Chisels reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 163 Reddit reviews across 11 subreddits and 41 posts to rank the best Chisels brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/woodworking, r/handtools, r/Leathercraft, r/Tools, r/Woodcarving. Top-rated brands include Narex (4.0/5), Stanley (4.1/5), Ashley Iles (4.1/5).
Stats
Reviews163
Subreddits11
Posts41
Brands61
Products74
163 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Narex
4.0
(40)
"Love my narex."
"Narex if you want new."
"God bless Narex for selling steel only sets. Got their chisels, marking knives, and awls and anything else I can throw in my next order."
"Narex profi are awesome and affordable. The stay sharp for quite some time!"
"Narex Profis cost about $20 CDN here, and I like them a lot. They sharpen well, they're comfortable, and I've never felt that they were limiting in any way."
"The cheaper Narex are a great set for beginners. Make sure to flatten the back, which shouldn't be too much work."
"Fine tools in Germany have a discount now on Narex chisels."
"Looking online narex and blue Marples are the ones people review well, so good to get a triangulation on it so to say!"
"Narex Richter is the best bang for the buck."
"Narex are great value for buying new. Their standard models are better than most on the market, and their top end "Richter" are pretty close to Vertitas / Ashley Isles."
#2
Stanley
4.1
(12)
"My current chisels are Stanley Sweethearts, and they are a joy to work with."
"I'm very happy with my Stanley Sweethearts."
"I really like the Stanley Sweetheart Socket Chisel Set I bought."
"I have a set of Stanleys that I inherited from my father a 1/4, 1/2 and 1" , all I ever use."
"I have a set of Stanleys that I inherited from my father a 1/4, 1/2 and 1", all I ever use."
"Possibly at the upper end of your range, but take a look at Stanley Sweetheart chisels."
"There are a few brands that are inexpensive Stanley is one but I would suggest learning how to sharpen them."
"You can still get the original clear handle Stanley sweetheart from Europe. Decent set for the money."
"There is a nice set at Home Depot for $90 from Stanley."
"You can't go wrong with stanley for that price range."
#3
Ashley Iles
4.1
(10)
"Since you said 10s for each I would look at the Ashley Iles Mk2."
"Ashley Iles make some very nice chisels."
"I’d vote for Henry Taylor or Ashley Isles."
"Paul Sellers heaped a lot of praise on Ashley Iles chisels a few years ago."
"I ordered a set of Ashley Iles mk2 bevel edge chisels today."
"I ordered a set of Ashley Iles mk2 bevel edge chisels today."
"I have a mixed set of Ashley isles and Narex."
"The best middle option--by far--are the Ashley Iles Mk2 chisels."
"Ashley Isles. The Narex from Lee Valley have very small side lands."
"If you can spend $100 for three chisels, I'd recommend the Ashley Iles from Tools for Working Wood."
#4
Marples
4.0
(8)
"I've have used Marples Blue Chip chisels for decades. Yes, they are excellent"
"I love my blue chip marples chisels, I’ve had them for a year, and they were my grandfathers for decades before that, and work fantastically for everything I’ve tried to use them for."
"If those are same as Marples Blue Chips you can't beat them for the price"
"I have a relatively inexpensive set from menards (Marples) but have sharpened them, and they will cut as good as any chisel out there."
"Marples Blue Chip are considered an excellent starter set of chisels."
"I reground two marples blue chips into dovetail chisels, it was fairly easy."
"Well, the Marples (older, made in the UK) are either the equal to or likely a step down IMO from the Narex you already have."
"I got the marples with the plastic handle and steel butt. They’re fine but use a mallet."
#5
Chisels
3.3
(8)
"I love my Sukemaru chisels (I only have two, the one I use most is a 24mm Atsu nomi timber framing chisel)"
"The Narex are fine for dovetails."
"People seem to like Narex, so I'm going to look at them."
"I went with Narex."
"My suggestion is to buy some big box chisels that are inexpensive."
"I personally still use my Aldi chisels and I have heard people say harbor freight is ok for starters as well."
"I had a bad experience with my Kemovan ones, the points quickly misaligned"
"Cheap chisels are a waste of money. Get the best you can right from the start."
#6
Kevin Lee
4.2
(5)
"I've used several, a month the ones I like the most without any particular order Kevin Lee premium , Jun Lin, 4z, Isavara"
"Also used Kevin Lee basic, wuta, ks blade and some others"
"I have 2 sets from Kevin Lee and have been happy with them."
"Go with Kevin Lee if you’re concerned about the price."
"My vote is Kevin Lee as I have the French and very happy with the performance."
#7
Two Cherries
4.5
(4)
"I have a set of Two Cherries and Narex Richter. Very happy with both."
"Two Cherries have been my daily driver for over 15 years now. My set is not quite as old as that one but they are top quality."
"I'm happy with my 'two cherries' brand."
"I use FlexCut and Two Cherries."
#8
Pfeil
4.3
(4)
"Pfeil. They are Swiss made, come highly polished and razor sharp."
"Pfeil"
"I have some Pfeil knives and chisels. They run between 20-30euros here in Northern Europe."
"Pfeil, aka "swiss tools" aka "arrow" should fit the bill as affordable tools of good quality."
#9
Kirschen
4.3
(3)
"Ah, Kirschen Stemmeisen, very good buy!"
"I’d go for the Kirschen set at $80, you get more chisels and of very high quality."
"I have this set and am happy with it."
#10
Irwin
4.0
(3)
"Irwin blue chip is the only thing im aware of that I'd recommend in that price range."
"Irwin marples are pretty decent to start out."
"I use the 1”, 1/2” and 1/4” Irwin set from amazon. They work great for me but I’m no pro"
#11
Irwin Marples
4.0
(3)
"Narex and the older irwin marples which still can be found covered in dust."
"Irwin marples blue handles. They are like 10 to12 dollars a chisel."
"Irwin Marples are a good beginner set of chisels."
#12
Lie-Nielsen
5.0
(2)
"Lie Nielsens have been my one and only premium. Enough has been said about them, and I won’t preach. I know I’ll never buy another set of bench chisels again though"
"The "best" are probably Lie Nielsen or Veritas. both are costly, and probably worth perfecting your sharpening before you get to testing it on $100 chisels"
#13
Work Sharp
5.0
(2)
"Save up and buy the work sharp 3000- it's $200 and after spending ~$450 on stones and a veritas mkII I wish I would have just got the damn work sharp"
"Save up and buy the work sharp 3000- it's $200 and after spending ~$450 on stones and a veritas mkII I wish I would have just got the damn work sharp"
#14
Jun Lin
5.0
(2)
"They’re incredible. I’m sure others are on that level but I can’t imagine anything really being any better than they are. He’s also a super nice guy with amazing service."
"I also really like diamond chisels in 4mm or 5mm but when I need smaller spacing my Jun Lin French chisels in 3.38mm are amazing."
#15
Amazon Basics
4.5
(2)
"I have these. Very nice!"
"They are bevel-edge. Amazon Basics 4-Piece Chrome Vanadium Steel Wood Chisel Set, 1/4-Inch to 1-Inch with Carry Pouch"
#16
Richter
4.0
(2)
"I love the Richters. I also think dedicated mortise chisels are quicker for chopping mortises."
"Wood by wright is very keen on the richter, and he has tested a lot of chisels!"
#17
Narex Chisels
4.0
(2)
"Depending on what you're doing, a 3/4" or 1/2" may be all you need to start. no need to get a complete set of every fractional size from 2" on down..."
"People seem to like Narex, so I'm going to look at the"
#18
DeWalt
4.0
(2)
"I have a set of 4 DeWalt chisels all in the typical 4 sizes ($30 total). They're fine for my beginner hand tool projects."
"I got some Dewalt chisels for Christmas that are nice."
#19
Henry Taylor
4.0
(2)
"I’d vote for Henry Taylor or Ashley Isles."
"Most of mine are Henry Taylor (Sheffield - I used to live there)."
#20
Ramelson
4.0
(2)
"I ended up getting a small set from my local woodcraft store for a bit more money and they are worlds better."
"I like the Ramelson sets. They have six carving tools and run under $50."
#21
Trow and Holden
4.0
(2)
"Trow and holden."
"One of the most prominent and reputable companies is trow and holden."
#22
Narex Richter
4.0
(2)
"Get the Narex Richter 3/4 and 1/4."
"I would say to get Narex Richter chisels."
#23
Aldi
3.5
(2)
"Paul Sellers loves and uses his Aldi chisels daily. Considering they were sold by Aldi, they have to be budget oriented."
"I got Aldi recently haven't used them yet."
#24
Buck Bros
3.0
(2)
"For cheap chisels I'm a big fan of buck bros."
"A good middle of the road option are Buck Bros chisels."
#25
Auriou
5.0
(1)
"Another good brand is Auriou, they are hand made hand sharpened/polished at the Forge de Saint Juery in France."
#26
Harold & Saxon
5.0
(1)
"Try Harold and Saxon bench chisels ! I own a set of lie Nielsen and Harold and Saxon. On Australian hardwood the Harold and Saxon hold the edge longer and produce cleaner dovetail cuts."
#27
Shoto
5.0
(1)
"I got a set of Japanese gouges and chisel knives Amazon, and I love them."
#28
KSBlades
5.0
(1)
"I have KSBlades and absolutely love them."
#29
Veritas PMV11
5.0
(1)
"My top preference would be the PMV11 Veritas, Lie-Nielsen, or Blue Spruce for more high end chisels."
#30
Buck
5.0
(1)
"I would suggest some mortising chisels as they are rugged."
#31
Paul Sellers
5.0
(1)
"I can heartily recommend anything by Paul Sellers."
#32
Isvara
5.0
(1)
"Look at Isvara, very good French irons"
#33
Sinabroks
5.0
(1)
"I love my sinabroks. They’re very similar to ks blade. I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about either brand’s French irons, aside from their price."
#34
KS Blade
5.0
(1)
"KS Blade are my favorite, though I've been wanting to try Jun Lin."
#35
Blue Spruce
4.0
(1)
"I have a set of Blue Spruce dovetails and Richters. Blue Spruce is expensive but they feel *really* nice in the hand and shockingly did arrive actually sharp enough to use with flat backs."
#36
Sandvik
4.0
(1)
"My only chisel purchased new are a few Sandvik chiisels when first startin"
#37
WoodRiver
4.0
(1)
"Woodriver & Stanley Sweetheart come to mind."
#38
Stanley Sweetheart
4.0
(1)
"Woodriver & Stanley Sweetheart come to mind."
#39
Ezarc
4.0
(1)
"I've got some Ezarc chisels off Amazon which I believe are pretty much the same as the Aldi ones Paul Sellers recommends."
#40
Lidl
4.0
(1)
"I have a set of bevel edged Lidl chisels, they're grand and do a great job."
#41
Grebstek
4.0
(1)
"Rex Kreuger surmised that the grebstek (?) Chisels are the same ones Aldi uses. He has a great video on them, it's called London pattern chisels or something."
#42
Norton
4.0
(1)
"The norton 4000/8000 will be good IF your edges are already in decent shape."
#43
Diamond Stones
4.0
(1)
"Look at amazon for Diamond stones. I was looking and over a months time I got a Extra Coarse (for profiling), Coarse (roughing angles, fixing nicks etc) and fine (getting rid of the marks) for $30 each at the width of a plane blade."
#44
Veritas
4.0
(1)
"So I have a set of Veritas "bench chisels." The bevel edge is sharp enough to cut you."
#45
Harbor Freight
4.0
(1)
"Go to harbor freight get their chisel set and watch Paul Sellers on you tube on how to sharpen chisels."
#46
Hirsch
4.0
(1)
"Another good brand that should be available is Hirsch."
#47
Woodriver
4.0
(1)
"I actually like the Woodriver bevel edge chisels without the handle."
#48
Ashley Isles
4.0
(1)
"Ashley Isles would be a very good place to start."
#49
Wood River
4.0
(1)
"Ive had great luck with Wood river brand set."
#50
Ace Hardware
4.0
(1)
"Here is a $17 set of three cheap chisels that are good to learn on, and then you can graduate to a quality set."
#51
Kenovan
4.0
(1)
"I rate them very highly."
#52
Garrett Wade
4.0
(1)
"I'm very happy with them!"
#53
EWT
4.0
(1)
"I'd recommend a rounded EWT scraper and a spindle gouge for details."
#54
Crimson Hides
4.0
(1)
"I use the Japanese irons from Crimson Hides."
#55
Barr
4.0
(1)
"I love my Barr chisels."
#56
Flexcut
4.0
(1)
"I like flex cut brand."
#57
Cape Forge
4.0
(1)
"I love my knives and chisels from here."
#58
Yorkshine
4.0
(1)
"I bought Yorkshine diamond chisels from AliExpress. Just received them yesterday. Didn't have a chance to test them yet, but from what I can see, the quality is outstanding. Nice design and finish, mirror polished teeth, heavy, comfortable handles."
#59
Sweetheart
3.0
(1)
"My Sweetheart chisels needed a lot of work, but so did my Narex. Now they are both perfect."
#60
High Speed Steel Chisels
3.0
(1)
"I don’t like high speed steel chisels for furniture work personally, but that’s just a preference."
#61
Dewalt
3.0
(1)
"I’m fairly happy with my $35 4-piece Dewalt set."
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