Joseph Piotrowski
Q: is a premium chisel that cost more than all my narex chisel combined worth the value?

A: Maybe.

i find myself in need of a 3/8 inch chisel. i don't have one. i have a 4 or 5 pc set from narex( the classic) and one of the premium bench chisels. as a side note, i like the premium handles better. all together maybe 70 or so dollars. vs 130 for one.

the narex took some effort to set up, they also seamed to need a break in period. as they now hold a edge better after a few months of usage/sharpening .

my dovetail techniques scream out for a 3/8" chisel. so i figure i try a premium one for comparison sake. i purchased a blue steel Japanese matsumura dovetail chisel. i think it's a premium brand, or at least as far as i'm willing to go.

flatting the back took less than 5 mins. another 5 sharpening. my narex took about 30 mins each.

so a little experiment on a test run on some practice dovetails this week. the winner is definitely the Japanese chisel. it cuts cleaner, thinner shavings longer than the narex. hones as easy butter while working.

it's not going to make me throw away my narex and if money is tight, the narex are perfectly fine. i'd still recommend these chisel for a budget minded person as they are a step above my old craftsman chisels. i'll use these for the rough stuff but when it comes time to clean out the waste to the line, its the Japanese chisel all the way!

at least that is my story and i'm sticking to it.