New production chisels poll

[Bruce Haugen]

Me too. And they hadn't had any love yet in the poll so I voted for them (2C/H)

I don't understand this, either. I have a set of Hirsch chisels I bought on the advice of a very experienced friend. My favorite set is my Bergs, but the Hirsch take a very good edge and hold it a long time. Yes, the back is polished too much, but that can be fixed. I also replaced the handles. That's okay; I've replaced handles on Stiletto paring, Stanley #60 and Narex mortise chisels, too.

I'd say that for the money they're hard to beat.

[george wilson]

Hirsch were at or near the top of performanbce in a FWW test several years ago. But then,they did ANOTHER test,and got pretty different results. My Pfiels did not do so well in test #1,which I did not agree with. In test #2,my Pfiel chisels scored very high. I think Japanese chisels won both contests. I don't understand the differences gotten in these 2 tests. It seemed to me that in test #1,the tester used a good,scientific method to test all the chisels equally,by dropping them held in a simple machine he made,onto pieces of white oak. Yet,the 2 tests came out very different. It is certainly very confusing when a magazine runs TWO chisel tests,and gets totally different results! NOT GOOD!!!!!

I still like my OLD 1960's Marples just fine,and my newer Pfiels. I haven't decided to cough up about $400.00 for fancier ones yet! All the work I have posted here was done with the 1965ish Marples I own,and though I have several sets,they are still my "go to" set.
So,as out dated as they are,I'll have to stick with the Marples and Pfiels ,at least till I decide to spend a pile of cash on something more exotic! The amount of work I now am doing doesn't warrant it. Maybe when I get new knees and a new thumb joint.

I think the real finding should be: A GOOD craftsman can get excellent results with ANY chisels,as long as they are capable of holding a reasonable edge for at least a short while. When I was young,I got good work done with a 50 cent hardware chisel,with a 1/8" thick stamped out blade and a yellow handle. Sharpened on an old gray,el cheapo stone,and stropped on paper till quite sharp. It was all I had. That,and a lot of determination and energy.

[John C Cox]

It's pretty interesting how the preferences here have stayed the same through the poll as it progressed... And the interesting thing to me is that the 2 most expensive choices hold a long lead - 70% between the LN and PM-V11 to 30% everything else...

And since my rehardened junk chisels are clearly the equivalent of the LN... That means logically I need the PM-V11...

I mean.. It's the obvious conclusion.

[Ted Phillips]

I voted for LN, but I actually buy most of my chisels from Dave at Blue Spruce Toolworks...

[Stew Denton]

Hi All,

My response will the least useful of all. The last new chisel I bought was a new Stanley sweet heart 1/8 inch, bought recently, and I have not used it so don't know how well it will do. Other than that one chisel, the last (and only other) new chisels I bought (have ever bought new) were two Stanley handyman chisels, and that was back in 1970 or so. They have actually served me quite well, which is a surprise. However, on one of them the chisel will turn on the handle, (but it does not turn very easily) so that is not good. (The better ones at the time, in the lumber yard in our little town, were Stanley 60s, but they were too pricy for me, at maybe $4.50 or so each, I think, but it may have been $6.50, it has been long enough ago that I don't remember for certain, but think it may have been the $4.50 figure.)

No matter, what ever the price was, it was too high for me at the time, but I looked longingly at them on the tool rack. I now have a pretty good flock of vintage 60s, and probably didn't pay much over $4.50 for them now (if that), on that auction site, but now the $4.50 doesn't seem to be too pricy, times change. I have only sharpened up a tiny number of those #60s, but they have also done very well for me. They are better chisels in my view than the handyman ones, at least the handles are much better, but I use them primarily for carpentry not fine woodworking, at least not yet.

I do have some vintage socket chisels from probably mostly 100 to 100+ years old, that need handles put on them, and they should get them some day. They aren't new chisels, however, since they are all likely from 60+ to 100+ year old, so they don't pertain.

Stew

[Chris Hachet]

I voted for LN, but I actually buy most of my chisels from Dave at Blue Spruce Toolworks...

I plan to buy several tools from them in the near future. They seem like an excellent product.

[Chris Hachet]

I voted for the Messerschmidt made chisels...only because IF I were going to buy any NEW chisels, it would be from them. Otherwise, I would not have voted. My current "users" are the Aldis, a few Witherbys, a few Buck Brothers ( NOT from HD) and a few by Butcher. Mortise chisels are either a New Haven Edge Tool, a Japanese 12mm, and a Witherby 3/8"....The "wide chisel"( 1-1/2") is a Jennings. Have a couple drawers of "cheap" chisels I can loan out.........

...and all of your chisels are nice and sharp, the most important thing in making any edge tool work....