Grizzly Industrial G7102 - Japanese Chisels - 10 pc. Set

I've read the reviews for these and others chisels in the FWW test. I was suprised to find it was pretty accurate in saying these were a great value along with the Narex western chisels (I have those also).I prefer the western chisels for hand use (without a mallet), but the Japanese chisels are wonderful for chopping, and they do indeed seem to hold an edge longer than the Narex or the vintage stanley I have.As one reviewer said the edge fails by little chips instead of rolling over (which is what I've experienced with the western chisels).The set I have has held up very well, through many whacks with he mallet, and quite of bit of intentional abuse. I drove them through knots and even a brad, with decent results and minor damage to the edge. I even pried out waste with them (a no-no for japanese chisels).It did seem to take me longer to sharpen these, especially after I had to restore an edge (dropped on concrete) with a large chip in it. but only because you are not suppose to grind them (I would normally hollow grind and then use stones). I think it is because of the hollowed area on the back of the chisel which make flatten a quick operation would be exposed on the edge too quickly with grinding (but I'm not sure).Pros:Edge lasts longer than most of my western chisels (they do fail/dull, just a little later and differently than my western chisels)Short, easy to handle for chopping with a malletPrice - for about ten per chisel, you get a very good edgeCons:Not great for using by hand (paring or like a butt chisel)Thick edges are not good for chopping out dovetails or tight areas.Sharpening can take longer, especially to restore an edge.Overall I like the chisels for heavy chopping chores, but I find that I don't really perform those kind of operations as much (power tools :) and while these to hold an edge very well, I don't like working with them by hand (much prefer my old stanleys). If you want a set for dovetails, I'd look elsewhere. If I could easily rehandle these with a stanley 750 wasp style handle I'd say they were just about perfect (restoring an edge still being a negative).

Amateur handels. good stel! us?

Japanese chisels are usually very expensive because of the way in which they are fabricated. These chisels are remarkably inexpensive compared to other sources. I received this set as a gift and immediately spent some time flattening the backs and then sharpening at 30 degrees up through 8000 grit. Mirror bright.The edges chip and dull almost immediately, something you don't see with even soft metal chisels like Marples. This chipping was true across the entire set. The steel is very poor quality.These chisels are not what you want if you expect to use them for quality woodworking. For the same money, you can get a much better set of Lee Valley or Hirsch chisels. I would avoid these.

Nice but I'd have payed more and gone for the Stanley Sweethearts if I could have my time over.The handles are not that impressive and have a horrible finish on them that much be removed.If you really need this many chisels then it is a bargain but in hindsight I'd go for only a few select chisels of better quality. I recommend 3/16", 1/4" and a 1/2" for fine woodworking. If you really need a massive chisel these are not the chisels you are looking for. Instead, get a splitproof irwin and go to town on it.

I did lots of research before buying these chisels and found they were very close in quality to some much more expensive ones. If you are a professional woodworker and will use your chisels a lot, you may want to make the investment in the Matsumura Blue Steel chisels. They will hold their edge longer, but for the hobbyist or non-pro, the difference is negligible.These Grizzly Chisels came virtually ready for use, something uncommon among chisels. Just a few passes on a 6000 grit sharpening stone and I could shave with them. If you don't care if your chisels are SCARY sharp and just like them sharp, then they are ready to use out of the box.Their design makes them easy to use. They have solid construction and are well balanced. Far superior to Stanley's.