Chisel set

[Arathonk]

I'm about to buy a basis set of chisels,

My woodworking teacher recommends me unpolished Two Cherries,

How is this brand in terms of quality?

I also read a lot about Narex, how are those? And how are they compared to Two Cherries?

Or is there another brand you guys would suggest.

[drzaius]

Haven't ever used Two Cherries, but I have a set of Narex mortise chisels & crank-neck paring chisels. They are much better than the Lee Valley yellow handle chisels. General opinion seems to be that they are a very good value & I agree with that.

[JosephThomas]

I'm with the Doc, have some narex, like them a lot, never used two cherries. Is this your first set of chisels?  A number of people here in the forum have grabbed the set of 4 narex bench chisels as our first foray into 'better chisels' (get them from amazon or lee valley).  I still have my first set of cheap stanley chisels, I use those now if there is hardened glue or epoxy nearby.

[RichardA]

The only Two Cherries item I have is a gent's saw... Based on that, I'd go with Narex, but then I already have, they're good chisels, and if you want later to up grade, you'll most likely find that you'll still use the Narex a lot more than you think!  They're comfortable, hold an edge and are relatively inexpensive!

[Coop]

I really thought he was jacking with you guys about the two cherries but I see they really do exist!

[wdwerker]

I have a few Two Cherries carving tools. They are pretty good but have basic handles .

[Don Z.]

I have a set of Two Cherries turning tools.  I like them a lot.

[Bob Rozaieski]

At one time, Two Cherries chisels were the best western chisels you could get. They've been around way longer than the bench chisels offered by LV, LN and Ashley Iles.  I'd definitely consider them a step up from the Narex. Kind of a halfway point between budget chisels and top of the line chisels. Their steel is on par with the Ashley Iles chisels though the TC handles leave a bit to be desired. Regardless, they are definitely a buy once and keep them for life tool. Can't go wrong with TC.

The reason your instructor specified un-polished is because the polished version that they offer has slightly rounded corners on the face side from the polishing process. Some users feel that this impedes sharpening because you can't get the corners sharp without lapping away the polished and dubbed corners. If you get the unpolished set, this isn't a problem. 

[TerryMcK]

I have a pair Cherries skew chisels and they are fantastic. Also I have a few Narex and they too are fantastic. You can't go wrong with either brands.

[Tom Cancelleri]

I've heard some great things about Ashley Iles chisels. They aren't terribly expensive, and should serve you a very long time. 

[Minnesota Steve]

Based on various recommendations, I bought a couple Lee Valley Narex chisels, and I'm really impressed with the quality given the price.

I think the Two Cherries are only available in metric if that's a concern.

[pkinneb]

Regardless of brand the important thing is learn how to sharpen them, well. I'll take a sharp $8 Irwin chisel over a non sharp top brand. I currently use Rob Cosman bevel chisels, Ashly Isles Pairing chisels, Narex Mortise chisels, and a Lie Nielsen fishtail chisel for dovetails. In the past I have used Two Cherries, Irwin, Stanley Sweetheart and all worked well when sharp.