I am new to slotted chisels and bought this set to have some cheap chisels on hand to practice sharpening. I found these bits to be quite sharp, but the surface quality was rough and there were scratches and nicks near the cut surfaces. After sharpening the chisel and chisel, I had no trouble cutting the groove. There were a few deep cuts that I couldn't cut, but they didn't seem to have a huge impact on performance. The chisel went through my work piece with ease, giving me clean chips and a good first cut.