Up until this point in my hand tool journey I’ve been working with a handful of beater chisels (mostly sockets) from a tool meet, as well as a few plastic handled Stanleys I had lying around. These have been good for learning to sharpen and some starter projects. But now I want something nicer, and something with narrow lands.

I was looking at a set of Veritas bench chisels in O1, but ended up with a set of Ashley Iles partly because of price, partly because the set included a 1/8” chisel. They arrived yesterday, and wow, they seem delicate. I’m afraid to hit one with a mallet. Am I just too used to the heavy build of my beater chisels? What’s your experience with AI durability? I’m not concerned about edge, more about bending the tang or breaking the handle. I should add that I don’t strike my chisels unusually hard or use a clawhammer on them or open paint cans with them or anything like that.

Thanks, Herv