Review on Stanley 16 401 Bailey Chisel Set: 5-Piece Must-Have for Professional Woodworking by David Dortch

A few years ago I bought these chisels as my first set of chisels after starting woodworking. Let me say that I have no regrets about this purchase, but I've learned a lot since then. They will now be used as my "rough" chisels to remove a lot of material but NOT for fine work. The handles are not comfortable enough to balance in my hands when doing delicate work. The steel is mediocre and needs to be sharpened very often, the blades have broken several times in what I consider to be an easy job. Requires completion out of the box. As a prospective carpenter, I learned a lot from them on what to look out for in the future to meet my needs and comfort. I've learned to sharpen and hone with these chisels and it's easy, I assume the steel isn't "strong" and easily shaped. There are also many positive points, the thick handle is well suited for rough work. . It sharpens well. It lets you appreciate finer instruments and was a great starter kit. The tool roll is great and a great addition to the set. For the price, this is a good utility kit. Overall, expect what you get for the money. When it comes to chisels there is no such thing as a "steal" deal, you generally get what you pay for. When purchasing this set please note that these are NOT fine carpenter's chisels (like dovetails etc) but are for general use. I have used them for construction and small dovetail jobs and it has worked well. I would recommend these for general purpose chisels, just make sure you have a way to sharpen them.