yep, mighty useful tools.
I'm at a point in my life where I feel the need to upgrade from the Buck Brother's chisels I've been getting from Home Depot...
the issue I see, is that quality chisels have wooden handles, and I use a 12 oz. hammer.
I know my hammer VERY well, and since I'm an in the field trim/finish carpenter who uses chisel for hardware I have no desire to change out the tool I use to hit my chisels with...typical scenario for me is having to mortise in Sun Valley Bronze pocket door face pulls into the face of the door (they are 1/4" thick on the edges and are made to be set into the face of a door)...point being, I know my methods and have them down...the last thing I need is a curve ball of a new unidirectional impact generator being thrown at me...by the time I get to such a pocket door, it's value is in the $2,000 range (cost of door, install, finishing, etc.).
so my query is this: are wooden handled chisels OK with being struck by a 12 oz. hammer?
about the only mid-range chisel I see with a metal cap is the Irwin Marples brand, and I'm not sure they are much better than a Buck Brother's...
what I need is a quality piece of steel that will keep an edge for a few days, as opposed to the Bucks which tend to need honing every day, if not resharpening if I hit a hard piece of wood and get a few micro nicks in them.
as far as brand, not sure yet...I use 3 chisel sizes predominantly: 1/2" (not that often), 3/4" (mainstay small chisel), 1 1/2" (mainstay large chisel perfect for making a 1.5" straight line when dealing with longer mortises)
thanks in advance for any relevant information and advice...
oh, and I've been a carpenter for over 30 years, so pretty set in my ways at this point