The supplied edge guard should always be used when chisels are not in use to prevent dam- age to the sharp cutting edge and for user protection. Our RICHTER chisel box is perfect for safe storage; however, tool rolls are also available. As with any kind of tool steel, the blades can rust when unprotected. Always protect the blades from rust with oil, wax or other corrosion inhibitors. Lifetime guarantee

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. Generally, the fit and finish of the Narex Richter chisel are good. However, when we compared it with some other blades in its class, we noticed that the finishing needed more work. Don’t get me wrong; the finishing is superb. But if you’re a perfectionist woodworker, you would most likely prefer that the finishing was slightly smoother than it is. Another point of view is that as woodworkers we hope that people appreciate out hand-made creations and the effort that has gone into the work. In some cases machine made dovetails in items from the Far East will be more precise than mine, but mine are hand cut and that counts for something – I hope. In the same respect, I like to buy hand-made tools. i can aford them in small number and I love to use them because I know a guy from, for example, Ashley Iles (who have been mentioned here) ground them by hand. If we only promote cheap mass-produced items then why do we bother doing woodwork at all when it can be churned out by machines – is there any value in hand-made? I find it quite depressing when I shop for tools in large stores to find that its nearly all cheap and mass produced, and i’d argue a lot is rubbish and won’t last a lifetime at all (so I don’t buy it). In addition to all this, buying the likes of Ashley Iles and Clifton planes supports local craftsmen, when the craft has largely died out. If we as craftsmen don’t see the value in the crafft of toolmaking, why should we expect others to value our craft of woodwork?Models reviewed include the Lie-Nielsen, Veritas Mk.II Deluxe Honing Guide Set, generic side-clamping guides, the Kell No. 2, Nano Hone’s Sharp Skate 4, Trend, and the Veritas Sharpening System When shopping for the right chisel for your woodworking applications, you could easily invest in the wrong chisel set. 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. Personally I find FWW still the benchmark for detailed, meaningful and usually well-supported WW information. It does have a touch of the PR-advert blurbs here and there but generally this can be easily spotted and winnowed from the extensive good crop of high quality guidance and advice. Right after initial hardening, cryogenic treatment cools the steel down to very low temperatures by using liquid nitrogen to as low as −190 °C. This completes transformation of austenite, which increases both the hardness and toughness of the steel.

Narex Richter chisels don’t need a second chance to make a positive first impression. For me, it was so positive that I bought a set after trying out a student’s. I’ve used them now for months, and from day one I’ve liked the way they looked, felt in my hand, and performed.

Surcharge

The hardness spec provided with the richters is what I'd refer to as medium-hard temper. It's specified as chrome vanadium steel (there are tons of specs for chrome vanadium steel, at least as wide as 0.5% carbon to 1.5% carbon, so that doesn't tell us that much other than that it's probably fairly plain steel, which is good for chisels). To put the finishing touches on the efficiency end-users can achieve with the handle, the manufacturers gave the handle friction shellac and proper sanding.

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. Available individually and in a set of four (1/4", 1/2", 3/4", and 1" widths) and a set of all seven (1/8", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4", 1" and 1 1/2"). Blades range from 4 3/4" to 6" long. A key feature to these chisels is their side bevels, which taper to a very fine edge, making them ideal for reaching into confined spaces and angled corners, like those common in dovetailing. But the edges aren’t so sharp they slice you; rather, they’re polished and softened. 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? The Chrome Manganese steel isn’t the only remarkable feature of this chisel. After the manufacturers created the blade, they also cryogenically treated it to increase its wear and tear resistance.The result is an ultra-thin side that makes it the perfect chisel for digging into tight spaces. In addition, the surface is mirror-like, which makes it an excellent dovetail chisel. 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? Here is a Blighty advert from one of the on-line purveyors, going on about this better steel. Of course, this is sales blurb so ...... In case you’re wondering, the Chrome Manganese steel is responsible for the versatility of this chisel. It is also why it has excellent machinability and strength. 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.

You can read my comparison of Narex and Stanley Sweetheart chisels for better understanding as well! 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! Now, the handle of this chisel is generally reasonable. You won’t need to change it before using it because of the materials harvested to create it. 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. 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.Ash hardwood handles have solid stainless steel ferrules and leather washers. Individual chisels are supplied with plastic edge protectors. For reasons I won't drone on about, I recently exchanged many of my chisels of long use for Narex chisels. In truth it was partly to drum up some tool-buying cash by selling some rather expensive items (such as Blue Spruce) the cash from which bought about 10X Narex items compared to what the equivalent Sprucers would cost. My own Narex chisel collection is slowly growing as whenever I want an additional kind of chisel to those I already have, standard Narex has become the first choice. They are inexpensive - less than Crown, Sorby, Henry Taylor and others of that price point - yet much better made in terms of the much smaller amount of fettling required and the ability to take and hold an edge. Iles is their only competitor at lower price points. 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. The blade is impressive. There are no visible machine marks and no sharp edges apart from the cutting edge. It’s polished to a flawless satin sheen too. The chisel’s factory-ground 24° bevel is honed with a slight microbevel and suitable for use right out of the box. I still honed mine further to suit my personal preferences, allowing them to perform even better. The chrome-vanadium blades are tempered to achieve a minimum hardness of 62HRc. The quality of the steel and the way it is hardened and tempered makes the chisels very high quality. I could feel their hardness during the sharpening process. Although it was possible to sharpen with my traditional Japanese waterstones, it took a little extra time. Once sharp, though, the chisels stayed sharp for an extended period of time. Put this baby into the corner. The side bevels on these chisels taper to a thin edge. As a result, they fit excellently into tight and angled corners, so you won’t dent or bruise dovetails as you pare away waste.