LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Narex Chisels

3K views 24 replies 21 participants last post by  bandit571 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Has anyone used these? I see the wood whisperer advertising from time to time and I ordered a mortise chisel of theirs that hasn't come in yet. I was just wondering what every ones thoughts were on them? they seem to get pretty decent amazon reviews
 
#3 ·
I'm very happy with my 8 pc set. Only had some very old Italian made craftsman chisels until going for the Narex set. The Stanley SW's look nice but the $120 for the Narex fit my budget, and left some $$$ over so I could get some diamond stones for sharpening…
 
#5 ·
Be on the lookout for an over hardened edge on those mortise chisels. The ones I have needed to be ground back a bit from the edge to get to some good steel. The edge would roll over on me. I own a worksharp so it wasn't a huge deal for me.

Oof. Diamond stones. Some guys like the EZ lap, some like the duosharp, some like the regular DMT's. I don't think there's a great answer to that. Youll likely experiment (if you haven't all ready) for a while with different sharpening mediums until you come to an answer of your own.
 
#8 ·
I have the Bench and Mortise sets and while seldom use the bench set after getting the Stanley S.W. the Mortise are great for what ever I have used them for. Diamond stones are okay for basic sharpening but to get a stupid sharp polished edge you are going to need a fine oil or water stone.
 
#9 ·
I have the 7 piece set from Lee Valley. Only thing I really have to compare them to is a 1/8" Stanley SW. Hard to make that comparison though as I use a 3/4" or whatever sized chisel a lot differently than the 1/8". All in all though I've been happy enough.
 
#11 ·
I have a set but do not like them. Once I switched to Pfeil and Stubai it was such a complete difference that I will never go back to Narex.
 
#15 ·
#16 ·
As for the sharpening stone question: I believe I have used all of the brands sold in the US so far and the best I've used are the Atoma brand diamond plates. They are not American made, but are by far the best I've used. I got mine from Lee Valley. You will want the extra coarse (140), coarse (400) and fine (1200). Then add a hard Arkansas (black or opaque) to polish the edge. This is the most cost effective and durable setup I've used to date. But this setup will likely run about $400. You won't likely need to spend another dime for sharpening afterwards though.
 
#21 ·
These days, my 'user' chisels are Veritas PM-V11 and Pfiel. For sharpening I used to work up to a 1200 DMT diamond plate followed by a honing paste on a leather strop. Lately I have added a black Arkansas stone between the 1200 grit plate and the honing paste. From time to time I'll use a honing guide to rework an edge, but I can keep the edges very sharp by using the black Arkansas freestyle. It's fairly fast doing it like that and nothing needs flattening.
 
#22 ·
Gee, talk about a mixed set of reviews!

A set of six Narex is 90 dollars on Amazon right now, and there is a set of 8 for 100.
Amazon also shows the current price of the 8 piece Stanley SW chisels for $160.

I fully understand the need to conserve dollars. I have been a fixed income retired person for two years now, and it sucks to have to be so cost focused (truly sucks - big time - and I do not recommend really retiring, ever). However, for an 8 piece chisel set, I would not quibble very much over $160 vs $100 if I really wanted the more expensive ones. And if I had to really control the budget carefully, I would get a 4-piece chisel set of whatever brand, and use it with enthusiasm and pleasure. Amazon shows a Narex set of four for $40 today, and I bet they are nice chisels to own and use.

On the other hand, the Narex chisels get great reviews on the internet and many good one here, too. I have Narex rasps that are fantastic for me, and haven't held or used the chisels.

Some Narex detractors here are really telling you they already have something else they like, or they don't like sharpening the Narex. Crap, I don't especially like sharpening anything, but alas, it is needed to pursue this hobby.

It turns out I have a set of Mifer chisels made is Spain that came in a nice wooden box (now with a warped lid), and the Stanley SW in the leather roll. I got the Mifer, 6-piece set about 25 years ago, and the S-SW set maybe 4 years back. And of course - they all need to be sharpened from time to time, and it isn't really any particular fun for me to do so.

And a final, tangential thought: I've have a cheap 1/2" Stanley from a big box store laying on my bench for years. It has a yellow, translucent plastic handle, and has been quickly sharpened many times using less than perfect techniques. Sometimes it gets thrown in t tool tote unprotected to go do a chore away form the shop. There are flecks of rust in many places despite me sanding them off a few times. When in the shop, I grab it often, and find it extremely useful and perfect for many quick trimming needed. My point is, hopefully, that I believe that almost any chisel can be used with great success if it is indeed sharpened, and if there has been a little practice in its use.
 
#24 ·
These are supposed to be good.

- Carloz
Decent little set I'm sure :) I decided against going metric when I started looking. Unfortunately that excluded the Japanese chisels. There are some good ones at a decent price, and what I really like about them is the hollow back. It would be so much easier to flatten them if all chisels were made that way.

It reminds me of a review on Amazon of the Stanley set where someone posted photos of all the work to remove a recess from the back of one of them. In no time, he had the edges flattened, so only the center was concave, yet he kept going until the whole thing was shiny.
 
#25 ·
Had two "cheap" chisels for over 25 years now, all that is left from a 5 pc set I bought new at the time..
Tool Wood Kitchen utensil Metal Cutlery


The 1" wide one has been a little too well used, a long time ago, it had a ring around the end of the handle.
Tool Wood Metal Blade Drill accessories


Oil stones, Wet-or0Dry sandpaper ( up to 2500 grit) then a strop of leather. I use an old work belt for the strop
Hand tool Tool Wood Kitchen utensil Auto part


Backs are flat, where they NEED to be flat…..
Ammunition Metal Wood Gun accessory Missile


Large wood handles…...bought the set new at a Harbor Freight store way back when…..before they went "Big Time".

Currently have the $7 Aldis set, and a bunch of vintage ones as my users. Have a drawer full of "loaners" too…
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top