Comparing Top Quality Chisels
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- čas přidán 1. 02. 2024
- In this video we review and compare Blue Spruce, Veritas, and Lie Nielsen Bench Chisels! I know I know, they all rock but let's see if one takes the cake (IMO lol)
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I have had a Veritas handle shatter on me after 11 years of use. I contacted them, they offered me 50% off a new chisel. When I went into their store the staff offered me a one hundred percent replacement. This was after 11 years of use.
Lee valley customer service is amazing! Always had great interactions with them!
They have great support. Once I noticed a defect in my micro-adjustment marking gauge. One part of the body was slightly crookedly pressed into the other. This led to the fact that the rod was not perpendicular to the reference plane, and the marking line could double slightly depending on the direction of its movement. About six months after the purchase I wrote to Lee Valley. They admitted that this was a defect and sent me a new gauge for free.
Good perspective, thanks for sharing
Great video thanks for sharing
You should do a review of some older chisels.. I even have some old 750s I’d be willing to send.
That is a great idea! And in the works! Gotta keep testing and then I can do individuals reviews of all these diff chisels :D
I am really going to push and try to get all the testing done before June :D
If you haven’t, I’d also recommend the Kimmons Hand Tools chisels. Handcrafted in Ohio, excellent quality. I have one of his scrapers with CPM Magnacut, just ordered the V2
I want to try one so bad! I know I'll never be able to aford them but I have heard amazing things!
Thanks for another great video, Jamie! I just got a dovetail chisel from BS and really like it. I think because of the handle, LN and Ver are almost completely different tools. Have a good one, Jamie, and I'm looking forward to a comparison of butt chisels.
the dovetail chisels are 100% on my list and I fully agree with you. The steel on these are close enough that it is coming down to the finer details and comfort.
Narex Richters for me. I have large hands and I bang on chisels all the time.
I have CDO. Its like OCD but in alphabetical order
YES! I wanted to do that but people wouldn't understand 😕
You are right about the handle fitting you being important, but since it is so easy to shape them to your liking they do not have to be a deciding factor in purchasing and we can only concentrate on the steel. James Wright had a video about reshaping handles to octagonal shape without taking them off and I was a bit hesitant to change my nicer chisels, but it paid off in the end.
Also a great point! Ive never been able to bring myself to do that because I always think resale. only because I "buy, try, sell" a lot with my tools. But I think I am getting down to the tools I want to keep so maybe one day ill modify the handles and make them keeper keepers hahah thank you!
One think to note is that Blue Spruce do also offer 2 sizes of handles (they had different styles in the past, but they seemingly eliminated some options to help speed production up or something). Are the ones you have the standard length? or the long ones? I have bigger hands and found the standard to be too small, but the long ones are perfect. Same profile, but just stretched longer.
Great point!! Yes this one is the standard handle size
FYI I agree about having a reference poit. I purshased a set of Richters becausevthey are at a beeter orice point than the others I was considering and perfirm very well. The blsdes are well formed and finished (although the backs of some were convex, which takes a lot of work to flatten, Once those werre flattened my only complaint was the lack of a reference. So i created a flat un the underside parallel to the blade, which provides the desired reference. It has the side benefit of preventine the very narrow ones from rolling when set down. I upgraded from a set of Stanley Sweethearts because the handles on the Stanley were too small . The blades on the Richters are better in shape, quality of finish, and quakity of steel.
The Richters are awesome chisels!!!
That is also a great idea about making a reference point if there isn't one. I may have to do that on the 1/4" Blue Spruce cus I think it will bug me hahaha
Hey Jamie I got something interesting for you… just got a half inch a2 chisel from lie Nelson…then week later in Tom’s tool box I see they have the o1 in 7/16 and 5/16 being a tool junkie I buy both… well they came with 25 degree bevels which is good but web and my paperwork say 30… and the 7/16 is thicker than my 1/2 inch a2 one and the 5/16 is thinner then both..also lie Nelson is all perfection I’m shocked this isn’t in any sub titles on web site.. I find it interesting and wanna see what u thought..
Wow that is very interesting! And very uncommon for LN. Did you try calling them?
My email is batcavecreations2019@gmail.com if you wanna reach out there
The Richter handles can be converted to a Lie-Nielsen style without too much trouble by chopping ~1" off the end and rounding the corner over. I did this on my three smallest sizes and I really like how comfortable they are.
I am also torn on the Blue Spruce resin-infused handles. They're durable, I'm sure, and feel good when you're holding the handle, but it must be a disadvantage any time you are using the pencil grip. In that case, you want the CG to be closer to the edge.
100% agree you can modify handles, I'm just lazy haha
I was surprised that the weight of the handle in the pencil grip. It actually helped me tell of I was straight or not. At an angle to the side you feel that weight pulling and know to correct it
@@BatCaveCreations Oh interesting, I hadn't thought of the weight as a benefit for telling plumb. I think my hand muscles don't have the endurance for lots of chopping in pencil grip, so anything that takes the load off helps.
@cwell2112 same! Mine don't either. This one didn't bother me to much, I will say that I am starting to leant towards the butt chisels more for that reason tho. They are easier on the hands
I have the Veritas and kinda like the longer handles, It makes me push with the grip and not with the palm like the shorter handles do (over the years that palm pressure can mess up the nerves).
Valid point! I think my baby hands don't help hahaha
I got one of the Veritas and Narex Richters to decide what set to get. The Veritas was really nice in the hand, held an edge longer, and the lapping on the back was great, but the handle cap refused to stay on without some loctite and the sharp sides caused me some issues. After lapping and sharpening the Richter performed just as well, feels only slightly less nice, and held an edge about 75% as long. In the end i went with the Richter set since it's almost half the price, chisels are meant to be used and abused so I'd rather save that money for inevitable replacements.
I did a comparison with Veritas Vs Richter and I eas highly impressed at how well the Richter stood their ground against the veritas!
Thanks for the comparisons. Very interesting. I do agree that the backs should be flat if you're paying a premium for the chisels. That's one of the reasons why I haven't splurged on either the LN or LV chisels.
I just ordered a 5/8" Blue Spruce paring chisel with the long handle. I don't have small hands, but since I wear an XL glove, I guess they are at least above average. I guessed at the handle length. Since it is for paring operations I hope the extra length won't be an issue. If it is I'll know better next time :-).
I have two sets of Stanley chisels, the Bailey's and the Sweethearts. They meet my needs. I think if I actually do get more involved with woodworking than I currently am, I might consider an upgrade to the Blue Spruce, but I'll most likely just buy two of whatever sizes I find I use the most. For the odd sizes that rarely get used, I'll probably just pick up some quality lesser expensive chisels.
I think the longer handle will be good for you, when I buy gloves they are usually medium or sometimes large hahaha
I also agree about buying the sizes you need. I am trying to get outta the "gotta catch em all" mentality. I now have the Blue Spruce 1/4 and 3/4 and then the 5/8 butt chisel that will do most if not all of what I need. I have a vintage 1/8 for now but may upgrade that eventually because I reach for it a lot.
@@BatCaveCreations I understand the "gotta have them all" mindset. My Bailey's were purchased as a set of five and the Sweethearts were a set of 8. The Bailey's were a gift, I bought the Sweethearts at a great price, and I convinced myself the new set were upgrades. 😂
I have way too many tools and really need to thin the herd down to what I use and let someone else buy the ones I don't use to store them at their house instead of me storing them in mine. 🙂
@red58impala ahhaa yes! I was the same way. At one point I had I think 5 full sets of chisels.... I kept trying to justify it to myself and finally sold them all and am down to just those 3 blue spruce, a vintage 1/8 and 2 dovetail narex I'm testing out. I think thats it but... I haven't looked. Don't want to hahaha
I have 4 newer Blue Spruce tools (different types, different times)all with “curly” maple handles, all with not a trace of curl to be seen.
Dang! That sucks did you reach out to them?
All those reviews and videos and not a mention of one of the best chisels on the market, IBC. Top notch and made in Canada, eh !🇨🇦👍👨🦳
I tried to get one to borrow :( only people in Canada had them and the shipping would have been too $$$
I know you are changing over to BST chisels now, so I thought I'd let you know the 5/8 inch bench chisel is $20 off today. I just ordered mine 😀
Noooo!!! I just bought a bunch of Millers Falls planes!! Why does the discount have to be NOW!!! Lol
Thank you for the heads up!!!
I know what you mean. It seem like every time I make a big purchase, something I have been wanting goes on sale. Life can be SOOOOO tough 😉😊@@BatCaveCreations
@@SaintFredrocks hahahha it's UNFAIR! Hahaha
The Lee Valley catalog states the Veritas mortise chisel is not available.
Correct, they use to make them in A2 then went to PMV11, and now it is too expensive to make PMV11 in the mortice chisel. We are hoping they come back out with the A2 ones at least. I snagged all of mine at the last seconds sale cus I knew they were going away. We heard it in the Veritas Tool Nerds Facebook group
I like veritas because it's the one I have😂
VERY good reason!!!!! I borrowed the Veritas so haha I was between the LN and Blue Spruce cus I had both lol
Eyes.
You have eyes to see the orientation of the blade.
If orientation by feel is important to a person, they can put a flat on the back of the handle.
Someone suggested grinding an indent on the side of the chisel, I think imma do that with the 1/4 cus a registration point by feel is important to me
@@BatCaveCreations
If you are going to go to the trouble of modifying handles, do it so you get two benefits instead of just one.
Flattening the back side of the chisel handle gives you a tactile reference, plus it lets the chisel lay at a lower angle to the workpiece.
I don’t know if u seen my message but they were new old stock
Oh ok that may explain it
Those are all nonsense prices - I prefer Ashley Iles Mk2 Bevel Edged Chisels - Superb quality, balanced, great handles hold an edge and approx $40 for a 1/2" chisel. Made in the UK.
I love AI chisels they are awesome too. Had a set before switching to LN only because I could change the handle of the LN.
Great question about why the chisels don't come ready out of the box. Same with planes. Lame.
RIGHT! Like come on!!!
somehow it feels like a blue spruce commercial.....