Axminster's cheapest chisels

[Alf]

Ta muchly, Mr G

Cheers, Alf

 

[lurker]

I can beat that!
I bought a set of 4 from the 99p shop :lol: :lol:

I thougth they would be rubbish steel but they ain't bad.
Handles are a bit uncomfortable

 

[Scrit]

This has got to be a first. A thread where the hand toolers are vying for the cheapest tools :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

I found some in a skip once. Does that count or does money have to change hands?
They weren't too bad except one gouge wouldn't hold an edge - I think it had been over-heated on a grindstone.

cheeers
Jacob

 

[lurker]

Regardless, with respect to the cheapest "real" tools, Alf's source is always the way to go.
Trouble is the car boots don't always have what you need at the time :evil: .

Hence buy everything just in case it might be useful at some time in the future :lol: :lol:

 

[ByronBlack]

In light of this new found thrifty-ness spreading it's way across the forum, what exactly makes more expensive chisels that much more expensive?

Is the tool-steel markedly better? Is it just the cost of production?

I'm assuming here that most tool-steel will sharpen up to the same degree (for use with woodworking) is it just the time it takes to dull that seperates the more expensive stuff?

The reason I ask is that i'm looking at a quite cheap set of Dakota chisels from rutlands (I only have a set of stub chisels and need a longer set) but in the back of my mind i'm always thinking 'you get what you pay for' - but this thread seems to prove that wrong.

 

[Mittlefehldt]

My goodness, I have a reputation that labels me as somewhat parsimonious, but now well, it seems the four chisel set I bought from Lee Valley, (Narex) is rather extravagant, at today's exchange rate the set of four cost me 15 pounds 28, or $32.50 Canadian.

I suspect there are subtle differences in how the expensive chisels function, but if what you have does the job then what does it matter.

 

[lurker]

My main concern with cheap anything is safety.

I once watched a mate using one of those all steel hammers from one of the barns; a lump flew out of it and embedding in his eye brow - half an inch lower & ...............
Look carefully and you will see a warning label on such hammers telling you to wear eye protection.

The cheapo chisels I bought are basically a waste of money as I'll never trust them enough to use. Not even for opening paint tins.

For me, the older the steel the happier I am.
And from experience, the older the steel the longer & better it keeps its edge.

 

[Woody Alan]

I once watched a mate using one of those all steel hammers from one of the barns; a lump flew out of it

I can't be 100% sure of this but I think the potential for that to happen is there with all hammers designed to hit nails. The reason is that the core of the hammer is soft metal but the outside surface is hard and designed to hit relatively soft (maybe hard masonary but the head is still small) nails and not damage the hammer. Wheras a lump or club hammer is soft relatively speaking and designed to hit cold chisels which are also softish at the hitting end so neither tool should shatter, but if you hit a cold chisel which is hard with a carpenters hammer there is a real good chance of a bit flying off (possibly from the carpenter if he finds you've got his hammer).
This is not often mentioned in the detailed instructions with hammers "Take aim hit what you are looking at". If someone has a more reasoned metallurgically educated response I am more than happy to know more because as lurker points out it can be a dangerous business indeed. I think the warning about wearing eyeshields applies to all hammers because a mis hit nail sure can find a nasty place to land and it might not be your eye it could be your mates. I wholehertedly agree buying cheap/nasty is false economy,(unless you buy quality cheap S/H of course) a good forged hammer will last a lifetime.
Alan

 

[bugbear]

a good forged hammer will last a lifetime.

I REALLY like buying hammers second hand. Apart from being dirt cheap, it's easy to spot a good 'un.

If it looks well used, but the face is neither mushroom'd nor chipped, you can be SURE it's nicely made and tempered.

Whereas all new hammers look (pretty much) the same - freshly ground.

BugBear