# The best chisels you can buy at a grocery store



## WoodNSawdust

Thanks for the review, next time I am in my Aldi store I will look for them.


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## ShaneA

The new handles take them to a whole new visual level. Very nice.


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## bobasaurus

Nice rehandling job. Surprised they hold a decent edge and the machining isn't terrible.


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## DocSavage45

I'm a Paul Sellers fan,

The blog and his YouTube videos. Paul is a down to earth easy going, patient and clear instructor, and he is an advocate of "the everyman woodworker." Paul has driven up the Ebay prices by advocating for the older gems in handtools. He was pretty excited to have negotiated with Aldis to have his favorite "inexpensive" quality chisel that he found while shopping at Aldis in England made available in the USA. He did his quality checks and found the chisels sold in England to be what Lumberjoe is describing.

If you check out his blog and you value handtools you will find a thread on these chisels that he convinced Aldis to sell in his second home, the USA. Paul lived and taught in Texas for awhile.

Do yourself and Paul a favor (as I accidentally did) and subscribe to his YouTube channel, and his blog, which allows him to produce more internet videos. (and get a subsistence?)

Paul is also a Lumberjock but at this time is busy with his woodworking program.


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## DocSavage45

Lumberjoe,

Nice detailed review of pros and cons from a lover of handtools?

Thanks! ( They sell out quick and they are a special item.)

I bought one set to see what they are like.


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## b2rtch

removed


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## JoeinGa

Just my luck! We had an Aldi store not far from us back in TN. Closest one here is almost 2 hours away. So I doubt I'll be taking advantage of the tools I see mentioned here every once in a while.


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## Racer2007

Paul Sellers would not lie to you about a chisel , to bad there are no Aldi Stores near me . 
What about this HF Set , It looks close to the same but made in China.
Wood Chisel Set 6 Pc 
Pittsburgh - item#3816 Everyday Sale Price is $9.99


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## DocSavage45

I have a similar set as well. I've been a Habor Frieght buyer for many years.

The chisels at Aldis are Chrome Vanadium Steel as Noted in in this great review. Grizzly is selling Chrome V chisels at reasonable price last time I looked.

If you can validate CR V steel you might have an ok set.

You can check out Pauls blog on this if you like.






This is the You Tube video on the chisels.

Disclaimer: I'm just a fan of this great teacher.


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## DocSavage45

I have a similar set as well. I've been a Habor Frieght buyer for many years.

The chisels at aldis are Chrome Vandium Steel as Noted in in this great review. Grizzly is selling Chrome V chisels at reasonable price last time I looked.

If you can validate CR V steel you might have an ok set.

http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/5858#comment-2458858

Here is the YouTube video.

My disclaimer: I just think Paul is a great teacher, your opinions may vary.


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## kaerlighedsbamsen

I have the same chisels and they work great. Mine came reasonably sharpened out of the package.

A note of caution: Some of the chisels had the grain in the handle going in crocked directions to an extent that it looked loke a failure waiting to happen. Just leafed through the pile and picked the straightest ones.

The new handles you made look fab! Thanks for sharing your thoughts


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## Racer2007

> I have a similar set as well. I ve been a Habor Frieght buyer for many years.
> 
> The chisels at aldis are Chrome Vandium Steel as Noted in in this great review. Grizzly is selling Chrome V chisels at reasonable price last time I looked.
> 
> If you can validate CR V steel you might have an ok set.
> 
> http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/5858#comment-2458858
> 
> Here is the YouTube video.
> 
> My disclaimer: I just think Paul is a great teacher, your opinions may vary.
> 
> - DocSavage45


Yea I shop at HF some times but I try to be very careful of what I get.
I have seen all of Paul's Videos and read most of his Blog as well , If I could afford a Trip to the UK I would take one of his classes , if he could put up with a hand tool Dummy like me.


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## b2rtch

Yea I shop at HF some times but I try to be very careful of what I get.
I have seen all of Paul s Videos and read most of his Blog as well , If I could afford a Trip to the UK I would take one of his classes , if he could put up with a hand tool Dummy like me.

- Richard
[/QUOTE]

Paul also teaches in the USA


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## ChuckC

Good review. HF has a set for about the same price. I bought them for times when I don't want to damage my better set. The handles are an abomination but after I sharpened them I was surprised at how well they performed.

The steel is soft so you can flatten and sharpen them very fast but you will have to hone more often if you use them a lot.

I don't use them a lot but for under $10 I'm glad I have them when I need them.


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## RootandBranch

Great review. There's an Aldi not far from me. Never had a reason to stop in until now.


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## lumberjoe

I also have 2 sets of Harbor Freight chisels - the wood handled ones and the plastic handled ones.

The wood handled ones are terrible IMO. Edge retention is non-existent. I use them when I need metal wedges.

The plastic handled ones aren't too bad, but not great. Those are what I use when I am all but certain I'll damage an edge. They will hold and edge for a little while and can do things a chisel should do

The WorkZone (Aldi) bench chisels actually perform like a proper woodworking bench chisel should. You can aggressively pound it through a full drawer of pins and tails, then take it straight to delicate end grain paring without stopping off at the stones first.


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## CyberDyneSystems

Interesting, thanks for this review!

fyi, the Harbor freights being Chinese are clearly not going to be the same chisel. The ones Paul show in the video are marked "Germany"


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## DocSavage45

CyberDyneSystems,

The chisels sold at Aldis in America are Chinese made. The but here is they are chrome vanadium which the Harbor freight chisels may not be. There is an ongoing blog thread at Paul Sellers on Facebook regarding the experiences of others who have purchased and done as lumberjoe did.


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## PaulDB

Thanks for the review. I had heard that these were now being sold in US last month but have not gotten the chance to try them yet. I might have to find time to pick some up


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## crank49

Metalurgically speaking, vanadium is added to steel to make it tougher, less brittle, and to refine the grain size, I think. Similar effect to adding molydenum, but cheaper and not as good.


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## punkin611

The HF wood handle chisels can be made better by a 1hour dip in liquid nitrogen. That's what I did. IMO it made them tougher and hold an edge longer. I do that to all my edged tools (plane blades, dovetail saw plates, screwdrivers and the like.


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## GregoryH

Good info all! Thanks.


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