Crank-necked chisel recommendations

I'm interested in acquiring several crank-necked chisels - mostly for paring. Since they're pretty pricy, I thought I'd ask for recommendations. Any help?

John

I have some Narex. They are ok, but backs needed some work. One inch chisel had annoying bump about 1 inch from the edge. I could spin the chisel on that bump, so obviously it was not good for paring.

I have a few old Buck Bros crank necked chisels. They really aren't that handy for most paring. They are helpful when cutting dados or slots.

jtk

I have the Lee Valley Narex cranked neck chisels. They are good, I have no issues with them. They are extremely sharp and they are flat.

I think that most cranked neck chisels have a bend that is closer to 90 degrees which means the handle is more parallel to the blade and there would be more room above the wood surface for your hand.

I find my Henry Taylor's handy for trimming plugs, etc. They needed a fair bit of work to flatten the backs, edge holding is OK, I regret not getting the ones with the longer blades, but they were a gift so I am not going to whine too much. If I had it to do over again, I would go Japanese if I was feeling flush, otherwise, I would probably look for something older that is in reasonable shape. They are likely to be nicer than most new chisels that you can find at similar price point.

Patrick Leach's and The Best Things tool lists always have plenty of antique cranked chisels and gouges for sale. Mine are all antiques picked up years ago at flea markets,and have been fine.

I did sand the handles on my Narex chisels and put a light coat of Johnson's wax on them. They are almost as pleasant to hold as my LN bench chisels.

The chisels seem light in weight, but I don't find that to be an issue.

My chisels are the Lee Valley chisels. I bought them when they were introduced.
I just checked them on my granite surface plate and I can say they are absolutely flat on the back. As a matter of fact, they are very slightly hollow on the back side.
The cutting edge is absolutely flat.

Were these Narex chisels that have bumps on the back from Lee Valley or some other vendor?

My Narex also were not flat. My Henry Taylor is dead flat.