Narex Premium 40 mm (1-5/8 Inch) Chisel with Hornbeam Handles 811640

I'm not going to say there aren't better chisels on the market. Of course there are. Lie Nielsen, Veritas, and various European and Japanese makers make fabulous chisels, some of which I've used.However, in my opinion there aren't better chisels than the Narex line for the money. My first exposure to Narex chisels came with a four pack of various sizes I bought at Lee Valley a few years ago to replace a beater set I'd picked up a big box store. The ones I have are a different handle style than this chisel. At first, I was hesitant to order this one because I wasn't sure I'd like the handle, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I actually like it better than the other style. It feels great in the hand.Sadly, most of the Narex chisels sold have that other style, but enough have this shape that I think I'll be able to find more to round out my collection.I haven't had the chance to use this chisel as long as my other set, but I have no doubt that it will perform similarly. So far it's holding its edge very well, and I'm quite happy with it. Like I said, not the best chisel on the market, but a great value nonetheless, and well worth the price.

Hi, I like this chisel and once I am able to flatten the back I am sure it will provide good service. I bought this to cut 1 5/8" x 3 1/4" mortise in a 3" douglas fir workbench. I roughed out the holes with a router and then finished with the chisel. It worked well after I sharpened it. This chisel is 40mm which is not 1 5/8", close but no cigar!

I really appreciate these Narex folks making a product of such high quality and with the right feel/balance of beef and finesse. I don't know what you could compare them with. They are a stand out/ no brainer for my money. I've been purchasing one here and there starting with their mortiseing chisels and have used.them quite a bit. I keep finding myself reaching for them over some of my 20 year favorites. New tools should always be this way. Better than you imagined when you bought them. Good stuff, thank you Narex keep up the good work and I enjoy seeing the offering expanding, I sold.

Really high Quility handle and the blade was pretty sharp. I only had to do a few quick jobs but it worked great and i dont have any issues with it at all.

I finally got this chisel honed and ready to work, but it was as struggle. Here are my observations so far:The Good- The overall shape of the chisel is nice. The beveled edges taper right down to nothing at the edges and this will be capable of fine work.- It has some heft- The handle is a good shape and easy to hold for paring operations; or strike with a mallet.The BadI had high hopes for this chisel that were quickly dashed as soon as I started flattening the back. After a few quick passes on my coarse diamond plate I saw what no one wants to see on a 1 5/8" wide piece of hardened steel - a huge belly. The back was very convex - more so on one side. It took about 6 hours total to flatten about 1/4" of back. I went down to 80 grit wet/dry sandpaper and float glass.Once that was done I took this all the way though my stones from coarse diamond to 8,000 grit waterstone. It took a nice shave ready edge - that rolled the first time I tested it on a piece of hardwood. I honed it up again from fine diamond (600 grit) to 8,000 grit waterstone and again the edge rolled. Having read about inconsistent heat treatment I took this to my grinder and removed a significant portion of steel, flattened the back (again) and honed it up. This time it held an edge okay.Other than that, I am not at all impressed with the fit and finish of the chisel. It's coated in a heavy film which took some time to remove with #0000 steel wool and spirits. Also the wooden handle is completely unfinished. Be sure to give it a coat of shellac or your favorite tool finish before sharpening it or your dirty hands will leave stains.This is my first experience with a Narex product and it will be my last. Even for a low cost option, I feel the amount of work I had to put into this chisel far exceeded it's value. I am fully prepared to tune up a new chisel and have all the equipment to do so, but to have something this out of shape speaks to poor production practices (heat treatment) and quality control.

Solid handle. Minor tuning and ready to go

Took able 15 minutes to fine tune the chisel and it was razor sharp. Can cut cross grain on oak wood with no problem. Will be purchasing a complete set soon.

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