Does anyone have any opinions on the quality of the GarrettWade branded chisels? They are shown in the latest catalog at a pretty reasonable price point. But I don't want to pick them up if they stink. :)
Thanks. Jeff
The same Czech ones Lee Valley sells for a fraction of the price? Or the Crown shinies?
I got one of the Czech chisels (from LV). It's ok. The handle dye made an awful mess when I stripped the shipping lacquer off the blade. Some light sanding and a couple coats of shellac took care of that. The back was reasonably flat right out of the box. The lower ferrule looks kinda chintzy, but the top one means business. I like the length of the blade.
Someone else can comment on the Crowns.
Yep, they appear to be the same chisels as the Lee Valley 'Narex' chisels. And the price is definitely better at Lee Valley (although they don't come in a fancy wood box apparently.) A set of eight chisels is currently listed at $54.
Thanks for the pointer!
Although you didn't ask the question, you might thing about picking up old chisels at flea markets; I generally don't pay more than $2-$5 apiece for the ones with handles, and those without handles $1, and with the same sharpening effort they work just fine. There's a lot of stuff out there.
Mutt
LV will also sell you a wooden box. Look for the description of their branded chisels. Doesn't everyone memorize the LV catalog?
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