Narex Richter Bevel Edge Chisel 1/2" (13mm)

In the pictures, left to right: Veritas PMV-11 3/4", Lie Nielsen 1/2", Narex Richter 1/2", Stanley Bailey 1/2".I wanted a new set of chisels to replace my (not much liked) Stanley Baileys, and was undecided between the Narex Richter, the Lie Nielsen, and the Veritas PMV-11. I ordered one of each to try them out. I only did some slight paring with them (since I was going to return the ones I didn't like), and I did not sharpen them.Before you complain about not sharpening: all of these chisels are being used by master woodworkers, and can all be sharpened to perfection and will perform well. The differences in steel are minor. The purpose of my comparison was to get a feel for the handle, the overall shape of the chisel, and the overall look & feel.Let's get the Stanley Bailey out of the way first. This are a much lower class of chisel, and it is only in this comparison because the Baileys were my previous chisels. I've had these for 6 years and I've never really liked them. My main gripe is the handle - it is way, way to big for my medium hands, and it doesn't have a good shape (corners in all the wrong places, just not a well thought out handle). The original handle is also covered in a thick plastic paint which makes them very slippery and uncomfortable. I sanded that off, but the size and shape problems persist. They came so-so flat (required quite a bit of work on the back) and not sharp. Once you have flattened the back, you can get them sharp and they hold an edge quite well. The sides of the chisel are not very thin, so you can't get into corners with an overhang (e.g. if you want to do dovetails).Now about the other three, which is why you are here:- The difference in handle size is significant. The Narex is too big for my hands, and I find the handle too long. Out of the other two, the Veritas fits me slightly better but the LN is good as well. The LN is easier to control when holding it close to the front of the blade because the handle is lighter. The LN has a much shorter handle than the others, but since it's a socket chisel, the iron acts as an extension of the handle.- The handle on the Veritas has two flat spots to prevent rolling. It also gives you a feel of how the chisel is oriented when holding it by the handle. The other two have round handles. I prefer the flat spots.- The fit and finish on the handles is excellent on the Veritas and the LN, and very good on the Narex (very slightly less smooth than the other two - I would not have noticed if I didn't have the others next to it - definitely not a decider for me).- The grinding on the LN and the Veritas is superb and very fine. The Narex is polished so it's hard to say. Due to the polish, the Narex has very slightly rounded corners from the bottom. This will require some work if you want to cut with the corner of the chisel.- The steel on the Veritas and the LN is quite thick (about the same between the two). The Narex and the Stanley are significantly thinner (also about the same). I know from experience that you can feel some flex on the Stanley when chopping/levering, but it's not an issue most of the time. Definitely no problem at all when paring.- The edges of the Veritas are almost uncomfortably sharp. You can definitely cut yourself on them if you don't pay attention. The LN and the Narex have very thin edges but they won't cut you.- In my initial comparison, I did not sharpen them. However, the LN is A2, and the veritas is PMV-11. I have Veritas plane with a PMV-11 iron, and a LN with a A2 iron, and I find that I get a better edge with less work on the Veritas, so I assume that the same is true for chisels.- Since I bought the Veritas, I sharpened it later. The back was very flat (took maybe 2 minutes to hit it with the finest stone) and it took a fantastic edge very easily (as expected based on my experience with PMV-11).- If you must know, but I think that it is not a good comparison of chisels since you'll have to sharpen them anyway: the Veritas came absolutely razor sharp out of the box - I am not able to get it any sharper than that. The LN was acceptable but I could have improved it. The Richter wasn't that great - it did cut but not very well.My ranking: all in all I prefer Veritas, but the LN is coming pretty close especially given the lower price. The Richter did not do it for me due to the large handle. If it had a smaller handle, I would have considered it because of the much lower price.

Stays extremely sharp and finish has not corroded. Will buy again.

This is the first review of the new series of Narex chisels. I'm starting with five stars and will edit my review over the new few weeks after using the tool. Pricewise, these are not cheap, but conversely, there are many more chisels much pricier than these!First, the initial five stars were for fit, finish and tactile feel in my hand. These are very nice looking, very traditional and feel great in the hand. The side bevels go to next to nothing, so these will work nicely for dovetails. Tonight I will give these an initial sharpening.First edit (after sharpening/honing): the backs (really the face!) are flat! Also, the chisels seem to be well hardened, with my normal method of natural oilstones not seeming to cut that quickly. I resorted to my ceramic oilstones, and had to start from my medium Spyderco to work the bevel, and work through the ultrafine stone. A razor sharp edge was the final result, easily paring soft pine edge grain nicely. The chisel fits my hand very nicely, and finally, the chisel WAS NOT coated with any lacquer or other shipping coating (nice change!). At this point, I remain impressed.

Really, really nice chisel for the price. Well built and feels good in my hand.

I had been eyeing these Richter chisels since I first heard about them. Then Youtuber Wood by Wright's James Wright did an extensive comparison of several different chisels, and thought I'd give it a shot. I purchased the half-inch, as that is the most commonly used. Boy am I glad I did.This is a BEAUTIFUL, premium chisel at a non premium price! Came sharp, and no machine marks. Flattened the back, and set the primary bevel at 25 degrees (comes at 24 degrees) and a secondary bevel at about 27 degrees. Then stropped with green aluminum oxide. (All in less than 20 minutes). I can't compare them to "premium" chisels, as those are FAR out of my price range. But I can say they are far better than my Narex "basic" set. I have since purchased the one inch chisel, and will definitely be rounding out my set. Well worth the price.

I just had this chisel delivered over the weekend, right out of the box, the fit and finish look great. My only complaint about it is that the stainless steel ferrule was not inline, but offset to the top of the blade. It's only cosmetic but I wish there was more attention to that small detail, as most of us woodworkers have a tendency to be a little OCD about our tools. The weight is nice, has excellent balance and is very comfortable in the hand. Fantastically narrow side profile that will allow you to get into tight spaces. I flattened the back and put a micro bevel on it and it took far less time to do than my Stanley Sweethearts. The back was almost unchanged. All around great chisel.

Great chisel. Super sharp out of the packaging. The handle is comfortable and the quality seems really good so far!

So far they are pretty top notch for the money. One gripe is the handle length. However they are light. Blade edges are nice and flat out of the box. Quick hone and razor sharp. Fealt very close sharpening wise to my Lie Nielsen chisels. Buy buy buy.