Irwin chisels vs grizzly japanese chisels

I have both I prefer the Marples.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

Jim,
Is it because they hold an edge better or they feel better?

-- I could quit if I wanted

I guess I’m use to the Marples but I do like the feel of the Japanese style chisels. As far as holding and edge I haven’t use the Japanese chisels that much.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

I have both as well and use the marples more. The Grizzly chisels seem very brittle in comparison, but its probably the steepness of the bevel compared to the marples, and my lack of experience with them. The set I bought from Grizzly had a lot of different sizes, which is a benefit. Just about every grizzly in the set that I have used had chipped significantly with use, and I had to re-grind the bevels back on to get rid of the chip out. The only way I have really chipped a Marples is by hitting something it wasn’t supposed to like a hidden nail or by dropping it on the floor.
They are both worth having though, and that’s why I do.

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

buy the lie nielsens you’ll be happy

-- My philosophy: Somewhere between Norm and Roy

are lie nielsens better than the Stanley 750sx they are patterened after?

-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0

I have no clue as to how the 750’s are/were, nor do I know about the Lie Nielsons, but I do know that if they are made from A2 steel they will be hard and hold an edge for a while. I guess if you really use the snot out of chisels, that will be a big deal for you. I do REALLY like the A2 plane blades I have, but I only bought them after I realized that they would benefit me personally.

On that note, I like my Irwin/Marples chisels and use them a pretty good bit, but I don’t feel as if they require an undue amount of sharpening (in sharp-sorry for the pun-contrast to the cheap Stanley chisels I used to use). For me, there is no way I could justify spending close to $300 for a tool upgrade that I would probably not notice!

The original question, though was about the Grizzly chisels, and unfortunately I can offer no insight, but I can offer a link# that says they are pretty nice, especially for the price. Why not buy one chisel (I would pick the size I use the most) and and test it out. If it lives up to your expectations, go ahead and get the set, and you will just have an extra chisel that will still be sharp when your go-to size gets dull or (god forbid) gets dropped on the cement floor. If it isn’t all you thought it would be, you are only out 1/10th what you would have been otherwise.

Either way, good luck!

-- David from Indiana --

The Lie Nielsons are not an option for now.

-- I could quit if I wanted

wise men say: buy quality and you only have to buy once. Less expensive that way

-- My philosophy: Somewhere between Norm and Roy

I just read a chisel comparison on Fine WW .com. Looks like they are close to the same with the edge retention of Grizzly rated very good vs good for Irwin. Narex rates a bit better than the Grizzly. Narex is probably the best overall value with Grizz being the best overall value for Japanese style.

-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0

thanks for the report TopamaxSurvivor. I like that the japanese chisels are shorter and I just handle them better. I think I will give them a try.
Thanks for all of the advise.
Skeeter, I think I can get quality without spending a fortune on a name. If I had the money I would try the Lie Nielsons

-- I could quit if I wanted

Forgot to say that from the reading I have done today, LIE-NIELSEN, Two Cherries and Stanley 750 are probably about equal, with size and feel when working setting them apart from the rest of the pack.

-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0

Boy, is this getting off topic, but I found a good review of the A2 LN chisels that I thought would be interesting for those considering them.

-- David from Indiana --

Looks like this is getting off into general chisel talk:-) Fine Woodworking didn’t seem to think as highly of LN as that last review. FWW ddin’t think BArr was very good considerinhg its pedigree. Wonder if it is quality control issues or just plain old different opinions by different reviewers??”

-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0

Thanks Dfdye for the link. I just cant spend that kind of loot on 5 chisels. Also I think the reviewer might be a little biased to his sponser. Everytime I see one of his articles He has a LN in is hand.(ENVY)

After a lot of reading I am starting to lean towards Two Cherries. Do any of you have any experience with them? Thanks again for all of the advise.

-- I could quit if I wanted