Schaaf Wood Carving Tools 12-pc Wood Chisel Set with Gouges, Cr-V 60 Steel

These gouges are very nicely constructed, at least mostly so. I have many premium gouges from Pfeil, Stubai, and Two Cherries that are all exceptionally well made and come razor sharp. However, the premium gouges come without a tool roll (that is worth half the purchase price of the Schaaf gouge set) and cost several times more than the Schaaf gouges. The wood on the premium brands is better, but the Schaaf handles are fairly nice hardwood. The blade materials are different on all the gouges, to some degree, but the Schaaf metal appears to be of good quality and so far has held an edge well enough. The metal may actually be as good as what is in the premium brands since the raw material cost of most high carbon steels is not terribly high. The biggest downsides of the Schaaf gouges are the profiles of the metal, the sharpness of the blades, the occasional defects in the wood, and the mounting of the blades in the handles. When I got my original set, some of the handles had cracks or some (mostly cosmetic) defects in the wood, some handles had oversized countersinking where smaller ferrules were inserted into handles that were designed to fit multiple sizes, some of the blades were mounted slightly askew to the handle, some of the blade profiles were asymmetric in the centering of the longitudinal grooves from the cutting edge to the ferrule, none of the edges were as sharp as required for woodworking, the blade bevel angles were all too steep, and some of the edges were dull and not square (of course, the skew chisel was not square by design). I fully expected from the description and the cost that I would need to re-profile and sharpen all the blades. I also expected the quality of the wood and steel to be lower than the premium brands. And I expected the way in which the metal was formed and profiled to be less accurate than the premium brands. Other than the cracks in the handles, the other problems were livable, if not always desirable. I contact Schaaf's owner, Eli, to discuss the problems. The company had sold out during the Christmas season, and more gouges were being made and shipped. Eli promised to make good on the problems, although we both knew that the basic design features (including the need for the buyer to regrind the bevels and square and sharpen the edges) would be the same. True to his word, Eli kept in touch and sent me replacements as soon as the new gouges arrived in his inventory. Now every one of my gouges is exactly as I hoped for -- even better in most instances. With some grinding of the bevels and squaring and sharpening of the blades, the gouges are all excellent. Schaaf gouges, after they are prepared by the buyer, are almost indistinguishable from their premium brand counterparts in use. Of course, I have gouges that are fishtails and other configurations that are not present in the set from Schaaf, but for a straight gouge compared to another straight gouge of the same sweep and width, they are very similar among the various brands. I am very pleased with the standard Schaaf gouges, but I also saw that Schaaf began offering the gouge set with professional sharpening at an increased price, so I ordered a set to see what they are like. The pre-sharpened gouges arrived today. As a practical matter, the pre-sharpened set is almost the equivalent of premium brand gouges, and the Schaafs arrived ready to use, just like the expensive brands. So, for the cost of 4 premium gouges and no tool roll, I got 12 Schaaf gouges and a nice tool roll. That's a bargain. Given the choice of premium gouges or Schaaf gouges for a similar price, I would always choose the premium brands, but at a fraction of the cost, a Schaaf gouge will do virtually the same job as its premium counterpart, with almost no downside. The Schaaf gouges, particularly the pre-sharpened set, are a GREAT buy. HIghly recommended. FYI - I paid regular customer prices for my two sets of Schaaf gouges. Same thing for my premium gouges. Wood carving is purely a hobby for me, so I have no financial interest whatsoever at any level other than trying to extend my buying dollars for good tools that do the job well and give me pleasure in my leisure activities. What I hate most is getting a "bargain" only to discover I bought junk that doesn't work well or last.

Many have said that these are good for the price and I say these are great at any price. First let me say that I own over two hundred of some of the best woodcarving tools on the planet and have spent time with both new and restored antique tools. While these are not quite ready to work straight out of the box (in my opinion) and do require a little minor work with very limited shaping and sharpening (nearly all new tools do) you will be rewarded with some of the best tools I have ever experienced for traditional wood carving. Sharpening is a fundamental part of woodworking and if you aren't willing to learn the skill you should take up another hobby. After initial sharpening they would normally only require occasional light honing to maintain the edge. Do take the time to remove the lacquer anti-corrosion coating from the metal before use and oil them lightly to keep the tools cleaner during sharpening and use, just as you would with any new tools. The metal takes and holds an edge as well as any I have seen and I have used them with just hand pressure and with mallets in both soft and hard woods. The handles are nice and the tools are very similar to the Pfeil brand. The tool roll they come in is first rate and much better than nearly all I have seen. I have not had any major issues with my tools but others have written that the company was quick to honor their guarantee and I have found them to be very responsive to answering questions I have had about their future plans for expansion to their tool line. It is my understanding that they are working hard to expand their offerings but are deeply concerned with making sure that any new tools meet the quality standards of their existing set before offering them to the public. They do offer a 10% discount for first time customers who sign up on their web page and in doing so they will keep you posted of future offerings. While some carvers warn against buying sets instead of individual tools, this set is well rounded for general work and there are no tools in the set that are "special" use with limited application, which is what you find in many "discount" sets. I have found that each tool included is a traditional style profile with wide application at the bench. Each is a profile normally used by most traditional style carvers and was obviously carefully selected to meet the needs of craftsmen. Considering the cost of many of the other "high-end" brands, you can own this set for what you would spend for three tools from the competition (and no tool roll) and I would call that a HUGE bargain. I have been so impressed with my set that have bought others, both for myself and for friends and family, each set as good as the last. If you want good traditional full sized wood carving tools then these should supply most of your needs and then some. They are a pleasure to use. . Spend the money on the better known brand names if you want but I like the thought of just getting really fine tools and the savings are an added bonus.

If you're interested in wood carving and have done a little research, you probably know what the preferred name brand gouges are, and the fact that they typically run $40-$50+ each (not a set, that's per gouge). This set from Schaaf includes 12 gouges and a tool roll for less than the cost of 3 "name brand" gouges. All of mine were straight and solidly mounted in the handles, which were also smoothly finished. The blade tips came coated in some rubberized plastic to protect them in shipping, but don't expect to use them as tip caps long-term, they're soft and the gouges will slice right through them once honed. Still, they're effective and my set arrived with no edge damage to any of the gouges. So, what's the catch? The catch is that you WILL have to sharpen these, and quite a few of mine need(ed) shaping and basic geometry touch-up beyond just a final hone and strop. The V gouge (#12 6mm) being the worst offender so far. Others in my set came nearly ready to use, particularly the 8mm straight and #1S skew. So it's a bit of a crap shoot, and unfortunately the gouges that had shaping issues are also the most complex to sharpen, even when there *aren't* issues. Having taken several of these back to coarse stones/abrasives and all the way back up, they certainly FEEL like they're hardened as advertised. I have no way to absolutely verify the steel or heat treatment, of course. That said, there's no such thing as a "factory sharp" chisel IMO, so just know that you're signing up for, and realize you're looking at a few hours of work, minimum, before you have 12 ready-to-carve gouges unless you're experienced doing this (in which case you're probably not shopping for a starter set, catch-22). You'll need to learn sharpening skills pretty early in any kind of woodworking hobby anyways. Having taken several of these back to coarse stones/abrasives and all the way back up, they certainly FEEL like they're hardened as advertised. I have no way to absolutely verify the steel or heat treatment, of course. Bottom line: I don't know where else you're going to get 12 new full-size carving gouges made of proper steel for this price. Yes, you can buy the European big brands and probably be assured you'll have to do no prep beyond a hone and strop, but you will also pay 4X the price. The compromises on these are (more than) reasonable, and the included tool roll with its extra protective flaps is a really nice touch. Just be prepared to spend a few evenings of "tool time" getting these things ready to work.

I plan on attempting carving a few projects, including scrolls for musical instruments. So I need some decent carving tools, beyond what I have. The only carving I’ve done to date has been using Foredom with Kustsall carbides and impact knives using Flexcut knives, or my RAM (Dremel like) tool. They have served me well, but I need even more precision and smoother cuts for things like the scrolls. I've been looking at the Pfeil, Two Cherries and other top line carving tools. Obviously, since I'm a verified purchaser, I bought these. Since the entire set was the price of just two of the Two Cherries or Pfeils, I'd figured I’d try them. Right out of the box, I liked the feel. More so after comparing them with my palm and other Harbor Freight chisels. These provide much better control of the cuts than shorter tools. That, also, means improved safety. When purchasing these, I was not purchasing Rolls Royce quality tools. Still, fit and finish was satisfactory and is, generally, as good as the one high end tool I do have. I should note, hardness of these are said to be around 60, while some of the better ones are rated around 64. This just means I’ll have to strop them more often. I tested the out of the box edges. They needed work. They were not as good as my cheaper sets, which I re-profiled and brought to razor sharp edges. However, just a few passes on leather charged with Flexcut’s compound made a night and day difference and several of these met or exceeded the edge quality of my other knives. After a quick stropping of some of the knives, I tested them on walnut. Curves and swoops were a breeze. I can only imagine what using these will be like after I learn a bit more about profiling and sharpening such tools, or play with a softer, more forgiving wood. Several of the knives will require re-profiling to fit my style, but a bit of time reading what pro’s have to say about this makes clear this is normal. Though I don't need the room, it looks like the kid who drops by my shop, or my buddy, gets a set of usable but just less than beginner carving knives (I'll even toss in a charged leather strop). The longer handles spoil you that quickly. It appears these are a good jumping off place for beginners like me. They may even prove good back up tools for the pro. And all at a fraction of the price of the high end tools.

I just received these tools and have not yet used them. They seem to be of very good quality. I like the 'rubberized' protective coating that was placed on the tips to protect the tools during shipping. The canvas bag is sturdy. The handles fit my hand well and seem to be of good quality wood. The metal is heavy duty and seems to be of high quality. 2/24/25 UPDATE: I just completed a heart dish for my wife. It is the first project I tackled with these carving tools. She is impressed and so am I. I found the set to be very well made and they were very sharp out of the box. I'm impressed - for the price they cannot be beat. I also have some Beaver Craft and Flexcut tools. These tools are better than Beaver Craft and on par or better than Flexcut. I took them to my local Woodcraft store and the carver there was very impressed with the set and thought they were on par with the much more expensive brands he had at the store. For the heart, I carved out the center of the dish with my carving tools and used my scroll saw to carve out the outside shape after the dish was completed. I used my rotary tool / Dremel - to sand the exterior after using my scroll saw. The carving tools did such a smooth job on the inside dish, that not much sanding was needed. I am really happy with this purchase.

I’ve been a woodworker for 45 years but just recently started wood carving again. I wanted to supplement my existing Henry Taylor gouges with some additional profiles but didn’t like the high price of the Pfeil brand. I saw videos by respected carvers giving the Schaaf chisels the thumbs up so I took a chance. When I got the chisels, I immediately liked the feel and heft of them. They’re a bit more robust than my HT’s and the Pfeil’s. They can be pushed or used with a mallet. They don’t have ferrules but should be able to handle moderate mallet strikes without problem. They would not be ideal for small figure carving though. I was fully prepared to spend the day refining their edges but most of them only required minimal stropping and a few some minor honing. I think I had all twelve super sharp within an hour. I appreciate that they stated on Amazon that buyers should expect to sharpen their chisels. I’m not sure if they meant they needed sharpened as they are used or out of the box but I think that this is a helpful note to any novice. Chisels dull with use. If you plan on carving you will need to have a few accessories to maintain your tools. One of the tangs was not quite centered in the handle (see picture) but not enough to affect the feel or function and I don’t plan on losing sleep over it. I can’t speak to the edge holding quality of the steel yet, but they sharpen up quickly and can be made very sharp. Overall, I’d say that they are a high quality product and hope this company will be around for a long time to develop additional chisel profiles.

I knew I was getting tools that would need some care to sharpen and hone to my liking. 2/3 of the tools came with a decent edge that was fairly easy to refine. However, about 1/3 of them came with very wavy and jagged edges that were very poorly ground from the factory. It took a lot of time to get them square and as a result I had to remove much more material than i would have liked from the edge of the chisel. The trend seemed to be the more curved the gouge the worse the tool was ground. Overall, the handles and steel seem to be good quality. The tools are a bit lightweight but for the price seem to be of good value. I just wish there was more quality control on the factory grind as this would be a huge issue for someone who didn't know how to sharpen or what to look out for in a tool.

For what you pay, these are excellent carving tools. They're a quarter of the price of the more expensive brands, but deliver probably 80-90% of their quality. It's a great set with a lot of the sweeps and sizes you'd need for most projects. I've tested and sharpened them all and all cut well after light honing and stropping. I've used a few extensively and on those the edge retention is pretty good, definitely better than I expected. The handles are ash with a really thick, slick varish on them but I sanded that off with 220 grit paper and applied some oil and wax and they feel excellent. They have a great size and geometry to them. My only complaint is with the V gouge. It arrived with several nicks in the blade and took some grinding to get it in shape. It also has a flat on the bottom which makes it difficult to get a nice, deep, sharp groove with it. It's just a shame that that tool is the only one I've had issue with because its easily my most used one out of the bunch. No issues with any other though. I'd definitely recommend this for anyone that'd like a nice quality set of gouges and doesn't want to pay an arm and a leg.

Fantastic knives. For a wildlife carver. It's an excellent set.

Turned up super quick and lovely tools.

El acero parece buena calidad (veremos dentro de un par de meses). El afilado no es perfecto, tendré que mejorarlo (algunas piezas tienen un filo irregular, aunque a otras les ha bastado pasarlas por un cuero para poder realizar un trabajo aceptable sobre madera de pino de palet) Los mangos no están mal aunque esperaba mejores sensaciones (quizás soy muy exigente). Una de las gubias no tiene bien alineado el eje del metal con el eje del mango. En general me gustan estas gubias, aunque tendré que probarlas bien tras afilarlas adecuadamente. La bolsa, aunque no es cuero, da muy buena sensación al tacto y parece robusta (solo me parece poco adecuada la cinta de cierre).

It’s good but not sharp!! one of the chisel has crack on the blade (#4 U) it’s not working at all and need to be fixed

These carving tools were comfortable to hold and once sharpen were beautiful to use.