Cheapest Amazon Chisel Test - Will They Work?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- If you are in a position to purchase good quality chisels this might not be for you. However, if you're on a budget and you want to give woodworking a try, this video might be useful.
This set of chisels are some of cheapest available, costing about £10 at time of filming and are branded Werkzeyt. I'm not paid full retail by them.
They passed the initial test well, they sharpen up just fine. I look forward to testing them out and seeing how they work on the job. They are plenty sharp enough for good work, that's for certain.
I just got myself a set of chisels from Lidl (parkside). For the first time they are selling a set of 6 chisels with a bit of an odd sizes. It comes with 6, 14 ,18, 24, 32 and 35mm in a zipper case. They are also made with beech handles (with a minute different shape) and they have the exact German company info on the back.
I'm sure they will work out well. That range of sizes should have you really well covered!
They look almost identical to a six piece set I bought recently at Harbor Fright, a discount tool dealer here in the U.S for around ten dollars. They where recommended by a creditable woodworker and at that price why not try them out just to find out. They where easy to prepare and sharpen . I used them extensively lately on a potting bench build and was pleasantly surprised at how well they worked. That being said I would not chop dovetails with them unless that was all I had. I also have a thing for the Norton fine India stone and continually recommend them for beginners starting out. Like you say the price of starting out is costly and this is one area that some savings can be realized. I also use a polishing compound, in the U.S., it is called called Autosol but it is made in Germany, great stuff, way better than leather.
I bought 2 sets of similar ones from amazon in the US, and tranformed them into 4 pairs of skew chisels. Hardness on them are ok. I did a file test and I think it is in 56-58 range.
A very pragmatic way to make a useful tool 👌
Maybe they are cheap but sure much better than the chisel that my grand father and my father had and they worked es a cabinet maker all there life
They had something much more essential. Skill, something between their ears and the need to put food on the table.
Good information! Welcome back?
Thank you on both counts.
For the better part of a decade, Paul Sellers was a big advocate of the chisels from Aldi as inexpensive and quality steel. Out of curiosity, how well do these edges hold up on these that you reviewed? For an amateur, not sure it is super critical to have great edge retention as we aren't using them 8 hours a day. Mostly just curious.
Hi Joe. These specifically are pretty poor as chisels go. I wanted to use them to prove a point. The best part of them is the steel, it sharpens up and works the wood without issue.
The Supermarket chisels are a step up but were limited to 4 sizes and missing the very useful 1/4" size. However, with a bit of research I found them to be essentially "white label products". You can buy them under another brand name and I'll be sharing the details shortly.
A lot of guff is talked about chisels in my opinion. Think back 100 or 200 years when the carpenters were making the furniture and structures we still admire today and you’ll realise they didn’t have 2000 grit diamond plates or micron-measured float glass and papers or Tormek machines and laser cut chisel edges- they had whatever the local blacksmith or factory produced and a grubby old oil stone that lasted their lifetime and yet they managed to produce some of the greatest joinery ever produced. I don’t know where you are in the world but I bought a set from Lidl and another from Aldi at £8 each set and they have been brilliant. These look identical so provided you’re prepared to put a bit of work in to flatten and sharpen the blades and maybe smooth off the handles I’d recommend to anyone that they’re a bargain.
@@tonyalways7174 Hi Tony. It surely is a topic that gets a lot of attention. I aim to show myself working with affordable options so people don't feel pressured to spend a lot if it's not the right thing for them at that moment.
Yes, those supermarket chisels are good, these aren't quite as good but you can work with them. Thanks for your feedback.
I have a set of these that believe it or not are front and centre in my buisness, I make kids toys for a living.. These are fine to be fair.. Kinda wish the handles were ash and not beach though is my only gripe with them, I did split one of them down to the ring.. If it were ash like my other chisels they will just mush up after prolonged use.. As you mentioned, handles are a bit on the small side, but hey !! For the price I paid for them I really have not much grounds to complain.. Far better than a set of drapers I picked up, horrible little things.. What ever happened to them.. I used to be all draper back in the 90s..
Hi. Good to know they're working for you. Draper, yeah, not great for woodworking but the "Draper Expert" socket set I have for basic mechanical use seems okay.
They look good to me
They are pretty crude but they will work. If the budget won't stretch these will do a job but spending more money would get better results. A budget £60 gets you four very good chisels. Anything spent above this is for enjoyment and personal preference rather than performance gain.
@@faceedgewoodworking if I’m going to spend some good chisels it’s going to be some Japanese chisels. I’ve already put that on my “tools I want list”
@@uriel-heavensguardian8949 Nice. I don't have that much (virtually zero) experience with Japanese chisels. I flirted with buying some via Buyee but decided I already had enough to keep me going. One day, perhaps.
@@faceedgewoodworking neither do I but alot of people swear by them. And they make awesome tools.
For now I’ll stick with my #Dewalt chisels. Is what got. It’s what’s going to get used. Cheers mate. Have a great awesome day.
@@uriel-heavensguardian8949 likewise, thanks for your recent comments 👌
Excellent review. Thanks for sharing. I couldn't agree more with your assessment of the whole sharpening process. Yes, you could spend hours flattening and polishing to a mirror finish, but, as you say, there really isn't any need to take it to that level. As soon as you start thumping them into bits of wood, that 'shave your arm' sharpness will dull fairly quickly.
I do own a very old set of Marples that I've used for decades at work. However, over the years I've collected a few sets, including the Aldi ones you mention that I picked up about 8 years ago for a ridiculously low price of £5.99. I used them to fit dozens of lock keeps into mahogany frames. They held their edge well.
Today, I picked up another bargain set - this time Screwfix's own brand, Forge Steel. For £13.99, you get five chisels, an Eclipse style honing guide, and a basic rough/smooth oilstone.
But are they any good? Honestly, for the jobbing joiner, they will be just fine. I've already used one that I found in a stud wall on a job a few years ago. Although it was pretty beaten up looking, it sharpened easily, was balanced, and did what you'd expect from a chisel. I suppose, if you are fitting out yachts or making fine furniture, it might be worth going down the bespoke, made in Canada route, but not for the weekend warrior, or someone working on a building site, where tools often fall foul to the 'sticky finger brigade.'
Basic cheap chisels do tend to be okay. If funds free up and we want to go deeper into the options we can. However, a basic set will cover 90% if most woodworkers needs.
They look like good chisels to me at any price.
Hi Paul, they are okay, fine to start with if funds are very tight. But ultimately they aren't great.
@@faceedgewoodworking I can relate because I have a lot of aren't great chisels myself.