Narex Richter Bevel Edge Chisel Set of 5

Product Information

I can only say this much as a maker of tools (not for sale, an amateur maker) - you can fairly easily make tools and see all of these differences in play as a spec. 62/63 hardness is barely sharpenable on oilstones, but still sharpenable, and on plainer steel, the wire edge falls off more easily. 59 hardness in the more mediocre line will lead to a more persistent wire edge. To mark their 100th anniversary, Narex has developed a line of chisels that are certainly some of the finest tools that this small, renowned Czech firm has ever produced. The new 8150 range Czech made NAREX RICHTER cabinetmakers chisels are forged from high quality Cr-V steel and are cryogenically treated and tempered to at least 62 HRc. The sides are ground thin to minimise friction when cutting which is very useful for dovetailing. Myself, I think their standard stuff is more than good enough. Perhaps the Richter steel is more performant. But do you need "more performant" than their less expensive chisels? When shopping for the right chisel for your woodworking applications, you could easily invest in the wrong chisel set.

Narex fits the chisels with a stainless-steel ferrule that strengthens the connection between blade and handle. A leather washer sits between the ferrule and the chisels’ stout bolster to aid in seating the blade and absorbing harsh blows to the handle. These features aren’t that big of a deal. In fact, we only noticed them when we tried to compare them with other chisels in its class.

Maintenance

For starters, the handle is carved from European ash, responsible for its beautiful grain, toughness, and strength. The choice of wood shaped this handle into an ergonomic one. If I may, I’d like to add that I use metal polish (Simichrome) as my protective coating on pretty much all my metal tools. I use Boeshield in the little squeezy bottle and it does work nice, but the only way I’ve been able to ward off rust for months at a time is with the polish. Sometimes a manufacturer will make substantial functional improvements to something and sell it as a premium item. Sometimes the improvements are largely to the image rather than the substance of that sold. I'm not saying this is necessarily true of the Narex Richter range .... but it could be. :-) Don't get swept into believing there's anything more in the Richter chisels than relatively common steel and a slightly harder temper than some of the other chisels.

Although the blade’s edges are ultra-thin, there won’t be an incident where you sustain an injury from using it. It is sharp enough to perform its functions. I haven't used the chisels, but I have forged chisels from water hardening files and made a lot of tools. I've also had some of the narex chisels in the past (the basic line). Please note; the1/8" (3mm) chisel sits within the ''Narex Richter Bevel Edge Chisel'' range, but to call it ''bevel edge'' is a bit of a stretch. The sides are close to parallel, and more resemble a mortice chisel. This is not all that uncommon in a 1/8" chisel, as often they are taller to give it strength, but this is not all that helpful when removing waste from dovetails. That's arrogant, solipsistic and something of a jarring cognitive dissonance, given that he portrays himself as a "woodworking guru" outputting his stuff largely via Youtube and other on-line channels, a lot of it paid-for "lessons" for which the free stuff appears to be the PR. And the "I make a point not to copy anyone anywhere" is such obvious nonsense. Did he make up all of woodworking by himself, then, like an Ayn Rand "hero" with a motor?Sadly, after a few months of usage, they’d start to blur and eventually succumb to rust. Then, you’ll have to go chisel hunting again- that’s exhausting! This chisel passes as a dovetail chisel thanks to its structure. The manufacturer devoted time to polishing and fine-grinding the surface of this blade.

Hence, you won’t watch the chisel degrade or lose its quality to rust. The chisel is also tough. That’s part of why woodworkers can use the chisel in several applications. So, thanks to the Cryogenic treatment of the blade, you’ll use it for a long time without the blade losing its quality and sharpness. The process used to make the original narex chisels is different from typical, and they have a hardness ceiling and are usable chisels but are mediocre.Combining premium materials with skilled workmanship, these are well-made chisels. The blades are made of chrome-vanadium steel, hardened to Rc61-63 and cryogenically treated to toughen the steel without making it brittle. They will take and hold a fine edge. These honing guides may be worth considering, especially if you use sandpaper on glass or diamond plates The bottom line (ha ha) is that the standard Narex items work very well indeed; come near ready for work with only minimal fettling of the working end; and are inexpensive partly because they don't spend enormous efforts on the cosmetics rather than on the functional aspects. That leather ring on the Richters (and on no other Narex chisel) seems to be part of the pretty-look marketing. However, there is blurb that claims the steel is significantly better as well; and is comparable to Veritas PM-V11 for both resilience and ease of sharpening. But all my Narex chisels are of the standard steel, main-range kind, not the Richters. I did look at Richters but came to the conclusion that, although they do have a better overall finish (polished handles, mainly) and a slightly different steel, they don't offer any meaningful advantage over Narex standard fare - which is already extremely good, especially for so little money.