I am wanting to add some palm tools to my small but growing collection of knives and gouges. I'm leaning towards either Flexcut or Pfeil. I currently own a small collection of the 'D' sized Pfeil tools, and have been very happy with them. I have never tried the Flexcut tools, but all that I read of them seems very positive. I am wondering if any of you have suggestions for either of these, or others brands I should be looking at.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I have ramelson, flexcut, Auriou and pfeil and I like the pfeil least of all of them..you might talk to Dale, he handles the Auriou, I have a large gouge and its a nice tool, and also Rick, although haven't seen him on for awhile, I believe he sells flexcut and ?? I should clarify that I don't have palm tools in the pfeil brand....but they came so dull and I have sharpened and sharpened and they still are not usable,,maybe I just got a bad one!

[Ric]

I bought a set of Denny tools from Rick at a show recently and as I said before I was very impressed with the quality and also the way they fit my hand. They come pre-sharpened and hold an edge well.

Ric

Are Ramelson gouges the 'house brand' ones Wood Craft Sells? They have a half round handle, and are dark red/maroon color? I have a 1/4' #5 I picked up off a sale table, and really like it. Maybe I just ought to buy more of these.

[Colin_Partridge]

Blackdog,
I have numerous flexcut tools and I have nothing bad to say about them. They hold an edge well and come razor sharp. I also have no problem with the Pheil tools they are also excellent tools. One thing I do like about flexcut is that they indeed flex and that makes them very versatile.
Colin

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I don't know if you can call Ramelson a house brand for woodcraft or not, I bought from a dealer at a woodcarving show in Ft Collins...but the description sounds right...also I had a problem with the angle on my small v tool and I contacted Ramelson.....they sent me 2 v tools! can't hardly beat that kind of customer service......now if I only knew how to sharpen v tools LOL! But in reality, there are a lot of good tools out there, just a guess I think!

I've got Pfiel, Ramelson, Stubai, Acorn, Henry Taylor and Denny. Used to have Flexcuts but gave them away, didn't like the way they flexed (a lot of folks do) and didn't like to stay in a cut. Also, didn't care for the handles, especially when turning the tool over to use the back side. Of the bunch I like the Denny best (limited sizes and sweeps though)... the best value-wise I think is probably the Ramelson, especially if two of the ones you want happen to be in a set because the set of five or six will cost you about the same as two singles, so it's like getting three or four free ones to throw in you extra pile.

And yes to the Ramelson being the same as the wood craft tools have some woodcrafts, but counted them in with my Ramelson's.

[Newgouger]

I asked Chris Pye what he liked and what to get and he told me flexcut palms , ive had them a year and im delighted with them, although im at my most happiest when ive got my Mallet in my hand, for fine work i love them

I use the Flexcut's and Pfeil's and I do prefer the Flexcut's. Auriou's are great tools but so far they do not make a palm version. The Pfeil's are also very nice but the Flexcut's are more comfortable, less expensive, easier to find.

Dale

From the above, you can see that tools are a highly personal thing. If I might make a suggestion, don't buy a bunch of any one brand until your sure you really like them. Beg, borrow, steal, or buy one or two of the main brands your interested in before jumping in whole hog. In reality if you pay close attention to the brands used by the carvers in books and magazines, you'll see that most use a variety of brands (this excludes those who are selling a particular brand, Ivan Whittlock comes to mind, but there are plenty of others). Also beware of vendor recomendations, as some (not all), tend to let profit margins influence their recommendations.