they are 129 at Woodcraft as well.
Suppose Amazon can 'afford' to sell at a lower % margin, and decide that making 100 pennies is just as good as making a dollar off one sale?
I got the Lie Nielsen chisel set…. direct from Lie Nielsen, and the cost was more than they cost at Woodcraft.
Now I see that Woodcraft no longer sells Lie Nielson stuff on line.
Because Lee Valley has higher overhead expenses. Any company that has physical locations has to deal with this competing with Amazon. Rent, utilities, payroll, carrying costs for inventory, etc, are all higher for a physical store and eat into the profits. Out of curiosity, I looked up what that set would cost if my company bought direct from Stanley and there is no way we could sell them at the Amazon price. Retail in our stores would have to be much closer to Lee Valley's just to pay the bills.
Never used the Narex or Lie Nielsen's, but I can state unequivocally that comparing my Two Cherries chisels with the Stanley Bailey's I also have is like night and day. Steel quality is the main difference, but balance and feel are also significantly better.
For someone who hasn't used any chisels before, the Bailey's are probably fine, but I haven't touched them since getting the Two Cherries and a "set" of vintage socket chisels. Better feel + better steel=better results & more enjoyment.
Yeah I have heard bad things about the stanley baileys that's why I went with the 750's they seem to have solid reviews except for the occasional chisel needing more work than normal to flatten the back.
I like the socket chisel better than the tangs for use with a mallet..
for sure a 50 dollar chisel is better than a 9 dollar one. At some point you close the gap and it is comfort and usage
The are all the same for the first couple of dovetails…. then you see which ones take the pounding, and stay sharp. part of my motivation was to buy American, but that wallet busting philosophy has its limitations too.
That's a good deal on those chisels..Heck that's cheaper than you can get four vintage 750's for on ebay most of the time..
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
LumberJocks Woodworking Forum
2.5M posts
96K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to professional woodworkers and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about shop safety, wood, carpentry, lumber, finishing, tools, machinery, woodworking related topics, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!