refund, or keep what I paid for. I kept it, as it was around $20 or so. The chisel was a Dunlap and was plated! The plating prevented flattening or sharpening. I honestly don't know where that chisel resides today, except that I gave it away, with instructions as to its uselessness.

[ken hatch]

Would not hurt to post brands or characteristics of vintage chisels to lok for or avoid. For example, John Cox mention the octagon bolster: this is usually an indicator of a better vintage chisel. Names also hep, with chisels such as Witherby or Ward desirable. I prefer to buy at tool sales, flea markets, etc., to examine in purchase and have pretty much given up Ebay. One of my last purchases was a Witherby socket. What was delivered was not. I contacted the seller and he told me he must have made a mistake and sent me the wrong chisel. He said I could mail it back for a refund, or keep what I paid for. I kept it, as it was around $20 or so. The chisel was a Dunlap and was plated! The plating prevented flattening or sharpening. I honestly don't know where that chisel resides today, except that I gave it away, with instructions as to its uselessness.

Tony,

Yep the "burn rate" with eBay can be pretty high even when you know what to look for. The major problem after getting something useless or not as advertised from eBay is shipping cost, most of the time it is just cheaper to keep her.

The good news is for the most part I have my tool jones under control but when the tool demons demand attention I've found several good sellers to trust, a couple or three are in the UK. Much more time effective and I expect cheaper in the long run. Bottom line depends on what you want to do with your shop time, fart around with old cheap and/or new cheap tools or buy good quality tools from known sellers and get on with making things. Both are valid, it is just what blows your skirt.

BTW, I just feed the tool demon. There is a beautiful set of pre-WWII Marples paring chisels on the way from UK. I need more chisels like the well known hole in the head but these were too nice to pass.

ken

[Jim Koepke]

One of my last purchases was a Witherby socket. What was delivered was not. I contacted the seller and he told me he must have made a mistake and sent me the wrong chisel. He said I could mail it back for a refund, or keep what I paid for.

You paid for something else! My response would not have been as nice as yours.

When a seller makes such a mistake, they need to put in the effort to make it good.

jtk