My son has given me some home depot gift cards, which I have a hard time redeeming. I already have a boatload of dewalt tools and I don't want to waste a gift card on air conditioner filters. I had the idea to see what they have in chisels - not expecting much. I found sets of Stanley 750 socket chisels listed as "made in sheffield, England". $90 for a set of four. If these are the real deal, its a decent buy. I ordered a set.

Bob

"Bob Davis" wrote in message
news:22522cae-d9bd-4d80-bbb7-07f394821e85n@googlegroups.com...

>My son has given me some home depot gift cards, which I have a hard time
>redeeming. I already have a boatload of dewalt tools and I >don't want to
>waste a gift card on air conditioner filters. I had the idea to see what
>they have in chisels - not expecting much. I found sets >of Stanley 750
>socket chisels listed as "made in sheffield, England". $90 for a set of
>four. If these are the real deal, its a decent buy. I >ordered a set.

Hornbeam handles... cool! Please do report!

On Wed, 12 Jan 2022 18:04:38 -0800 (PST), Bob Davis
<wrobertdavis@gmail.com> wrote:

>My son has given me some home depot gift cards, which I have a hard time redeeming. I already have a boatload of dewalt tools and I don't want to waste a gift card on air conditioner filters. I had the idea to see what they have in chisels - not expecting much. I found sets of Stanley 750 socket chisels listed as "made in sheffield, England". $90 for a set of four. If these are the real deal, its a decent buy. I ordered a set.

Looking at the reviews (both HD and elsewhere), some report that
they're good chisels and easy to sharpen. Others report that while
they come sharp, they take a lot of work to flatten and sharpen right.
Report back.

On Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 10:10:47 PM UTC-6, k...@notreal.com wrote:
> On Wed, 12 Jan 2022 18:04:38 -0800 (PST), Bob Davis
> <wrober...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >My son has given me some home depot gift cards, which I have a hard time redeeming. I already have a boatload of dewalt tools and I don't want to waste a gift card on air conditioner filters. I had the idea to see what they have in chisels - not expecting much. I found sets of Stanley 750 socket chisels listed as "made in sheffield, England". $90 for a set of four. If these are the real deal, its a decent buy. I ordered a set.
> Looking at the reviews (both HD and elsewhere), some report that
> they're good chisels and easy to sharpen. Others report that while
> they come sharp, they take a lot of work to flatten and sharpen right.
> Report back.

This article in finewoodworking convinced me to at least try them. It is 10 years old but might still apply. It has some interesting history.

https://www.finewoodworking.com/2011/04/07/sweetheart-chisels-750-series-review

Bob

On Thu, 13 Jan 2022 05:09:24 -0800 (PST), Bob Davis
<wrobertdavis@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 10:10:47 PM UTC-6, k...@notreal.com wrote:
>> On Wed, 12 Jan 2022 18:04:38 -0800 (PST), Bob Davis
>> <wrober...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >My son has given me some home depot gift cards, which I have a hard time redeeming. I already have a boatload of dewalt tools and I don't want to waste a gift card on air conditioner filters. I had the idea to see what they have in chisels - not expecting much. I found sets of Stanley 750 socket chisels listed as "made in sheffield, England". $90 for a set of four. If these are the real deal, its a decent buy. I ordered a set.
>> Looking at the reviews (both HD and elsewhere), some report that
>> they're good chisels and easy to sharpen. Others report that while
>> they come sharp, they take a lot of work to flatten and sharpen right.
>> Report back.
>
>This article in finewoodworking convinced me to at least try them. It is 10 years old but might still apply. It has some interesting history.
>
>https://www.finewoodworking.com/2011/04/07/sweetheart-chisels-750-series-review

I wouldn't give a review from eleven years ago full confidence. Many
things have been cheapened over the years.

While some of the online product reviews say the backs are so wavy
that the tools aren't worth the time, more give them a good, four or
five star, review. Of course, one has to read what's said to see if
the review is meaningful.

Not really relevant but why make them in Sheffield England instead of
the US, as the originals were. I wouldn't have thought that the UK
would be cheaper. Sheffield does have the reputation but they don't
seem to be pushing it.

I agree with you, for the price, they seem to be worth a shot. Let us
know how they turn out.

krw@notreal.com writes:
>On Thu, 13 Jan 2022 05:09:24 -0800 (PST), Bob Davis
><wrobertdavis@gmail.com> wrote:

>Not really relevant but why make them in Sheffield England instead of
>the US, as the originals were. I wouldn't have thought that the UK
>would be cheaper. Sheffield does have the reputation but they don't
>seem to be pushing it.

Most stanley planes have been made by Stanley UK (in sheffield) for at
least three decades[*], as have stanley chisels and othter stanley
woodworking tools. That's where the factory is.

"But Stanley did not start manufacturing tools in England
until they bought controlling interest in J.A. Chapman in 1936."

[*] Until they reintroduced the bailey line (made in Mexico) a few
years ago.

On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 12:30:22 PM UTC-6, k...@notreal.com wrote:
> On Thu, 13 Jan 2022 05:09:24 -0800 (PST), Bob Davis
> <wrober...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >On Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 10:10:47 PM UTC-6, k...@notreal.com wrote:
> >> On Wed, 12 Jan 2022 18:04:38 -0800 (PST), Bob Davis
> >> <wrober...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> >My son has given me some home depot gift cards, which I have a hard time redeeming. I already have a boatload of dewalt tools and I don't want to waste a gift card on air conditioner filters. I had the idea to see what they have in chisels - not expecting much. I found sets of Stanley 750 socket chisels listed as "made in sheffield, England". $90 for a set of four. If these are the real deal, its a decent buy. I ordered a set.
> >> Looking at the reviews (both HD and elsewhere), some report that
> >> they're good chisels and easy to sharpen. Others report that while
> >> they come sharp, they take a lot of work to flatten and sharpen right.
> >> Report back.
> >
> >This article in finewoodworking convinced me to at least try them. It is 10 years old but might still apply. It has some interesting history.
> >
> >https://www.finewoodworking.com/2011/04/07/sweetheart-chisels-750-series-review
> I wouldn't give a review from eleven years ago full confidence. Many
> things have been cheapened over the years.
>
> While some of the online product reviews say the backs are so wavy
> that the tools aren't worth the time, more give them a good, four or
> five star, review. Of course, one has to read what's said to see if
> the review is meaningful.
>
> Not really relevant but why make them in Sheffield England instead of
> the US, as the originals were. I wouldn't have thought that the UK
> would be cheaper. Sheffield does have the reputation but they don't
> seem to be pushing it.
>
> I agree with you, for the price, they seem to be worth a shot. Let us
> know how they turn out.

The order was ready at my local home depot 4 days after I ordered it. So here's my observations:

1. The included leather tool wrap is amazing quality. Lie Nielson would be proud to include this with their chisels.
2. I hoped for a set of chisels that are well made and can be hand honed to top quality. That seems to be exactly what I got. The blades are factory ground on all edges and well finished. The blades are pretty sharp right out of the box. I think 30-60 minutes of hand work on each chisel would make them outstanding.
3. At this price, the chisels are excellent value.
4. The shape is really good, IMO.

With all these good words, I have decided to return them. Huh? The one detractor is that the side edges of the blades are pretty thick. I do not hand cut dovetails and these are just fine for everyday use. I've been getting along with hand sharpened 1973 Craftsman chisels since they were new. This set will probably be the last set of chisels I ever buy and I decided to go for top shelf. Lie Nielson and Lee Valley are out of stock on everything. Lie Nielson has stopped production on some chisels. So what to do? Infinity tools had some Narex Richter chisel sets in stock and I ordered one.

Bob

On Jan 22, 2022, krw@notreal.com wrote
(in article<vh5puglsujc43grrtkaqn3ne0buvnnfm1c@4ax.com>):

> Craftsman from that age made some more than decent tools. I wish I
> still had my wrenches and sockets. I have a stainless screwdriver set
> from the early '70s that are pretty good.

I bought my first set of Craftsman® tools when I was in the Navy, and
stationed in Pensacola, FL back in1971. They were purchased as a set
consisting of something like 200 pieces, where every Allen wrench, etc. was
counted as a piece along with the included steel tool box.

I’m proud to say that they are all still in my possession, minus one or two
misplaced Allen wrenches over the years, and still serving me well.

I wonder if the Craftsman® brand carried by Lowes is anywhere near the same
quality?

Joe

On Sunday, January 23, 2022 at 9:33:17 AM UTC-6, k...@notreal.com wrote:
> On Sun, 23 Jan 2022 07:01:39 -0500, 10x <1...@home.com> wrote:
>
> >On Jan 22, 2022, k...@notreal.com wrote
> >(in article<vh5puglsujc43grrt...@4ax.com>):
> >
> >> Craftsman from that age made some more than decent tools. I wish I
> >> still had my wrenches and sockets. I have a stainless screwdriver set
> >> from the early '70s that are pretty good.
> >
> >I bought my first set of Craftsman® tools when I was in the Navy, and
> >stationed in Pensacola, FL back in1971. They were purchased as a set
> >consisting of something like 200 pieces, where every Allen wrench, etc. was
> >counted as a piece along with the included steel tool box.
> That sort of thing was common. Still is but it's pretty clear that
> they're playing that game.
> >I’m proud to say that they are all still in my possession, minus one or two
> >misplaced Allen wrenches over the years, and still serving me well.
> I lost wrenches constantly. I'm sure I left them where I was working.
> Probably under the hood. I don't much anymore because I buy HF crap.
> It's not worth losing.
> >I wonder if the Craftsman® brand carried by Lowes is anywhere near the same
> >quality?
> Not a chance. It's the same Chinese junk as HF sells, for 4x the
> price.

I've had good experiences buying good condition vintage Made in USA tools on ebay, including Craftsman deep sockets and Crescent brand wrenches.

Bob

Bob Davis <wrobertdavis@gmail.com> writes:
>On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 12:30:22 PM UTC-6, k...@notreal.com wrote:

>
>With all these good words, I have decided to return them. Huh? The one det=
>ractor is that the side edges of the blades are pretty thick. I do not han=
>d cut dovetails and these are just fine for everyday use. I've been getting=
> along with hand sharpened 1973 Craftsman chisels since they were new. Thi=
>s set will probably be the last set of chisels I ever buy and I decided to =
>go for top shelf. Lie Nielson and Lee Valley are out of stock on everythin=
>g. Lie Nielson has stopped production on some chisels. So what to do? Infi=
>nity tools had some Narex Richter chisel sets in stock and I ordered one.

I make a habit of stopping at any antique store I pass, I've found dozens
of high-quality chisels for a few dollars apiece. Flea markets are also
a good source, as are some of the more reputable tool dealers like Pat Leach
or Pete Neiderberger.

Granted, you're not likely to find a matched set, and the handles will show
wear, but function over form, right?

On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 3:22:25 PM UTC-6, Bob Davis wrote:
> On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 12:30:22 PM UTC-6, k...@notreal.com wrote:
> > On Thu, 13 Jan 2022 05:09:24 -0800 (PST), Bob Davis
> > <wrober...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > >On Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 10:10:47 PM UTC-6, k...@notreal.com wrote:
> > >> On Wed, 12 Jan 2022 18:04:38 -0800 (PST), Bob Davis
> > >> <wrober...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> >My son has given me some home depot gift cards, which I have a hard time redeeming. I already have a boatload of dewalt tools and I don't want to waste a gift card on air conditioner filters. I had the idea to see what they have in chisels - not expecting much. I found sets of Stanley 750 socket chisels listed as "made in sheffield, England". $90 for a set of four. If these are the real deal, its a decent buy. I ordered a set.
> > >> Looking at the reviews (both HD and elsewhere), some report that
> > >> they're good chisels and easy to sharpen. Others report that while
> > >> they come sharp, they take a lot of work to flatten and sharpen right.
> > >> Report back.
> > >
> > >This article in finewoodworking convinced me to at least try them. It is 10 years old but might still apply. It has some interesting history.
> > >
> > >https://www.finewoodworking.com/2011/04/07/sweetheart-chisels-750-series-review
> > I wouldn't give a review from eleven years ago full confidence. Many
> > things have been cheapened over the years.
> >
> > While some of the online product reviews say the backs are so wavy
> > that the tools aren't worth the time, more give them a good, four or
> > five star, review. Of course, one has to read what's said to see if
> > the review is meaningful.
> >
> > Not really relevant but why make them in Sheffield England instead of
> > the US, as the originals were. I wouldn't have thought that the UK
> > would be cheaper. Sheffield does have the reputation but they don't
> > seem to be pushing it.
> >
> > I agree with you, for the price, they seem to be worth a shot. Let us
> > know how they turn out.
> The order was ready at my local home depot 4 days after I ordered it. So here's my observations:
>
> 1. The included leather tool wrap is amazing quality. Lie Nielson would be proud to include this with their chisels.
> 2. I hoped for a set of chisels that are well made and can be hand honed to top quality. That seems to be exactly what I got. The blades are factory ground on all edges and well finished. The blades are pretty sharp right out of the box. I think 30-60 minutes of hand work on each chisel would make them outstanding.
> 3. At this price, the chisels are excellent value.
> 4. The shape is really good, IMO.
>
> With all these good words, I have decided to return them. Huh? The one detractor is that the side edges of the blades are pretty thick. I do not hand cut dovetails and these are just fine for everyday use. I've been getting along with hand sharpened 1973 Craftsman chisels since they were new. This set will probably be the last set of chisels I ever buy and I decided to go for top shelf. Lie Nielson and Lee Valley are out of stock on everything. Lie Nielson has stopped production on some chisels. So what to do? Infinity tools had some Narex Richter chisel sets in stock and I ordered one.
>
> Bob

I have a followup on the Narex Richter chisel set I ordered. They came in a plain brown box, humble packaging. Each chisel is individually boxed in a cheap looking cardboard box. All this description is to paint the picture that I was prepared to be disappointed. When I peeled away the tissue paper on the first chisel, I am sure I let out an audible gasp. I do not believe I have ever seen such a fine cutting instrument. It has a fine mirror finish on all sides. I do not see that any hand tuning will be necessary. The edges of the blade are really thin for doing very fine detailed work.

Bob

krw@notreal.com wrote in
news:gtsqugtd01femacv68u51tmh6pao8tbama@4ax.com:

>
> I lost wrenches constantly. I'm sure I left them where I was working.
> Probably under the hood. I don't much anymore because I buy HF crap.
> It's not worth losing.
>

If you're the guy who lost that Craftsman screwdriver under the hood...
Thanks! No, you can't have it back.

:-)

Puckdropper

"10x" wrote in message
news:0001HW.279D7B230253AB9F700001BF438F@news.giganews.com...

>On Jan 22, 2022, krw@notreal.com wrote
>(in article<vh5puglsujc43grrtkaqn3ne0buvnnfm1c@4ax.com>):

>> Craftsman from that age made some more than decent tools. wish I
>> still had my wrenches and sockets. I have a stainless screwdriver set
>> from the early '70s that are pretty good.

>I bought my first set of Craftsman® tools when I was in the Navy, and
>stationed in Pensacola, FL back in1971. They were purchased as a set
>consisting of something like 200 pieces, where every Allen wrench, etc. was
>counted as a piece along with the included steel tool box.

>I’m proud to say that they are all still in my possession, minus one or two
>misplaced Allen wrenches over the years, and still serving me well.

>I wonder if the Craftsman® brand carried by Lowes is anywhere near the same
>quality?

The Craftsman sockets from the 60s were high quality thin walled sockets. My
father still has most of a set (the whole set likely still exists and the
pieces will be found after he passes away... kind of like when we cleaned
out my brother's place). By the late 70s the sockets were much thicker...
The set I bought about 1978 wasn’t nearly as good... much thicker walls
which means they didn't fit into the spaces that the older sockets fit
(e.g., some areas of engines where there was little clearance).

I've gotten screw driver sets over the years from Craftsman (now referred to
as Craftsman Acetate Screwdrivers) and Stanley... the tips didn't hold up so
I bought I set of Klein (American made) screw drivers and there is no
comparison... The Kleins cost about 4X the price of the Craftsman and 2.5X
the Stanley. I recently bought a pair of Klein lineman pliers and KNIPEX
twin grip slip joint pliers (American made) and they are far superior to the
Craftsman pliers I have. They grip well and cut clearly. The Lineman pliers
cost about 4X what Craftsman cost... It doesn't look like Craftsman has a
plier comparable to the KNIPEX.

I guess you have to ask yourself what you expect of your tools. Me... I've
mostly got professional quality tools now as I got fed up with using crappy
tools. 40-45 years ago I turned a wrench in a bicycle shop for a living...
we had a lot of Craftsman tools originally but as they wore out (and were
replaced for free and worn out again) they were replaced by higher quality
tools such as Park.

krw@notreal.com wrote in
news:umkuugl7kc4ov88qnih6dpn6kb0bp6rio4@4ax.com:

> We talked, here, about this recently. I have a drawer full of
> screwdrivers. Some are OK but most aren't worth using. The steel is so
> soft that they just round out. Some suggested Wera but I don't like
> the handles.

At my FIL's place, he produced a screwdriver that was so soft the tip was
junk. I had brought a small sharpening stone and after just a few minutes
on the stone it was back to looking like a screwdriver again.

Trying to use the screwdriver was impossible, by the time we gave up it
looked like a "jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone."

Softest thing I've ever seen.

Puckdropper

"J. Clarke" wrote in message
news:jmruug5mla6ikm5mrc767lj3f9io06csv5@4ax.com...

On Mon, 24 Jan 2022 15:48:11 -0500, "John Grossbohlin"
<nospam.grossboj@nospam.earthlink.net> wrote:

>>I've gotten screw driver sets over the years from Craftsman (now referred
>>to
>>as Craftsman Acetate Screwdrivers) and Stanley... the tips didn't hold up
>>so
>>I bought I set of Klein (American made) screw drivers and there is no
>>comparison... The Kleins cost about 4X the price of the Craftsman and 2.5X
>>the Stanley. I recently bought a pair of Klein lineman pliers and KNIPEX
>>twin grip slip joint pliers (American made)

>I'd be concerned about that--KNIPEX tools are supposed to be _German_
>made.

Bad editing on my part! I rephrased the paragraph and hosed it! LOL

On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 8:42:15 PM UTC-8, Puckdropper wrote:
> k...@notreal.com wrote in
> news:umkuugl7kc4ov88qn...@4ax.com:
> > We talked, here, about this recently. I have a drawer full of
> > screwdrivers. Some are OK but most aren't worth using. The steel is so
> > soft that they just round out. Some suggested Wera but I don't like
> > the handles.
> At my FIL's place, he produced a screwdriver that was so soft the tip was
> junk. I had brought a small sharpening stone and after just a few minutes
> on the stone it was back to looking like a screwdriver again.
>
> Trying to use the screwdriver was impossible, by the time we gave up it
> looked like a "jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone."

Yeah; there's a potential cure for that, though. If you can grind off the soft tip, and braze or weld
a good-quality tip from the 1/4" hex offerings, a useful handle can have a variety of
things on the end, during its life. My more elaborate plan is to use a lathe to make
coupler rods with a taper bored in each end, and fit the handle-shank-coupler-tip with
braze, or solder, or even just good epoxy. The hard metal of the tip will have to
be accurately ground to a taper, but I've got a lathe and other tooling. Unlike swap-a-tip
drivers, the taper fit makes a nonloose, perfect feeling hand-to-fastener connection.

There's one LONG shank screwdriver that I've wanted to put a good new Philips tip on for years.
And occasionally, I want other tips on long shanks, because it's easy to aim 'em straight if
you can sight down a long driver

krw@notreal.com writes:
>On Mon, 24 Jan 2022 15:48:11 -0500, "John Grossbohlin"
><nospam.grossboj@nospam.earthlink.net> wrote:

>I looked at briefly Klein screwdrivers the other day (had to buy a
>larger cable cutter). Most of them were insulated, which I really
>don't have a need for. I've been doing some electrical work for the
>last couple of weeks (it goes slow with 1/2 a right hand) but have
>never seen the need. The power is always off and even if it weren't
>my fingers would be in the mess.
>
>We talked, here, about this recently. I have a drawer full of
>screwdrivers. Some are OK but most aren't worth using. The steel is so
>soft that they just round out. Some suggested Wera but I don't like
>the handles.

Again, I'd recommend checking flea markets and antique stores.

I'm quite happy with my 80's vintage Vermont American screwdrivers.

wrote in message news:umkuugl7kc4ov88qnih6dpn6kb0bp6rio4@4ax.com...

On Mon, 24 Jan 2022 15:48:11 -0500, "John Grossbohlin"
<nospam.grossboj@nospam.earthlink.net> wrote:

>>I've gotten screw driver sets over the years from Craftsman (now referred
>>to
>>as Craftsman Acetate Screwdrivers) and Stanley... the tips didn't hold up
>>so
>>I bought I set of Klein (American made) screw drivers and there is no
>>comparison...

snip

>I looked at briefly Klein screwdrivers the other day (had to buy a
>larger cable cutter). Most of them were insulated, which I really
>don't have a need for. I've been doing some electrical work for the
>last couple of weeks (it goes slow with 1/2 a right hand) but have
>never seen the need. The power is always off and even if it weren't
>my fingers would be in the mess.

>We talked, here, about this recently. I have a drawer full of
>screwdrivers. Some are OK but most aren't worth using. The steel is so
>soft that they just round out. Some suggested Wera but I don't like
>the handles.

I've come to like the Klein screwdriver handles. They afford a much better
grip than the Craftsman Acetate and are comparable to the Stanley set I have
that has soft feeling molded dull-yellow handles. Mine have the black rubber
Cushion Grip only, not the insulated shafts. Klein does make screwdrivers
with insulated shafts but I don't really have a use for them.

I recently ordered some more Klein stuff... combo tip for electrical
connectors, 1/8" cabinet, #0 Phillips, bit holder, and a set of nut drivers.
That should fill out my screwdriver needs!