# Looking for some opinions on chisels



## cdaulton (Aug 23, 2011)

I am in the market for some new bench chisels. I am currently using some Footprint chisels that I got a couple of years ago on clearance at a Sears tool store but it is not a complete set (missing 5/8" and 3/4") and they really don't hold an edge very well. I have narrowed it down to two choices, this set of Narex bevel edge from Lee Valley http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=67707&cat=1,41504 and this set of Two Cherries from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Two-Cherries-500-1561-6-Piece-Chisel/dp/B00029LIFA/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1460525764&sr=1-1&keywords=two+cherries. I was wondering if any one had any experience with these specific chisels, especially the Narex. They are about a hundred dollars cheaper than the Two Cherries and if they will hold an edge then I am inclined to go that way. So, any opinions?


----------



## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

I have a set of Narex and like them well enough. Be prepared for a good session flattening the backs, though. I think I had a couple hours invested for the set of 6. But once commissioned, they have been good performers for me. I only use them for joinery and have a set of Irwin Marples for "rough" work, although, I have to say the Irwins are not horrible chisels! I have one Stanley 750 and I have to say the Narex is a better chisel IMO (holds and edge better and the handle fits my meat hook hands better).

I would definitely check which kind of Narex before you buy. They make line they call "premium" and it definitely is different than whey you are looking at with LV. It has different handles and most importantly, a lower side bevel height (probably the second most important feature of a chisel besides the steel IMHO). See the difference here.

I don't think you can go too wrong with the Narex for the money. FWW did a very good review a while back this is what I based my decision on. I believe it is available for download in a nice PDF chart that compares all the most important features.


----------



## ScottStewart (Jul 24, 2012)

I've got the Narex, and my experience was the same as you will find in other spots. It took quite a while to get the backs flat, but once I did the chisels have performed very well. SMC i think has multiple threads discussing the Narexes as well. The advantage to getting them from LV is that they are true imperial sizes, if you get them elsewhere, they will be metric approximations.


----------



## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

My Narex chisels hold an edge pretty well, but I don't find that handles to be as comfortable as my Irwin Marples handles….but it's subjective.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I've had good service from my Marples chisels,I don't see any reason to spend huge amounts on chisels when reasonably priced chisels like Marples give you.


----------



## JayT (May 6, 2012)

I have some of the Two Cherries and absolutely love them.

My review of them is here Make sure to read the others' comments and you will see I'm not alone in those feelings. In fairness, I haven't used the Narex to make a comparison.


----------



## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

I'd get 3-4 chisels that were the best you can afford. The Narex are good starter chisels, but the steel is much better on nicer chisels.

The Stanley 750s are a good moderate priced chisel. A 4 piece set is $90.

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-16-791-Sweetheart-Socket-Chisel/dp/B004TK0IG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460559006&sr=8-1&keywords=stanley+750


----------



## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

There are a couple different flavors to the Marples chisels Jim refers to. Most common are the Blue Chips with the blue poly handles. There's also the Split Proof line with the yellow and magenta poly handles, and now there's a line with blue poly handles with a rubber overlay and a steel cap.

BUT…. what's on the market today is NOT the same as 15 years ago when I bought mine. They are now "assembled" in the UK from "global" parts. That means the steel blade comes from China.

I REALLY like the Marples Split proof chisels set I bought 20+ years ago. But 2 years ago I ordered a couple individual chisels to fill in some sizes I didn't have and to replace a lost chisel, and what I received, when compared side by side with my older ones, was not at all as good. The steel doesn't hold an edge as well and the machining was quite a bit more course.

Sad.

If I was starting today, I'd get a set of Sorby Registered and consider it a once in a lifetime purchase.


----------



## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

I don't have either but have been considering the Narex as well. Check out Taylor Tool Works ebay store. They have the premiums that RWE was talking about and have several different sets in true imperial and metric sizes.


----------



## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

Im with Jim on this one for the $, Marples are hard to beat, I have the fancy ones, but they dont beat the Marples.

My other favorite because they are so nice and thin, are Ashley Isles.. not cheap but really sweet


----------



## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

I quite like my Ashley Iles chisels as well but like Charles said, they're not anywhere near as cheap as Narex or Marples.

I'm going to preface this by saying "I don't have any scientific research behind it". To the best that most of us will likely be able to tell, I think the biggest difference between cheap and "premium" chisels will be a combination of two things. 1.) How 'work ready' they are out of the box. How much flattening and sharpening they need. 2.) Frequency of sharpening. That is to say the different tool steels need resharpening at different rates given similar use.


----------



## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

I just yesterday or so ordered the odd 1/8ths Narex "premium" set from Taylor toolworks on ebay. I have a 1980's Stanley set (possibly even bought at Walmart) on the quarters (1/2, 3/4, 1") and just for no good reason wanted to fill in with the 1/8, 3/8, 5/8 and 7/8.

I have a set of Narex mortising chisels and like them alot.

Maybe I'll write a review if I ever get any shop time to use them.

-Paul


----------



## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

I had the Narex premium set and they were fine, but didn't hold an edge nearly as well as the vintage chisels I've assembled so I sold them. My Narex set actually took very little time to flatten the backs, that's either because they where the premium ones from Highland or I just got lucky. The Narex are a good value, but you can do better, especially by buying a higher quality chisel and just buy one at a time as you need them. A few LJ's have mentioned they had no idea how good chisels could be until they bought the Lie Nielsens. Pricey, but if you buy one as you need it, it's manageable.


----------



## eflanders (May 2, 2013)

I've got the 2 cherries set. They needed flattening upon reciept but I think it only took an hour for the whole set. I also have some vintage Stanley sweetheart and Buck brothers chisels. The 2 cherries hold their edge better than those old ones do. The Narex set is decent but not in the same class as the 2 cherries are for function, hand fit or edge hold. But there others that are even better and a lot more expensive. If you will be using your chisels often, consider the 2 cherries over the Narex.


----------



## Lsmart (Jan 1, 2012)

I like my Narex… not much to compare to… they were awful to flatten until I got my DMT diamond plates.

Having worked with PMV-111 now with my Lee Valley planes I would consider slowly collecting their bench chisels as well. Really fast sharpening and great edge retention.


----------



## cdaulton (Aug 23, 2011)

First off, let me say thank you for all the replies. At this point I think I am leaning towards the Two Cherries. I am really looking for a set of chisels that have excellent edge holding ability while at the same time not breaking the bank. As much as I would like to have a set of the Lee Valley PM-V11 chisels, $529 is just more than I can afford to spend on chisels right now.


----------



## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

It took me a year to put together a set of lie nielsens. I bought a set of narex. Returned them after machining defects couldn't be overcome and bought one 1/2" LN bevel edge chisel. It only took one chisel to convince me. And another 8 months to fill out the set but it was worth every penny.


----------



## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Do you need all the sizes that are in the set?

What I've found is that most people are better off buying individual chisels in the sizes they use the most, since sets generally include sizes that are of no use. For instance, my most used chisel is a 3/8, followed by 1/4 and a wider chisel around 1in. No set I've ever seen contains just those sizes and pretty much any set includes a 3/4, which I almost never use.

Others work differently and have a different assortment of chisels they use most but for most people, it is still limited to just 3-4 sizes. If you will use a whole set, by all means buy it. If not, consider just buying the chisels you will use.


----------



## bbasiaga (Dec 8, 2012)

I was just going through this as well. Even read the 40+ page chisel thread front to back. Ended up buying two LNs…a 1/4 and a 1/2. $110. They are A2 steel, get sharp and stay sharp. They were sharp enough to use right out of the box and a few minutes of honing and I could shave with them. Flat backs, fine sides.

I previously had a set of 4 or 6 super cheap chisels. I realized I had only ever used two of them, so I went high end on those two sizes instead of a mid range set. I would like to add a 1" and a mortise chisel in the future too. But one at a time spread out will make the high end set palatable. High end tools became possible when I realized I didn't need the whole $500 set.

Brian


----------



## Aidan1211 (Feb 20, 2016)

Of the modern makers Narex is by far in my opinion the best as far a price and quality for the money. If you have a healthy budget you'll never go wrong with Lie Nielsens chisels. The chisels I have that I use and really like the most have to be my older "Blue Chip" Marples. I have two sets of Narex one set of mortise chisels and one set of paring chisels and they work very well the downside for them as a previous response stated is the backs don't come very flat so there is quite a bit of setup required to use them and the first couple of sharpenings seem to yield a little less edge retention which seems pretty common in my experience. But after you get the backs flat and get past that first little bit they work great and don't cost an arm and a leg. Good luck and have fun doing things by hand I really find a lot of pleasure in doing my work by hand!


----------

