Chisel reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 172 Reddit reviews across 16 subreddits and 43 posts to rank the best Chisel brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/BeginnerWoodWorking, r/woodworking, r/handtools, r/JapaneseWoodworking, r/Carpentry. Top-rated brands include Narex (4.5/5), Chisel (4.4/5), Stanley (4.0/5).
Stats
Reviews172
Subreddits16
Posts43
Brands68
Products53
172 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Narex
4.5
(39)
"Very happy with both."
"Narex Richter is the best bang for the buck."
"Their top end "Richter" are pretty close to Vertitas / Ashley Isles."
"Wood by wright did a large test on YouTube, the end result was that Nares Richter are the best."
"Narex Richter are hard to beat. If you want to buy English made then Ashley Isles are worth a look."
"Very nice set of chisels in a box"
"For a beginner asking this question, the narex richters are a great bang for the buck."
"I would go with the Narex classic chisels. They are impossible to beat as an entry level chisel."
"I bought the unhandled Narex premium set and made London pattern handles for them."
"Narex makes a fantastic chisel at a great price."
#2
Chisel
4.4
(14)
"I always use Chisel Reborn, Rechiseled and Chipped"
"Chisel Reborn, Chisel Chipped Integration, Artemis' Laboratory Blocks"
"Chisel Reborn + Factory Blocks"
"Just get chipped atp"
"Rechiseled paired with Chipped"
"Rechiseled"
"Rechisled"
"Otherwise Rechiseled i think"
"I use a 40 mm japanese chisel or a western style block plane for this."
"I typically recommend beginners start with white steel chisels, especially if they haven’t sharpened before."
#3
Stanley
4.0
(11)
"I have the stanley 750 series 4 chisel set. I love them."
"Stanley Sweet hearts."
"The Stanley sweetheart socket chisel set is my go to."
"Ive had the same Stanley's for 14yrs with the rod running thru."
"Stanley sweethearts for joinery/fine woodworking."
"The 4 pack of Stanley Sweethearts and some sharpening stones is a great place to start."
"I started with the 4 set Stanley Sweetheart 750 but ended up spending more on top of that."
"I bought the Stanley Sweetheart chisels about 5 years ago and overall I’ve been pretty happy."
"I have a 4 set of the stanley sweethearts. i like them. hold an edge well."
"They are pretty good for it's money. Not the hardest but you'll get plenty of sharpening practice with these."
#4
Marples
4.6
(8)
"I was amazed how well these work, how comfortable they feel in the hand."
"Ive got a set of marples for bench work and for field work. love my marples."
"Marples are the best I’ve ever had."
"Marples are the best I’ve ever had."
"Definitely Marples. Over the last 17 years iv had 2 sets, currently have this set."
"If those are same as Marples Blue Chips you can't beat them for the price"
"Marples."
"I like marples or the old buck chisels, but a sharp Pittsburgh can do the job just fine."
#5
Veritas
4.8
(5)
"1/4”, 1/2” and 1” PM-V11 from Veritas."
"Look the premier makers of the day. Lie-Nielsen. Veritas. Blue Spruce."
"For new chisels I like the veritas PMV-11 chisels."
"I'd get one or two quality chisels such as 1/2 and 3/4 from veritas, lie Nielsen, or narex."
"Veritas are nice."
#6
Lee Valley
4.4
(5)
"I have a couple of the Lee Valley chisels and they are great."
"Narex, anything from lee valley will be of quality."
"If you buy them from a place like LeeValley, you can buy single ones for $20 each"
"I like my yellow handled lee valley chisels. Does whatever I need."
"Check out Lee Valley, they have a wide range of good to excellent chisels."
#7
Lie-Nielsen
5.0
(4)
"Lie Nielsen make great chisels."
"Identify what style of chisel (tang vs. socket). I prefer tang, YMMV."
"If you spend the upper end of your budget, you can get a set from Lie Nielsen."
"Lie-Nielsen if cost is not a concern."
#8
Narex Chisels
5.0
(3)
"I second getting 1 or 2 good quality chisels."
"They’re a great chisel. I like that they’re not tapered, helps me to keep straight walls."
"Another vote for Narex. Great chisels!"
#9
Narex Richter Chisels
5.0
(3)
"Another +1 for Narex Richters. I use my 1/4 and 1/2 all the time and love them."
"I'll second the Narex Richter chisels. I've got a few of them now and I really like them compared to what I bought at first."
"I really enjoy my narex richter chisels. They hold a sharp edge for a long time and the build quality is excellent."
#10
Specialized
4.7
(3)
"My partner has a Chisel and it's fantastic. A nimble, fast and comfortable bike."
"This chisel would be my choice if I did it again."
"Chisel is sold! It's a great bike that is light, decent spec, easy to upgrade and ride."
#11
Pfeil
4.7
(3)
"Pfeil for the win (for me)."
"I have Pfiel chisels and they are about the same price as Narex and I love them."
#12
Japanese Chisels
4.3
(3)
"Japanese chisels will take and hold a sharper edge and if anyone tells you otherwise, don’t take any sharpening advice from them!"
"I have Japanese chisels, Marples, Hettich etc."
"If you want Japanese chisels, you have to either buy used via Buyee."
#13
MHG
4.3
(3)
"MHG, Kitchen, etc.. Best bang for the buck are old chisels."
"They're not expensive and made from a very hard and tough steel."
"Most blogs and forums recommend MHG for their harder and more durable steel and quality of the finish."
#14
Irwin Marples
4.3
(3)
"For fine work and joinery I have some nice Irwin Marples red and yellow."
"I might would suggest Irwin Marples chisels."
"Honestly a set of Irwin Marples or Stanley chisels will do just fine."
#15
Two Cherries
4.0
(3)
"Honestly, I found myself using only the 6, 12, and 26 mm."
"I have a set of Two Cherries and Narex Richter."
"I have these and quite happy with them. German steel, Two Cherries 500-1561 6-Piece"
#16
Irwin
3.7
(3)
"I like my Irwin chisels. Nice sized handle."
"I like my Irwin chisels I got at Lowe’s."
"Get a set of cheap chisels to practice."
#17
Buck Bros
3.7
(3)
"I got started with a cheap set of US made Buck Bros from Home Depot and that helped me know what sizes I needed. Later I ended up with some Lie Nielsens."
"I have an old buck bros that is my daily beater have used it to pull nails, staples, crack concrete etc."
"Buck bros with the yellow and black handle from home depot. They are good enough for jobs."
#18
Kevin Lee
5.0
(2)
"Kevin Lee makes everything from budget diamond irons to excellent French pattern irons."
"Best quality to price is hands down Kevin Lee."
#19
DSPIAE
5.0
(2)
"I just ordered the Dspiae chisel set. Thanks for the feedback guys!"
"I have DSPIAE scrubbing tools and they're great."
#20
HSS Chisel
4.0
(2)
"I keep a couple of hss chisels in my tool box and they work great."
"If you have an electric grinder... then go with the HSS chisels."
#21
Ashley Isles
4.0
(2)
"I like my Ashley Isles, it looks like the Pfiel chisels are good as well."
"Ashley isles."
#22
Iyoroi
3.5
(2)
"Iyoroi chisels are a good basic Japanese chisel with a great reputation."
"However keep in mind that the japanese mortise chisel cannot be used like a pigsticker."
#23
Rex Kruger
5.0
(1)
"He has some great videos on chisels and beginner woodworking in general."
#24
Narex Richter
5.0
(1)
"Narex Richter, Stubai sells some very nice chisels on Amazon."
#25
Stubai
5.0
(1)
"Stubai sells some very nice chisels on Amazon."
#26
Sukemaru White Steel Chisels
5.0
(1)
"I've been very happy with the sukemaru white steel chisels, they are pretty amazing."
#27
Mukomachi
5.0
(1)
"I love my Mukomachi chisels from both Jindaiko-Honpo and Covington and sons"
#28
Fujihiro
5.0
(1)
"I recently ordered a few Fujihiro chisels from Hidatool."
#29
Kirschen
5.0
(1)
"German made Kirschen is very high quality."
#30
Hida
5.0
(1)
"Spend your $ buying two really nice ones as opposed to sets of less nice one."
#31
Proto
5.0
(1)
"I have Proto cold chisel set and love them!!"
#32
Kikuhiromaru
5.0
(1)
"Went with a Kikuhiromaru bench chisel set from Kurashinge."
#33
Richter
5.0
(1)
"Richter for sure, they're my 1st good set of chisels and they're perfect for my needs."
#34
Sukemaru
5.0
(1)
"Sukemaru white steel can’t be beaten for a 10 set of oire nomi size price vs performance is unmatched."
#35
Estwing
5.0
(1)
"I have estwing rock chisels and really like the build quality."
#36
Nie Nielson Socket Chisels
5.0
(1)
"If you dont want to spend hours setting them up, the Nie Nielson socket chisels are the best I've ever seen for ready to go out of the box."
#37
Narex Premium Bench Chisels
5.0
(1)
"Narex may not be “the best” but for the price they are superb."
#38
Paul Sellers
5.0
(1)
"If you are starting out with chisels (or hand tools in general) I recommend watching a few Paul Sellers videos."
#39
Mountain Woodcarvers
4.0
(1)
"You can get 10 chisels cheap cheap"
#40
Kurashige Tools
4.0
(1)
"If you're new to Japanese chisels I might suggest looking on the lower end of your price range."
#41
Japanese Tools
4.0
(1)
"EBay has a lot of options for Japanese tools."
#42
Stan Covington and Sons
4.0
(1)
"Also consider Stan Covington and Sons (based in Tokyo) if looking for professional grade tools."
#43
Bahco
4.0
(1)
"Bahco."
#44
SDS Electric Chisel
4.0
(1)
"Maybe go the SDS electric way? They have 3 chisels kits, can get used even."
#45
Dewalt Side Strike Chisels
4.0
(1)
"I've got some weirdo Dewalt 'side strike' chisels for rough work."
#46
Bailey's
4.0
(1)
"I've been happy with my Bailey's"
#47
Power Grip
4.0
(1)
"Power grip chisels are great. They are pretty cheap on amazon."
#48
Weaver
4.0
(1)
"I use 4mm and 5mm diamond chisels from weaver. They work great."
#49
Ioroi
4.0
(1)
"Ioroi makes some good ones that aren't too wildly priced."
#50
Blue Spruce
4.0
(1)
"I've been happy with my Blue Spruce chisels."
#51
Wood River
4.0
(1)
"I use Wood River bench chisels. A bit pricey, but ready to use right out of the box."
#52
Madworks
4.0
(1)
"Madworks or Dspaie make good chisels."
#53
Sandvik
4.0
(1)
"For your first chisels though I’d get a set of Sandviks."
#54
Ashley Iles
4.0
(1)
"Thoroughly recommend Ashley Iles. Very refined chisels."
#55
Mayhew
4.0
(1)
"Mayhew is good stuff. USA made too."
#56
SK
4.0
(1)
"SK imo. US made."
#57
Yorkshine
4.0
(1)
"Quality is outstanding. Nice design and finish, mirror polished teeth, heavy, comfortable handles."
#58
WoodRiver
4.0
(1)
"I bought a WoodRiver 6 Piece Bench Chisel Set ~1 year ago and have been happy with the quality."
#59
Stanley Sweetheart Chisels
4.0
(1)
"The Stanley sweetheart chisels are good, my buddy really loves them."
#60
Narex Stuff
4.0
(1)
"I like my Narex stuff."
#61
Narex Bench Chisels
4.0
(1)
"I'm very happy with mine. I got the set of six unhandled bench chisels from taytools."
#62
Wood by Wright Chisels
4.0
(1)
"Check out Wood by Wright on YouTube. He has a video testing the various chisels that are on the market."
#63
Cold Steel
4.0
(1)
"You can get a lot done with a cold steel chisel. You're just going to have to put a bit more work in."
#64
Tasai
3.0
(1)
"Some of the Japanese chisels can be astronomical in price."
#65
Harbor Freight
3.0
(1)
"My good chisels at work and at home is the yellow handled harbor freight 4 pack."
#66
Trojan
3.0
(1)
"He provided a single Trojan brand cold chisel and 2lb hammer for each of us, which is middle of the range stuff"
#67
Okayama Takeshi
3.0
(1)
"On pure performance I think Okayama Takeshi chisel (but it’s hideous)."
#68
Hardened Steel Chisel
3.0
(1)
"Ive destroyed several chisels on basalt... those from hardened steel have better durability."
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