Kirschen1101000 6-Piece Chisel Set in Wood Box

Excellent German craftsmanship. Sharp as a raisor. Peals hard wood ( like oak) with moderate presure. Cuts across grain with a malot smoothly without tearing the wood. Works like a plane.Worth the price. Buy em.

It’s amazing how many hours of our lives we now put into gathering every last minuscule bit of data before we make a tool purchase (or any other purchase for that matter - I’ll never get back the half-hour I spent comparing kitchen hand mixers…like there is any difference…not once has a guest ever stormed out of my house raging because the potatoes weren’t able to be whipped by the mixer. And everyone knows those are produced at a quality that is going to wear out or break within ten years, anyway regardless of the name on the badge).I’ve digressed…point is: we obsess about our purchases here in this century twenty-first. And we do this knowing full well whatever the item in question, we will eventually - most likely - outgrow it or tire of it, upgrade it or just decide to try something else simply to add to our never ending collection of tools…because, every person who is into tools knows the one with the most tools at the end of his or her life wins. Wins what, well, that’s anybody’s guess. I like to think Stanley and Bailey will be at the gates to greet me and give me a hearty handshake of congratulations. I’ll let you know.Out of respect for your data gathering process as you contemplate this purchase, I offer the following in the hope you will spend less time wrestling with your decision: these are great chisels.Are these the greatest chisels ever produced? Who knows. For every vote no there is a vote yes. Some want socket handles, some tang handles. Some hate the polishing Kirschen does, others are fans. Some say narrower bevel landings are most important in choosing a chisel, others don’t. For me, it comes down to this: these chisels cost me $20 each when bought as a set and for $20 each, I haven’t seen better chisels. They come with a well-made little box to store them as well, if that’s your thing.I took two out of the box to test and was able to easily shave arm hair without doing any honing. I was able to pare both little trimmings and large scallops from a board easily and the surface left behind was as smooth as if planed. No reason to think chopping won’t have similar results. Pretty impressive at this price point. I was expecting to have to flatten the backs some and pass them over Diamond stones and a strop to be able to shave hair and pare as fine shavings as I did right out of the box.The manufacturer of these has been making chisels forever and the steel is well-regarded. It is hardened more than most chisels so it will take some extra time to sharpen compared to, say, the cheapest-level Narex chisels (which are, in turn, great chisels for their very low price point as I’m sure you already know), so if that thought bugs you, these aren’t for you.If you want the best new chisels you can possibly find on the market right now, you probably shouldn’t be looking at chisels at this price point. These are excellent chisels for $20 each. If that’s your budget, these get my vote, and I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Probably the best purchase I’ve ever made in my woodworking journey! These are really nice! They are sharp as a razor and they hold their edge like no other!

The first thing that I would like to clear up for those of you who read the few negative reviews and wonder about the quality of these chisels; they are very good and worth the price. I do not know what some were expecting, or thinking that they are Chinese junk. They have it wrong. Sure, it is possible to pay several times the price of this set and get a "presentation quality" case and highly polished, exotic wood handles, but the tool quality will not be any better.The case is very well built, and appears to be birch. Solid wood sides with box joints, along with quality plywood top and bottom, make for a sturdy and good looking container for your chisels. Nothing shoddy here. The chisel handles are made from hornbeam, a smaller tree that is also known as musclewood or ironwood because of its strength and density. It is not a particularly beautiful wood, but is the perfect choice for a tool handle. The handles are comfortable to the hand, and are finished to a smooth, semigloss surface. Again, perfect for a working tool. Now the best part: the steel. The high carbon steel alloy is treated to achieve a Rockwell hardness of 61. That is very hard! You will find that when you do the honing/polishing, (yes, expect to do this on all new chisels), that it is slow going due to that extreme hardness, but you then wind up with an edge that stays sharp for much longer than average, and will require only minor touch-ups after cutting a lot of hardwood.They are a joy to use, and will become a family heirloom. They really are that good.