🔧 Irwin Marples M444 S4 Woodworking Tools Review

Good basic chisels. All new chisels come with a blade that needs sharpening and are good for general light woodworking after that.

You really can't go wrong with this set. Very good quality with nice sturdy handles. You must sharpen these chisels before use. I would recommend a quality water stone. How could you go wrong at $4 a bit?

I used them to carve some hinges and keyholes in a poplar wood door frame. They'll still be sharp even if you've used them with the wrong edge. My brother even cut himself on one that we used for a while. I haven't even done the Scary Sharp tricks to set it up. I can only imagine how good Japanese chisels are when they are "just good".

These chisels are more for the practical layman than for a furniture maker. However, these chisels deserve a recommendation for their usefulness and very reasonable price. The blades cut through red oak to fit into a door jamb with no noticeable wear. The size range only adds to the total cost. Even if you have a top quality chisel set, the Irwin is worth using for more everyday jobs.

I am a beginner at woodworking and needed a set of chisels to get started. After reading several reviews I decided on this set. For the price they are very cheap and in the store they were very helpful. I also practiced dovetails with it without any problems. I just need to learn how to sharpen them! Some complained that they weren't very sharp out of the box. Maybe it's true, but I didn't notice.

I like these chisels but prefer the old yellow and red hard pins that Marples used. The red part had an inward curve and you could prop the chisel up on the side with a finger for trimming and such, and the handle seemed more durable for hammer blows. They are still pretty good though, Sheffield steel blades are such great well made blades. They need to be polished when you get them, they're kind of pre-sharpened, but it's just cut into the blade. Mine came with a 3/8" cap on a 1/2" blade so it