Thread: What to look for when buying chisels?

It sounds like all you need is one of the hardware store brands, something like Irwin would most probably do the job. I guess the next step would be Narex if you felt the need to go one better. For general round the house stuff buy the Irwin or Stanley, both will cut your finger off or stir paint and if it falls off a ladder onto concrete no great problem, regrind and sharpen it.

Try some Bevel edge Titans They were made in Tassie back until the 60s, you can always find them at markets, ebay , second hand shops ect for around $10- $20 each..they sharpen up well and hold an edge pretty good a set of 6 , say a 1/4 upto a 1 inch will cover most jobs. Much better then buying a new set of el-cheapos. Old marples are also good öld "not new now they are made in china.

If you after something new I got a set of these Irwin's.
http://www.frontlinetrading.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=30&product_id=151
8 chisels for 110 bucks and they are near dandenong.

Hi Robd,

I did buy Stanley FatMax set from Bunnings: a box of three for $70.00. So far I have no reasons to be unhappy with them. I have been using them quite a bit.

They need resharpen after a little while though.

My boss bought the same set for his bathroom renovation, he has no complaint with them either.

Best regards.

...behai.

Originally Posted by Robd

I must say I am more than happy to by second hand tools if this is advisable I'm just not sure where to start or how many chisels I need to make up a practical set.


Thanks in advance for any help.

You'd get by with a 1/4, 1/2 and 1 inch chisel for general household work I'd say, and even that may be overkill.

Second hand tools can be great, but bring their own challenges if the seller hasn't already done all the hard work restoring and sharpening them.

I've got a set of chinese made irwins that work just fine for everyday use. I'd be inclined to avoid the Stanley's unless they have "Made in Sheffield" stamped on the blade like the FatMax's do because sadly all their other stuff seems to be sub-par.