Aldi chisels

[Brad Roof]

I picked up a set of the Aldi work zone chisels last week and worked them up quickly. Most of the backs had a slight hallow so that was nice.....I used 150 grit sand paper for flattening the backs...from there I used a standard process of a soft oil stone, hard black, and MDF strop with green compound. It says chrome vanadium steel and it was easy to get a wire edge on the stones.....the edge was as good as anything I have on my narex chisles and the shape and feel is very similar as well.....for 7.00 they are an unbelievably cheap set that seems like they would work great....I am going to give this one away as a gift but I have one more that I might keep as an experiment...anyone else get a set this last week in the USA?

[Judson Green]

I look from em on occasion (cuz of Paul Sellers mention) but have never seen em. Plan to do some groc shopping tomorrow so I'll look again. Might be nice to have a set of nice throw about chisels.

[Brad Roof]

This is the first time I have seen them in my area. They are in the same box with files so you might need to "dig" to find a set. They have nice wooden handles....they are all metric sizes....the only down side I see is the smallest size is slightly bigger than 1/4 inch....I use my 1/4 inch chisel all the time...otherwise...seems like a nice set....I think these are nicer than some of the other cheap solutions out there....obviously they are hard to find here so I still would recommend the Narex ones in general.... I have never had a fancy one or a vintage one that is really nice...so my comparison is all in this entry level space...

[Jim Matthews]

There's a cheapo set available at Box Lot stores.

Soft steel which hones to a very keen edge,
prone to deformation when honed finer than 30 degrees or so.

Not bad for $8.

[Don Rogers]

Last week, Paul Sellers again brought up the Aldi chisel set and said that they would become available in some US Aldi stores. He recommended them saying he had used them in his classes for the past 4 or 5 years with no problems . He is not particularly fond of the handle shape and has a blog detailing how to rework the original handle to a slimmer version. It''s not that they are as good as more expensive brands, but for the price, they are a very good deal - especially for beginners.

I have the Narex bench, mortise and paring chisel sets, but quickly located the nearest Aldi and (last Friday) bought a chisel set and also a 6 pc file set. Each set was $6.99. Aldi's had a large box full of the chisel sets and another box full of the file sets. They were fairly sharp, just like most other new chisels, but I flattened the backs (about 2 min. each) and then sharpened them. After a quick try, the chisels performed very well.

On Sunday, I decided to buy two more chisel sets for my sons. Aldi's had only one chisel set left and about 4 file sets. Purchased one of each and my one son sharpened his chisels Sunday afternoon. They looked and performed as well as my first set. Don't have anything to report on the file sets but all files felt sharp.

Of course. time will tell just how good the chisels and files are .

There is no country of origin on the packaging bot Pau Sellers thinks they were ,\made in Germany.

Let me know what you think of the Aldi 4 pc chisel and 6 pc file sets.

Don

[Simon MacGowen]

Paul Sellers confirmed that the Aldi chisels (100 sets?) he has used are also made in China (not in Germany as some wondered). People seemed to be snapping up these chisels and reporting their finds on his blog. Too bad the stores are not located in out west.

$7 a set including a profit margin for the importer? Only a Chinese factory could produce goods at that kind of price.
Simon

[Alfred Kraemer]

I saw them next to another item of interest to me: a German schlosserhammer machinist's hammer. The hammer was also marked 'Meister' a label that has been around for decades. A good hardware store brand. The chisels -I think- may also be the same as those sold under the Meister brand in Germany. I took a look at the chisels: much the typical design of German chisels, although they are made in China. Regarding the hammer I was disappointed, the ad didnt specify the weight. The only size they sell is 500g, I was looking for one in the lighter 100 to 200 g range.

Alfred

[Evan Ryan]

I just bought the aldi workforce chisels. Package says "made in China," and the chisels are marked "chrome vanadium."

[Robert Flowers]

Picked up a set today "made in China " when I got home found a 1/16" nick on 1/4" 😠 will grind it off this weekend and see how the steel holds up.
OK just got reminded that this Saturday is my anniversary so no shop time this weekend. Maybe next weekend.

[Lonnie Gallaher]

I just read in the paper today that Aldi will be opening 40 plus stores in Southern California.

[steven c newman]

Just picked up a set of these today. Might check them out a little better in a few days. Handles are a bit different to me, as I'm more of a round handle type of user. We'll see how they do.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Has been threads on most woodworking forums, since Paul Sellers endorsed them as good & cheap.

My question: has anyone removed the stock handle and if so, what does the tang look like? If anyone is currently re-handling an Aldo, can you post a pic of the chisel with the handle removed?

Thanks!

[steven c newman]

So far, no nicks in the edges. They do have a burr/wire edge on the bevel's edge. Should be easy enough to polish it off. About the amount I spent on a Muller 22 chisel....

May give them a try-out this weekend, if the water going across the shop floor will just go away.....otherwise, I may have to go help an old guy build an Ark.......

[Johan Gustavsson]

Has been threads on most woodworking forums, since Paul Sellers endorsed them as good & cheap.

My question: has anyone removed the stock handle and if so, what does the tang look like? If anyone is currently re-handling an Aldo, can you post a pic of the chisel with the handle removed?

Thanks!

Take a look at Paul's blog, he made a post about changing the shape of the handle. https://paulsellers.com/2014/12/chan...hisel-handles/

[Matt Radtke]

My question: has anyone removed the stock handle and if so, what does the tang look like? If anyone is currently re-handling an Aldo, can you post a pic of the chisel with the handle removed?

I popped the handled off and it's a simple, square-ish tang. I didn't take a picture, but whipping up a new handle was trivial. I had some maple on hand and drilled a hole in one shot slightly smaller than the tang. Beat it on with a mallet and it worked fine.

I did lend it out--a perfect use for these chisels, but I'm told it did the job just fine.