# Aldi chisel quality



## Mr T (14 Jan 2018)

Since they were endorsed by St Paul Aldi chisels have been much in demand. I used them on my sharpening courses some years ago and found them reasonable quality for the price but now I by the equivalent (Powerfix DIN 5139) at twice the price on Ebay because they are at Aldi (or Lidl) only occasionally. This weekend a student brought a set he had bought at Aldi along to the sharpening course. I was stuck by the difference in quality between my Powerfix chisels and his despite them having exactly the same model number. You can see from the pictures that the Aldi are of inferior quality to the ones bought on ebay, also the backs were far from flat. Interesting!






Aldi Left




Aldi top




Aldi right

Chris


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## Bodgers (14 Jan 2018)

Mr T":32x334xl said:


> Since they were endorsed by St Paul Aldi chisels


 LOL

The Powerfix ones on the right are the Hornbeam handled ones from Lidl are they not?

Ones with the darker handle look worse quality from the pictures...are these the ones you are saying are worse?


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## Mr T (14 Jan 2018)

Bodgers":64rpx2yq said:


> Mr T":64rpx2yq said:
> 
> 
> > Since they were endorsed by St Paul Aldi chisels
> ...



Yes, the dark handle ones are those the student got from Aldi which I think are of low quality. The light handles are those I buy on Ebay, I don't have any experience of the Lidl ones. However the model number is the same on both.

Chris


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## Bodgers (14 Jan 2018)

The light ones with the light handles are the same ones from Lidl. Powerfix is a Lidl brand. I think the ones from Aldi will be branded 'Workzone'. I have a Lidl set - they have what seem to me to be hornbeam handles, and like you are reporting on your eBay bought ones, they seem to be pretty good (in my admittedly limited experience). 

One thing I have noticed from buying Lidl and occasionally Aldi stuff, is that whether it be a power tool or a hand tool, Lidl seem to source consistently better stuff than Aldi.

Chris, do you recommend any particular chisels other than these, if you were to spend some more? I was mulling over getting a set of Stanley sweetheart socket chisels and keep the Lidls as a 'rough' set, but was wondering if I should sink the money into getting some mortise chisels instead...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## El Barto (14 Jan 2018)

Bodgers":jr227eyb said:


> The light ones with the light handles are the same ones from Lidl. Powerfix is a Lidl brand. I think the ones from Aldi will be branded 'Workzone'. I have a Lidl set - they have what seem to me to be hornbeam handles, and like you are reporting on your eBay bought ones, they seem to be pretty good (in my admittedly limited experience).
> 
> One thing I have noticed from buying Lidl and occasionally Aldi stuff, is that whether it be a power tool or a hand tool, Lidl seem to source consistently better stuff than Aldi.
> 
> ...



Ashley Iles!


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## thetyreman (15 Jan 2018)

El Barto":33rpccjz said:


> Bodgers":33rpccjz said:
> 
> 
> > The light ones with the light handles are the same ones from Lidl. Powerfix is a Lidl brand. I think the ones from Aldi will be branded 'Workzone'. I have a Lidl set - they have what seem to me to be hornbeam handles, and like you are reporting on your eBay bought ones, they seem to be pretty good (in my admittedly limited experience).
> ...



+1


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## Phil Pascoe (15 Jan 2018)

DIN 5139 isn't a model number so there may be no reason to presume they're the same.


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## bushwhaker (15 Jan 2018)

No wonder. ADW (oem service) have two models at different price. https://www.meister-werkzeuge.de/magent ... l?limit=30
Mine are with ash handles


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## Phil Pascoe (15 Jan 2018)

From what I know, the Aldi ones were ash. The Lidl ones used to be hornbeam but are now beech. As above Powerfix = Lidl, Workzone = Aldi.

I had a couple of Aldi ones with slight twists in them, but no where near so bad it couldn't flattened out - I've had chisels that would have been four or five times the price that have been as bad.


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## bugbear (15 Jan 2018)

bushwhaker":3tr4o594 said:


> No wonder. ADW (oem service) have two models at different price. https://www.meister-werkzeuge.de/magent ... l?limit=30
> Mine are with ash handles


Most factories (within reason) can make virtually any quality their customer is prepared to pay for.

Which is to say - same manufacturer does not necessarily mean same quality.

BugBear


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## shed9 (15 Jan 2018)

phil.p":1fl9y4ps said:


> DIN 5139 isn't a model number so there may be no reason to presume they're the same.



^ This, 

DIN is a standardisation adherence, bit like A4 paper which is also a DIN based standard.


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## Cheshirechappie (15 Jan 2018)

shed9":2slaeaql said:


> phil.p":2slaeaql said:
> 
> 
> > DIN 5139 isn't a model number so there may be no reason to presume they're the same.
> ...



Yep. Deutsches Institut fur Normung - the German equivalent of the British Standards Institution.

Edit to add - The BS equivalent is BS1943 of 1989, Woodworking Chisels and Gouges. 

https://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail ... 0000192892

I didn't even know we had a BS for wood chisels!


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## Sheffield Tony (15 Jan 2018)

Though quite why "Firmer chisel with tang" needs to have its own defined standard which, presumably does not prescribe the quality of the chisel I don't know. Well, actually I rather suspect I do, which is to raise 24 euro for "Deutsches Institut fur Normung" from anyone who wants to stick it on their chisel to create a spurious air of quality.


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## Mr T (15 Jan 2018)

Werll you learn something new every day. I assumed that number was like a part number. The student must have got his Lidl's and Aldi's mixed up. I think I will continue to pay £16 a set for the ones I get on ebay over the Lidl ones which were of very low quality, I'm quite impressed with the £16 sets.

Chris


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## Cheshirechappie (15 Jan 2018)

Sheffield Tony":k7h0mll5 said:


> Though quite why "Firmer chisel with tang" needs to have its own defined standard which, presumably does not prescribe the quality of the chisel I don't know. Well, actually I rather suspect I do, which is to raise 24 euro for "Deutsches Institut fur Normung" from anyone who wants to stick it on their chisel to create a spurious air of quality.



Yeah - and it's a salutory reminder that conforming to a defined standard doesn't necessarily mean fit for all intended purposes!


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## shed9 (15 Jan 2018)

Cheshirechappie":1sls9nku said:


> Sheffield Tony":1sls9nku said:
> 
> 
> > Though quite why "Firmer chisel with tang" needs to have its own defined standard which, presumably does not prescribe the quality of the chisel I don't know. Well, actually I rather suspect I do, which is to raise 24 euro for "Deutsches Institut fur Normung" from anyone who wants to stick it on their chisel to create a spurious air of quality.
> ...



Indeed.


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## custard (15 Jan 2018)

bugbear":219s4gt1 said:


> Which is to say - same manufacturer does not necessarily mean same quality.



+1

This came up on a recent post regarding butt hinges. I buy brass butt hinges from Horton Brasses in the USA, they in turn source them from a UK manufacturer, however I can't find the same quality direct from a UK manufacturer so have to pay shipping and duty on a round trip back and forth across the Atlantic. 

Even with a notionally identical product one retailer will set and enforce a higher quality spec than another.


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## Mr T (15 Jan 2018)

Bodgers":um9keg2v said:


> Chris, do you recommend any particular chisels other than these, if you were to spend some more? I was mulling over getting a set of Stanley sweetheart socket chisels and keep the Lidls as a 'rough' set, but was wondering if I should sink the money into getting some mortise chisels instead...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



It's horses for courses really. The Ashley Iles are good but I wouldn't want to chop a mortice with them, similarly with the Narex cabinet makers chisels which are nice chisels a bit cheaper than the AI, I don't think they hold an edge as long as the AI. Buying a set mortice chisels depends on how much hand moricing you are thinking of doing. St Paul chops mortices with a bevel edge chisel so perhaps you could use the Lidl ones for that. I find you get a neater mortice with a mortice chisel but whether it's that much neater to justify a seperate set of chisels is a personal choice.



custard":um9keg2v said:


> bugbear":um9keg2v said:
> 
> 
> > Which is to say - same manufacturer does not necessarily mean same quality.
> ...



I found this with Quangsheng planes a few years back. The ones from Workshop Heaven were a higher spec. than those from Rutlands. Isn't buying stuff tricky  

Chris


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## Phil Pascoe (15 Jan 2018)

Cheshirechappie":24hz5sx9 said:


> Yep. Deutsches Institut fur Normung - the German equivalent of the British Standards Institution.
> 
> Edit to add - The BS equivalent is BS1943 of 1989, Woodworking Chisels and Gouges.
> 
> ...



I wonder why British manufacturers (in the past?) haven't made more of this in their advertising? Some at least must have met it?


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## transatlantic (15 Jan 2018)

Chris":3i6vku88 said:


> I found this with Quangsheng planes a few years back. The ones from Workshop Heaven were a higher spec. than those from Rutlands. Isn't buy stuff tricky
> 
> Chris



That is just wrong and should be banned!

I'm sure you're all aware of the cheapo planer thicknesser that is sold by a number of brands (Titan, Erbauer, Sip, Charnwood, Lumberjocks, Draper, Rutlands, Scheppach, Powerplus, Clarke etc etc). It's a common misconception that it is the same tool just rebadged and priced differently, which is clearly incorrect as there are noticable differences to things like the fence and casing. But it would be really interesting to see the differences inside. Are they the same design? same components? .. I'd guess they must use better quality components, but just how much better?


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## bugbear (15 Jan 2018)

transatlantic":3861h42e said:


> Chris":3861h42e said:
> 
> 
> > I found this with Quangsheng planes a few years back. The ones from Workshop Heaven were a higher spec. than those from Rutlands. Isn't buy stuff tricky
> ...


It also means than putting lots of effort into finding out which manufacturer a branded item "really" comes from may be a waste of time.

I know that Lee Valley(*) outsource some of their manufacture, and may well choose a different manufacturer from year to year.

But the reputation you're banking on (and the warranty...) is Lee Valley.

BugBear

(*) as does Ron Hock, for those that know the name


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## JohnPW (15 Jan 2018)

Both the chisels are from Lidl, as mentioned "Powerfix" is used by Lidl whereas Aldi uses "Workzone".

I think the last couple of times when Lidl had them, they had beech handles, before that they were ash and before that hornbeam. I've got the ones with ash handles from Lidl and also Aldi and I think they are the same chisel.

I had a quick look at the beech ones when Lidl had them (but didn't buy) and they looked the same as previous versions except for the beech handle. Maybe they were diffferent and I didn't notice. It might be the OP's chisel is a one-off.

As for the Ashley Iles chisels, I'm sure they are "better" but they cost 10-15 times the price!


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## Tasky (15 Jan 2018)

El Barto":2r6hjy7z said:


> Ashley Iles!


Very pretty indeed and I may get a set one day....



Cheshirechappie":2r6hjy7z said:


> I didn't even know we had a BS for wood chisels!


Oh, there's a lot of BS about wood chisels...!  :lol:


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## Giff (15 Jan 2018)

Narex chisels are very good and not really an arm and leg for a set.....and they do come up on offer..


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## Bodgers (16 Jan 2018)

transatlantic":3qnqr34r said:


> Chris":3qnqr34r said:
> 
> 
> > I found this with Quangsheng planes a few years back. The ones from Workshop Heaven were a higher spec. than those from Rutlands. Isn't buy stuff tricky
> ...



In all fairness the Workshop Heaven Quengsheng stuff is branded differently to Rutlands which is listed as "Qiangsheng Luban". Someone may correct me, but there doesn't seem to be big differences in quality, just the Workshop Heaven spec is nicer.


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## Mr T (16 Jan 2018)

Bodgers":2omjkc3q said:


> transatlantic":2omjkc3q said:
> 
> 
> > Chris":2omjkc3q said:
> ...



My comment was related to the planes some years ago, not sure if they were differentiated then and don't have much experience of them now. It was a while ago now but I think it was to do with the quality of the lateral adjustment lever. I posted about it here but can't find the post.

Chris


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