Background. I know absolutely nothing about Japanese chisels. I had a $150 VISA gift card that was about to expire, and I didnt have any high priority "needs". But I had been wishing for a couple small, triangular chisels to ease my dovetail work. I stumbled onto these at LV as I searched for "dovetail chisels". LINK

So I ordered a 1/8" and a 1/4" chisel. They came today.

First impressions.
* They were extremely well packaged, each in its own small box, wrapped in a heavy plastic envelope and then bubble wrap.
* After unpacking, the first thing that caught my attention was the weight. Both chisels were heavier than I expected. The second thing I noticed was that both were very well balanced.
* The fit and finish was good and both chisels felt comfortable in my hand.
* As you saw from my earlier post, I wasnt sure how far I had to go with prepping them. Someone here noticed what I missed in LV's ad - the crown (hoops) are already set. And I was advised that I didnt need to remove the handle.
* The handle fit the ferrule well and the transition from handle to ferrule matched what I'd seen in pictures on Stan Covington's site. (Very glad I didnt have to mess with shaping that!)
* Flattening was quick and easy on my diamond plate. The 1/8" was challenging because it is so narrow, but it was quickly done. The 1/4" was easier and was also quickly done.
* Sharpening both chisels went quickly and easily. I sharpened to 6000 grit and then carefully stropped with green compound on leather. I was able to effortlessly pare pine end grain, with both chisels.

Then, I used the 1/4" to tune some dovetails. The only word I can think of to describe the control I had was "finesse". I felt like I was finessing that joint - not a term I have ever considered in reference to western chisels. But it felt like I had a level of control with the Japanese tool that I have never experienced. Some of that was the very sharp edge the White Steel takes. But there's more to it I think.... the balance, the shape and length of the handle, the triangular shape of the blade. It all comes together to make this a very nice tool at a fair price.

Those are first impressions. We'll see if I fall in love with these (as I fear) and end up with more.

Fred