posted by: Bedrock608
3/27/2008

I had a chance to use a couple of these, (I always like trying a new or different tool) and gave them back as fast as I could. Don't know if the guy was trying to sell them to me, but he did not ask and I did not offer. Crown chisels are junk! The only chisels that were worse was the Woodriver brand. The Woodriver brand would not even cut basswood without turning the edge! The Crown chisel would at least take a couple of shavings before they dulled.I would guess if you wanted to learn the art of heat treating steel these would be good for practice. I would not even use these chisels as glue scrapers.Thank goodness for Lie Nielsen, Ashley Iles, and Matsumua chisels!

posted by: dunbarhamlin
4/1/2007

On the plus side, these are cheap enough to use as glue chisels - and you won't mind if someone abuses them.On the down side, they need considerable work setting up, as they have heavily rounded edges, and though the softness of the steel makes this none too arduous, it does mean that in use they turn quickly into a blunt instrument.I wouldn't sell mine, as I'd feel guilty taking the money. If you need something this size, it may be better to purchase a single, better quality tool rather than this set.

posted by: Wallace1960
3/19/2006

posted by: pzgren
3/9/2006

These are reasonably good chisels, but not don't mistake them for anything near the best. They are a handy size for small trimming jobs and for working in restricted space. The rosewood handles are well-made, smooth, and have a good feel in the hand. The heft and balance are decent, as is the general level of finish on the blade. They hone up easily -- perhaps a little too easily -- to a good, sharp edge. They seem to hold that edge for a reasonable period of time while working in softer woods, such as pine and bass wood. However, if you intend to use these extensively in hard woods, plan to devote a substantial amount of time to keeping them honed, as they do not hold an edge well when trimming or shaving in harder woods such as red oak, cherry, or walnut. Examining the edge after using them in red oak, I noticed that the edge had rolled somewhat, indicating to me that the hardening/tempering was very much on the softer end of the scale. I don't know what the Rc rating for these chisels is -- I'm guessing at somewhere around Rc 55 to Rc 57, based on how easily the edge rolled in red oak -- but it is lower than needed for working hard wood. Were I to recommend an improvement to the manufacturer, it would be to harden the blades to somewhere around Rc 60 or Rc 62; that would significantly improve the performance of these chisels, and -- at the current price -- make them a superb deal.