# Good value set, and thats about it



## b2rtch

I have the same chisels and I had the same experience. I never yet used them to cut mortises


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## Arminius

I don't disagree with your review (nor review of the skews), but have a little more positive tone. I have paid as much as the set for a single chisel, and still had to do some lapping work, which strikes me as more disappointing.

I have had not had difficulties with the longevity of the edge on the Narex chisels in general, but have not used the mortising ones in particular enough to say definitively.


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## PurpLev

Arminius, I don't have a negative tone (or at least don't think I do) otherwise I would rate these with 1-2 stars. I don't think people are familiar with the 5 points rating system, a '3' is neutral, not negative. it's nothing amazing, nor faulty/failure. I have other cutting tools, and my point of view is from my past experience compared to it, these chisels required far more work to lap and flatten irregularities in the metal. I was aware to the fat I'd have to lap these, and was well prepared to do so, and am very happy to have those as the price is within my budget but that still does not mean that I rate them higher in terms of quality.


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## Dwain

I think you were a little over zealous in the lapping portion of your review, and that made the review seem more negative. Basically, you gave four out of five stars, but your review sounded more like two or three out of five.

I have these skew chisels, and wish I had bought the mortise chisels while they were on special. I guess my point is that for the price of these chisels, they are a really good value. Not great and by no means perfect, but for a lot of wood workers out there, they fit a price point. We all can't afford LN chisels, and don't have the time to rehab an make handles for the oldies.

Thanks for your review.

Dwain


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## PurpLev

*Dwain* This is not a product description but a personal review that is based on personal experience and personal comparisons. Yes I was surprised at the amount of lapping I had to go through in order to make these usable. So in that sense you are right, I did make note of that feeling so that people thinking of getting this would know this in advance. However I did NOT give this product 4 stars but only 3 (the current 4 stars is an average of all reviews of this product) and I did not say it is not a good product - it IS a good product (not great though) and a good value, but comes at a price other than just money. For what it's worth I compared the amount of work it required to cheaper marples (yes from home depot), and other similarly priced tools. I do not have nor have I experience with LN nor can I afford it much like the next guy which is why I wanted to put this review out there so that all aspects of the product be presented to others like me.

Thanks for the comment.


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## Arminius

Dwain about has it - your review was not negative per se, nor inaccurate, but the points you discuss were negative other than price, or left open because you have not had enough use to feel informed to respond. For me, once tuned, I have been delighted with these chisels, but I would emphasize the end point rather than the admittedly significant (about 30 minutes per chisel for me) process to get there.


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## Dusty56

Sharon , it is nice to read a real review here for a change instead of the usual " I just took it out of the box and gave it 5 stars because I want to show everyone my new toy" ! 
I didn't read any negativity in your post , but rather honesty about what needed to be done to make the chisels do their job. Had you given them 5 stars after all that work , then I would have questioned your sanity ! LOL
You also stated that you'd be back to let us know how the edges are holding up. 
Please do because if they go on sale again , I just might have to invest a little cash and sweat equity into a set myself.
: )
thanks
Peace


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## lanwater

PurpLev,

Thanks for the honnest review.

I personally do not see any negativity but I see your opinion and findings about those chisels.


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## yrob

Thanks for the review.
I also own Narex chisels (the bench chisels) and had to lap the back. I expect to have to do that with almost any chisels I buy. Lie-Nielsen is perhaps the exception. Of course, you only go through that once for your set, so its a good trade off for the money, a few hours of sweat.


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## CartersWhittling

Thank you for the review. My friend bought some of these chisels and has enjoyed using them. I do not know what his report is on sharpening them though. For the price they are hard to beat.


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## james3one

I have to say I had a similar experience with my Narex in terms of the quality of manufacture. Expect to take some time in tuning up the tool. Be careful of the angles when honing as you may not end up with a square edge. Draw a square reference line on the back and near the tip first.

I did want to say that it was nice to get a 3/8" chisel that was actually 3/8", most are actually 10mm. Lee Valley arranged to have these made in the standard US measures. Not opposed to metric but most of my stock ends up at 3/4" and the 10mm is just a little too wide. There are metric versions of the Narex mortise chisels and beveled chisels out there so have a close look before purchase.

A good tool for the price. As I only needed the one size it was well worth the cost, both in terms of time and money. One more thing… I chopped a very nice mortise with this chisel right out of the box, prior to any honing. I would recommend this to anyone.


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## bonobo

Great review but I came away with a different impression of the machining on mine. I'd chopped few mortises with it and decided to used it to pare a thick tenon. After a few seconds my fingers were bloody because the corners of the blade had been so squarely machined and so sharp that I hadn't felt a thing.


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