New tool searching

[obxcarver]

I am looking to buy some new tools for carving but have no one as a reference point for which tools are the best bang for the buck as they say. I have looked at Pfiel, Stubai, Ramuelson and some others. Of course the big name is Pfiel but they are quite pricey. So my question is which tools do the seasoned carvers prefer and why and where to purchase them?

[xsailer]

You left out another major player "Denny" gouges and etc. tools. Your choices could be shrunk if we knew what type of carving you plan on doing?

[againstthegrain]

Well, I'm not seasoned, but I have 2 Ramelson, 2 Denny, 1 Flexcut (weak moment and a big mistake) and 6 Pfeil palm gouges. I try to do as much carving as I can with my knives because I feel I have more control with them than I do with the gouges.

Smoky Mt Woodcarvers recommends the Ramelsons for beginners. They are not that pricey and are pretty durable. If you purchase a U gouge and a V gouge and have a knife, what other tools do you really need to get a carving done? That is the beauty of this hobby--you can make it expensive, but you can also get by pretty cheap if you want, depending on how many "toys" you want (or feel you have to have).

[FK]

My favoarite low priced carving tools are made by Warren Tools. High carbon steel, double tempered and very cost effective.

Warren Cutlery Wood Carving Tools Industrial Knives Kitchen Knives

Select "Ship Online" and "Chisels & Gouges" for the prices and descriptions.

You can purchase tools with interchangable handles or fixed handles.

All of the brands you mentioned are great tools and preference will be an individual choice.

For small hand held carving the higher priced large tools are not necessary.

Keeping the edge sharp is more important than brand names.

Regards,
FK

[big dave]

just remmeber you get what you pay for, swiss made are not but a dollar or two more than some of the others and are in opinion great tools that need little care, denny tool are great to i could not do with out the ortel soft v it'great for rough outs and eye sockets you can do most of a whole carving with that tool alone flex cuts i also like (some don't) but for the money it's hard to go wrong.

[Clifford_Parker]

I really like Ramelson palm tools. Not only are they reasonably priced and good quality they are also hand forged, AMERICAN MADE tools.

U.J. Ramelson Co. Inc.

[CarverFromNoWhere]

It is Flexcut all the way, if I had the money I would have Pfiel along with them.
It seems there is a number who dislike Flexcut, I put most of that off to having no skills with the flexcut tools and finding them uncomfortable. Flexcut flex hence the name, and it takes an extra amount of dexterity to control and use this flex to its full advantage.
One extra nice thing is far as I can tell Flexcuts out of the box come the sharpest of any tools I have looked at in hand. Which includes Lamp, Pfiel, Stubia, Two Cherries, Henry Taylor, many no name brands, Buck Brothers, Warren, Denny, Dastra, and alot more. Flexcuts also stay that sharp with just simple stropping on the Flexcut gold compound, if ya have any problems like, I had a larger V tool split in half I called them up and told them what happend it was replaced for free in only 5 days. I had a couple that where hammerd off center when they forged them and I asked about it and they also replaced them for free even payed the shipping fees.

It really comes down to personal opinion, then the ability to modify the tools to suite yourself best.
Carl
Welcome to Flexcut Tool Company Inc. | Flexcut Tool Company

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

I like Swiss Made palm tools and Helvie knives, Denny tools are also nice. Started with Flexcut, still use once in a while. Check out this link, they have a nice starter kit.

Little Shavers Wood Carving Supply

Dave

[CarverFromNoWhere]

There isn't anything wrong with making your own tools I do it all the time.
Carl

[scooter]

Like asking which child is your favorite...

Find a friend who owns various knives. Give 'em a try. If you're near a brick-and-mortar store, ask to demo them before buying. They ought to let you. Poor practice if they don't.

Some other thoughts about brands:

- While I don't consider Flexcut the best, I use them a lot. Because they're [relatively] inexpensive and you can get them most anywhere, I don't feel bad about being hard on them. The knives that are more dear to me get more care. Flexcut hones up quickly because the steel is softer. But conversely, they need honing more often.

- Has Ashleigh Isles (sp) been mentioned? I'm not unhappy with my Ashleigh Isles chisels.

- What about Diobsud Forge? Those are simply awesome. Hardest steel I've come across. Too bad they aren't made anymore. They [until very recently] were made in Washington, so I'm not sure if they caught on nationally. I know of only one brick-and-mortar store that still has a few, and once they're gone they're gone.