Re: 2 Cherries Versus Hirsch Chisels
Alan Hamilton
>Darin,
I bought that set of Hirsch chisels from Lee Valley some time ago; I also have a set of Two Cherries mortise chisels that my lovely, understanding, generous family gave me for my birthday some time ago. I too have been told Two Cherries and Hirsch chisels are identical--except for the handles and decals--but I don't know for certain if that's so.
I had a chance to look at a set of Two Cherries and Hirsch chisels side by side, and the steel parts certainly looked the same and felt the same--for whatever that's worth. Even though my sets are different types of chisels, used very differently for very different jobs, I can make a couple comparisons:
The steel in both is excellent. It takes a very fine edge and holds it a good long while. As far as I can guess, the quality of the materials used is equal.
Both are serious tools. They are robust and hefty; you can almost feel their superior quality just picking them up. And as an aside, the blades of both were coated with some %$&#ing lacquer that seemed to be the same on both brands--at least lacquer thinner easily removed the %$&#ing stuff.
In short, I am thrilled with both my sets. I can recommend both brands without reservation. I don't think you can go very far wrong with either.
Alan
