Chisels

Initially when I began carving the top/back braces, I had a cheap set of chisels from Harbor Freight. Six chisels (1/4 - 1-1/2") for $4, what could I lose (besides the $4). I soon learned that besides the poor quality machining that was used to manufacture these third rate chisels, I just couldn't get them to hold an edge very long. So I checked their hardness: 48-50 Rockwell C... cheap carbon steel. Good chisels have a hardness of 58-62 Rc. So I spent some money and bought three Hirsch Firmer chisels (6, 10, 16mm which is close to 1/4, 3/8, 5/8") from Lee Valley for about $20 apiece plus shipping. Hirsch and Two Cherries are made in the same factory in Germany, and are essentially the same chisel. I have read multiple articles comparing various brands. They all agree that Hirsch/Two Cherries are the toughest (which means holds an edge longer) chisel available with the exception of the much more expensive Japanese chisels: iyori, blue and white steel. To achieve this added toughness, their hardness is higher (62-67 Rc) and thus becomes more brittle. A chisel as such may have it's place, for for what I do the Hirsch is perfect and reasonably priced. Barr and Crown also scored well. Crown is similarly priced at $15-20 each, but Barr generally cost a $70-80 each!