Acceptable condition of second hand chisels?

[marcros]

Yes drop me a pm and I will send you my address.

 

[bugbear]

They [Stanley 5001] are highly rated by many, including Paul Sellers, who described them as "the best there is".

They're certainly good value, especially at car boot prices, but I think "best there is" is rhetorical
over-statement.

BugBear

 

[Inoffthered]

My issue here was only with what I perceived as a discrepancy between the description and the reality. But we all have different expectations in such matters based on knowledge and passed experience. I'm fairly new at this and wanted to have the opinions of more experienced woodworkers.

It is a sad fact of life that more and more online retailers appear to be chancers who will be economical with the truth in product descriptions. Whatever others may say on here, the items were not as described. It is one thing to sharpen chisels (i have just spent hours commissioning a "new" set of carving chisels) but restoring square edges and removing dings goes way beyond "may need a sharpen". The lax attitude of some only encourages some vendors to take the **** and cut and paste descriptions from previous adverts without reference to the true condition of items being sold.

I recently bought what was described as a Stanley 75 bull nose plane. When it arrived it was clear that it was a cheap copy and had the word "foreign" stamped where you would expect to see "Stanley". Recognising that it may have been a genuine mistake i politely referred this to the vendor asking whether he had sent the wrong plane offering to return the copy in return for the article offered for sale. The responses went from "well it looks the same as a Stanley" to "you didn't pay much for it" to "with a bit of work it will work the same as a Stanley" (it wouldn't because I doubt there was a flat surface or straight edge anywhere on the plane). It became the dreaded point of principle and I recovered my cash from Paypal and told the vendor to send me a stamped addressed envelope so I could return his plane. The resulting silence was deafening and I wonder how many times he'd sold cheap knock offs as Stanley planes and then blagged his way out of it.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Whether or not the chisels are good ones, cheap ones, or need a little work or a lot is neither here nor there. It doesn't matter whether it was a chisel, a car or a fish - the description was wrong. That's all that matters.

 

[bugbear]

Whether or not the chisels are good ones, cheap ones, or need a little work or a lot is neither here nor there. It doesn't matter whether it was a chisel, a car or a fish - the description was wrong. That's all that matters.

Agreed. There is a genuine principle here.

(I also note the small, poor photos on that site, with no larger photo on click through)

BugBear

 

[blackrodd]

They [Stanley 5001] are highly rated by many, including Paul Sellers, who described them as "the best there is".

They're certainly good value, especially at car boot prices, but I think "best there is" is rhetorical
over-statement.

BugBear

I agree with you, but just Paul Sellers rating them, was a plus in my book.
Rodders

 

[Trafalgar]

Peeing into a breeze Rodders -- most of the crowd these days believe that quality doesn't start 'til about Rc 63, the 40* angle crowd. Be on the alert for shrapnel!

 

[Corneel]

I would say you are making too much of this. The term "very little use" reflects the length of steel still available, not the questionable skills of the last user. Most every second hand dealer, be it cars or tools, uses all kinds of sweet sounding descriptions, which don't always match our expectations. Such is life. In the end you got a set of very usefull chisels for a reasonable price. What more do you want? A holy war?

 

[JohnPW]

I would think that condition is normal for second hand chisels; used and sharpened a few times, then left in a shed/garage. As for whether they're "little used" or "need sharpening", both could be accurate if they have most of their original length and "sharpening" includes both grinding and honing.

In any case, you have two choices for returning them; changing your mind or faulty/not as described.

If you change your mind and decide you don't want them, you have the right to cancel, the minimum period is 14 days from when you receive them, and the seller by law has to tell you this. It seems the situation regarding the return postage is if the seller doesn't say who pays, then the seller pays, but the seller can say the buyer has to pay.

https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance- ... businesses

The seller says "Sales from our web site carry a 7-day satisfaction or return (in condition as sent out) guarantee." And their terms page is off line and I can't find any info about the right to cancel. So the seller doesn't seem to know much about their legal obligations. Plus their reply suggesting that the buyer "only buy brand new chisels from now on" is just stupid and rude.

And £44 is a total rip off price!

 

[Graham Orm]

If you're still unhappy, I'll give you what you paid for them.