Well folks, a while back I posted asking advice on which chisel set you would choose if you could choose. I am posting this update for anyone thinking about high-end chisels just because it always helps to hear what others decide and why.

I took everything to heart and actually decided to keep the old rusted ones for a while longer, but finally the time has come. I have always said you aren't good enough for the next level until you're good enough to realize that you're not yet ready for it. Well that kind of goes for tools too. I reached and far passed that level. I was ready.

So what did I decide on? Lie Nielsen. Believe me this was a hard decision and many of the others I considered- Veritas, Two Cherries, Stanley Sweetheart, Ashley Iles, Robert Sorby, and so on- are excellent tools and would have done me just fine. The Lie Nielsens just fit me best for my woodworking. Here are some of the things that aided my decision:

1.) If you call them you can order the chisels without handles and save $10 per chisel. I wanted to make my own handles anyway, so for me the extra $100 saved for ten chisels allowed me to also get a fishtail chisel for dovetails.
2.) The quality of the chisels are tops, and the reputation of Lie Nielsen also backs that so my confidence in the brand is high.
3.) The socket chisels, although I kind of don't like how the handles of socket chisels sometimes loosen, fit my big hands really well. Also they allow me to easily make my own handles, replace handles, switch from short to long handles, and so on.
4.) In my opinion the Lie Nielsen mortice chisels are one of the best out there because they are thick, sturdy, and I just found out that they are also guaranteed for life so if you mess one up you can get a replacement. To boot, the bevel edge chisels are hefty but not too hefty to be heavy, and have finely ground beveled edges which I have found to be a big advantage. I also like the length of the Lie Nielsens.

Really the only down side was that they don't make really wide chisels but other than a 2" chisel that I do use for trimming mortice and tennon cheeks, the majority of my work is done with chisels less than 1" anyway. I'll just use the wide chisels I already have when needed.

So I pulled the trigger just now. They are having to back-order them so I have to wait two weeks. I got five bevel-edge chisels and five mortice chisels as well as one 1/2" fishtail. I was skeptical of the fishtail and was going to get two bevel edge chisels instead, but have heard a lot of good and am starting to get into fancy dovetail joinery so I wanted at least one to get into the edges of dovetails. Why did I get both mortice chisels and bevel edge? I often do mortice and tennon joinery and a morticing chisel lets you chop and pry the wood out of a mortice where a bevel edge is somewhat less adept at the prying part. You can do it, and I would have gone with just bevel edge if I didn't have the money and if I didn't do so many mortices.

The handles will be rosewood with veg-tan leather caps on them. Stay tuned.

Just a note, I guess the second runner-up was Two Cherries. A big reason was the polished finish holds up better down here in the humidity- less prone to rusting. Also they are well made, sturdy chisels at a great price. Ashley Iles and Sorby were both big considerations, but they have longer, thinner handles and I really like the socket handles better.

I want to say also that you can certainly get by with cheaper chisels. I have done so for decades now. My marples blue handles have served me well. They are a little soft and take a lot of touch-up honing to keep sharp. They don't hold up to much chopping or prying work like mortices. As said, it was just time to move up for me after many, many years of the Marples. Honestly I will feel a little guilty when I move them aside to make room for the fancy new Lie Nielsens. Don't think that you can't get a cheap chisel and have it do the job. If you are on a budget I really recommend looking at old used chisels on eBay and in swap meets. For me it was just time to finally splurge on that dream set. Hope I don't get labeled a tool snob!