Narex Bevel Edge Chisels - Best Value Chisel Set?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 มิ.ย. 2024
- This video is a comprehensive review of the $60, Narex Bevel Edge Chisel Set. This set of four (1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1) is what I would say is the entry into the premium chisel market. The links for these are right below this paragraph. These are, in my opinion, the best value chisel set on the market.
Chisel Set- www.amazon.com/Narex-Republic...
Scary Sharp System - taytools.com/collections/supp...
I have had them for about a year, and have been absolutely blown away. If you currently have a home-center set of chisels, and want to take a step up, but don't want to empty your entire wallet, these are the perfect set for you. I honestly could not really tell you what someone could do to a chisel to truly make it work 4-5x the price of these. I just don't see an increase in performance being 4-5x better, unless the chisel cuts everything for you on its own.
This is not a comprehensive guide on how to sharpen chisels, but more of an overview of what to expect when you get them, some short demonstrations of their performance, and an overall thoughts discussion at the end.
Chisels, and every blade based hand tool, rely on you having decent sharpening skills to get the most out of them. These are not ready to use out of the box, and no chisels really are. You will need a sharpening system to prepare these. That means flattening the back and adding your secondary and tertiary bevels.
Feel free to ask any questions, or leave a comment with anything you have to add.
Thanks - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Getting rid of the protective coating ??? I use paintstripper.
I bought- as my first set in December the set from WoodCraft. I cannot get the backs flat… spending a couple of hours each with my Trend diamond stone!
Holy cow. That is a long time.
A few questions..
Where is the problem area at? The tip, or concave somewhere further back? How you apply pressure really matters, and it is kind of hard with the 1/2in and 1/4in.
What grit did you start with, and are you sure your stone is flat/not worn out? I have had a diamond stone wear out before, and it essentially created a hallow that screwed with my sharpening. I borderline ruined a plane blade on a work out stone. I was new, and never considered that they can wear down in areas if you use the area too much, without using the rest of the stone.
Are you trying to do the entire back, or just the first 1/2-3/4in? It certainly will take longer to do the entire back, but even then, I'd think 1-1.5 hours, max, for a bad 1in.
It seems unlikely that you would have gotten four bad chisels. That would be surprising, but I guess not impossible.
If the stones are fine, I would suggest getting a piece of tile or glass, and sticking 220 grit sandpaper to it, and going really low. I bought a used, vintage plane once and to get the sole flat I had to spend about 3 hours on 220 grit sandpaper.
It definitely is possible that you got a bad batch of Chisels, but after multiple hours, even the worst ones should be ground through. I start with 300, and it takes it down relatively fast. Can you put a good, straight ruler on the back, and see where the issue is and how bad it looks, then do the same with your stones.
If nothing works, try reaching out to Narex and seeing if there is a warranty. I know Woodcraft loves to toss off warranty issues to the manufacturer, so it is worth a try.
Intro/Initial Thoughts - 0:00-1:42
Removing Gunk on Blade: 1:43 - 2:23
Back Flattening - 2:30 - 5:38
Discussion on Sharpening Guides: 5:39 - 8:20
Testing: 8:21 - 12:31
Final Thoughts/Review Round Up: 12:31 - 16:25
I have these and honestly they are only okay at best. They are no better than most chisels I own (probably in the 150 units range as I restore tools), and probably (my feeling only) slightly worse. The handle is very bulky and more suited to working in construction wood. To be fair, I am using the likes of Bergs and Jernbos. But these Narex honestly don't perform better than my Marples (the original clover ones) or Ward. I find the handles absolutely uncomfortable. There are also quite a few units that you really have to take the entire bevel back 2mm or so to get to the steel. Not sure how the heck does the top layer lose its steel temper during the quenching.
Their mortising chisels are even worse. They advertise it as a feature, but there is a slight relief from the bevel side to the flat side. This is terrible as your registration is only on a single edge, causing you to twist and turn in the mortise.
Also the damn print on sizes that rubs off with basically anything... I mean... how much does laser etching cost these days (which is still kind of cheap IMO)?
I honestly don't know why these have such a great reputation. People buy these as an upgrade to department store brands and assume they are amazing tools. The steel is not bad, but they are no better than your 15 dollar set at harbour freight, which is actually quite amazing sans the bad finishing appointments. Without even trying, you can pick up vintage Marples or Esteel for a buck or two. They react way better to most sharpening mediums and is able to get sharper.
How would you compare these to two cherries chisels? I was gifted a set of those but find the blades to be really thick, which can make working in tight spaces harder.
Unfortunately I can't comment on the Two Cherries, those are way out of my budget, but I just measured the Narex with calipers and they are as follows... (first number is 1in in from tip, second is at the very back).
- 1/4in - 1/8... 3/16
- 1/2 - 7/64... 3/16
- 3/4 - 1/8... 3/16
- 1in - 5/32... 15/64
I am not sure if that helps, but if you tell me how far in from the tip you need to know the measurement of the thickness, just tell me the chisel size you want to compare and I can measure it.
They also bevel over about a 3/16in span from the flat area of the body of the steel, to the edge of the chisel, across the width.
Thanks - I'll measure mine tonight and see how they compare.