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Thread: How do you guys get Aldi chisels to hold up?

  1. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by ken hatch View Post
    I think my real question wouldn't be "How do you guys get Aldi chisels to hold up?" but instead would be why bother. Yes I know they are cheap and P.S. posted they are a bargain. Of the two statements I expect only one is correct. There are too many good chisels available for reasonable prices both used and new to waste time on a set of "grocery store" or even big box chisels for any use other than giving to the S.O. so she/he can chip concrete.

    Life and shop time is too short. Of course YMMV.

    ken
    The thing for me is...
    If you just read the DIN spec listed on the chisel - it lists a 1% Carbon steel that is approximately W1 as the "Reference" material for all the tests.... (Yes.. I read it.... I am a nerd that way...)

    Cold drawn W1 bar stock is super cheap (so far as tool steel goes).. It's fairly straight forward so far as forging and heat treating are concerned.. And so assuming they just used their equivalent of W1 - it would make a chisel that's going to be about as good as regular "Decent chisels".. And that's where Paul says they shake out according to his use....

    On the other hand - if they lost the script and decided to do something like 5160 to avoid trouble with breaking when you pry on them... They may take an edge - but will dull quickly in use because there's just not enough Carbon in the steel.... Bla bla bla...

    And that's what I am trying to decipher...

    I did note Paul specifically called out a 30 degree bevel in the Hymn of Praise to all things Aldi - I will try the same.... I just gotta get back in the shop to see how they run against Stanley Fat Max and Marples now that I ground them back ~1/4"...

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    51
    I've got a set of Marples blue handle chisels, and a set of Aldis. I bought the Marples chisels first, but I could not get them sharp. So I bought the Aldis in order to learn how to sharpen properly. I found the Aldis very easy to sharpen but they also need to be sharpened quite frequently (about every 6-8 hours of use as best I can estimate.)

    Now that I can sharpen a chisel properly, I intend to bring the Marples chisels into regular use, but I haven't put the Aldis down long enough to do this.

  3. #18
    So I ran my 30 degree Aldi vs my new production Marples with a 30 degree microbevel... The task was paring cabinet plywood...

    They both came out with the same amount of wood pared (14 grams) - but they felt "different" doing it.....

    The Aldi lightly rolled the edge fairly early on - but just kept cutting with a surprisingly low force. It would pare end grain spruce but it was kinda rough.. It finally got dull and took too much force to push.

    The Marples didn't roll the edge - it just cut... The cut was a lot more smooth - but it eventually dulled... It would cut end grain spruce without tracks - but it was evident that it was dull... And finally took too much force to push...

    So there it is on Test Phase 1. They both ended up with me stopping the test at the same amount of wood cut..

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    DuBois, PA
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    1,897
    Quote Originally Posted by lowell holmes View Post
    Asking a woodworker what chisels he likes best is like asking a teenage boy if he prefers blondes or brunets.
    Age don't enter the picture-at 65, I still can't answer!
    If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.

  5. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Tony Zaffuto View Post
    Age don't enter the picture-at 65, I still can't answer!
    Hey Tony, I prefer them BOTH!
    Fred

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    DuBois, PA
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    1,897
    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    Hey Tony, I prefer them BOTH!
    Fred
    Don't forget the gingers also deserve consideration!
    If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.

  7. #22
    No disrespect to anyone who loves these Aldi chisels, but I got a set a year or so back and don't find them to be any better or notable than any other box store chisels. Sharpen up fine, but don't really hold an edge for very long and the handles are terrible to me. I tried to use them as beater chisels for a while, but now they just sit in a drawer because I'm not a fan of handles like they have.

    For me, life's too short to fuss with chisels you don't really love and that don't get the job done well for you.

  8. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by John C Cox View Post
    The thing for me is...
    If you just read the DIN spec listed on the chisel - it lists a 1% Carbon steel that is approximately W1 as the "Reference" material for all the tests.... (Yes.. I read it.... I am a nerd that way...)

    Cold drawn W1 bar stock is super cheap (so far as tool steel goes).. It's fairly straight forward so far as forging and heat treating are concerned.. And so assuming they just used their equivalent of W1 - it would make a chisel that's going to be about as good as regular "Decent chisels".. And that's where Paul says they shake out according to his use....

    On the other hand - if they lost the script and decided to do something like 5160 to avoid trouble with breaking when you pry on them... They may take an edge - but will dull quickly in use because there's just not enough Carbon in the steel.... Bla bla bla...

    And that's what I am trying to decipher...

    I did note Paul specifically called out a 30 degree bevel in the Hymn of Praise to all things Aldi - I will try the same.... I just gotta get back in the shop to see how they run against Stanley Fat Max and Marples now that I ground them back ~1/4"...
    John,

    As with most thing in woodworking or life....Whatever blows your skirt. You can look around my shop and see I'm not "tool adverse" but I'd much rather spend my time putting metal to wood with the goal of making something than mucking around questionable chisels or such. As always YMMV.

    ken

    P.S. There is one truism in life that pretty much works....You don't always get what you pay for but one thing is sure if you don't pay for it, you do not get it.

  9. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Kaminska View Post
    I've got a set of Marples blue handle chisels, and a set of Aldis. I bought the Marples chisels first, but I could not get them sharp. So I bought the Aldis in order to learn how to sharpen properly. I found the Aldis very easy to sharpen but they also need to be sharpened quite frequently (about every 6-8 hours of use as best I can estimate.)

    Now that I can sharpen a chisel properly, I intend to bring the Marples chisels into regular use, but I haven't put the Aldis down long enough to do this.
    Steve,

    I've started several replies and deleted all because they all sounded snarky. This is not meant to be snarky but, There is a reason my sharpening bench is directly to the left, a step or two, off the working end of my main bench.

    sharpeningBench180505dscf2690.jpg

    I work with pretty good chisels, mostly White Paper Japanese, pre-war Marples, and Ashly Iles and when working I often re-sharpen several times a day. That is the reason the sharpening bench is placed so close to the working area of the main bench. Now it could be my technique is poor and I misuse my chisels or maybe the wood I work with (mostly domestic hardwood) is hard on edges but whatever I've never gone 6 to 8 hours between sharpening.

    ken

  10. #25
    I was pondering these comments last night and then went out to my shop and measured my user Aldi's off of a new set I have. The users are now anywhere from an 1/8" shorter to 5/16" shorter from use and sharpening.Maybe once you get past that first 1/16 they are hardened well enough. I have been trying lately to use the I. Sorby's evenly with the Aldi's, to try and determine if the Aldi's are softer than old chisels.So far, I can not see much difference. I choose the Sorby's because they were my go-to chisels and they have the same handles on all of them that I made for the Aldi's. I figured that would eliminate one more possible prejudice against the Aldi's. So far, I'm thinking this is a "Chevy vs Ford" kinda argument. I wish I had more exacting means to decide by, but using an open mind and layman antics, I'm satisfied so far with the Aldi's that they can be serviceable tools. I will say that I can afford any tool made but that is not the point. I do not like to spend money for the sake of spending money. I get my thrills from maximum value.
    Last edited by Bob Leistner; 05-05-2018 at 10:56 AM.

  11. #26
    So - perhaps I got to the bottom of what Paul is saying.... According to my test - I got about the same amount of actual work out of the Aldi vs the Marples before they wouldn't cut right and required resharpening... And the Marples beat out a lot of other chisels I tried in other tests.. 1 Marples costs more than 2 sets of Aldi's.... So yes - they do work...and you can get a lot of work out of them... I suppose that makes them a very good value...

    Do they feel the same doing the work? Not by a long shot.... The Marples had a much smoother feeling like the edge was simply wearing as it worked - while the Aldi was cutting like the edge was slightly rolled but still keen enough to cut... The finish left on the end grain Spruce was a lot better with the Marples - but the cut took about the same force... And I have to admit that's a lot better than many chisels I have tried - which simply gave up and wouldn't cut end grain spruce any better than a dull screwdriver after 1 or 2 passes on plywood..

    Conclusion - Paul is not lying. They do perform... They don't feel elegant and slick in hand when cutting - but they deliver.. And I do have to admit that they cut a lot more wood before they gave up than several other chisels I tried out...

    They won't be my go-to, but they can stay...

  12. #27
    I've never had a chance to try an Ashley Isles, an LN, an LV or a Japanese chisel. So I dont know how much better it can be. But comparing my $8 Aldi's or my $40 Marple Blue Handles to High End chisels reminds me of the sign I once saw in an auto body repair shop. It said:

    "WE DO $300 PAINT JOBS AND $3,000 PAINT JOBS. DON'T PAY FOR ONE AND EXPECT THE OTHER."

    I like my cheap chisels. And as long as they do good work for me, I'll keep using them. But let's not kid ourselves - they're $8. I dont expect them to be as fancy/comfortable/long lasting/etc as a more expensive brand.

    Fred
    Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 05-05-2018 at 3:08 PM.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  13. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    "WE DO $300 PAINT JOBS AND $3,000 PAINT JOBS. DON'T PAY FOR ONE AND EXPECT THE OTHER."

    I like my cheap chisels. And as long as they do good work for me, I'll keep using them. But let's not kid ourselves - they're $8. I dont expect them to be as fancy/comfortable/long lasting/etc as a more expensive brand.

    Fred
    Good point.

    Suffice to say a $100 chisel in the hands of an average woodworker may not deliver the same results of a $8 one that is in Paul's.

    A Narex in my hands performs just as well as others like AI, PMV11 and Maples I also have.

    Simon

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    2,151
    I bought some a while back for 4.99 just to see what the hype was all about. I flattened the backs about an inch or so, not much work. Worked the bevel enough to sharpen. Worked okay. I've used them some not a lot. They are metric and I use my chisels as gauge blocks often, I know not the best of practices. The 1/4chisel is very close to 5/16 and the 1/2 is close to 9/16. That's handy at times. They work well enough that I don't feel bad about spending a fin on them.
    Jim

  15. #30
    ...or ones that you cannot afford. That's the point...four useful chisels that run a few bucks more than a millennials's Starbucks Moocher Slackachino. Hone at 35 degrees and sharpen often using el cheapo stones or SS...gets the youngsters in the shop door and out of mom's basement without a huge investment.

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