Author: Dave W
Rating: 5
Review: My Stanley chisels are over 10 years old and they've seen some pretty bad sharpening efforts by me, but I've also used them for jobs I shouldn't have. The other day I needed to fit some new, quite deep door latches and the chisels weren't up to it. I was about to buy a new set when I saw an advert for this sharpener. New chisels £39.00 and the sharpener £26.15. A new set of chisels would have just ended up in the same condition as my old ones so it seemed like a good alternative. I was a little sceptical but did some research and decided to order the sharpener. It arrived yesterday and it felt a lot more substantial than I expected. You definitely need to read the instructions properly but fitting it to the bench was a doddle and once it was up and running it really does an amazing job. Being a total perfectionist I think that is a real compliment to this piece of kit. (P.S. That's not the word my wife uses to describes me but it means the same) Anyway three chisels fully sharpened in no time and they've not been as sharp even when the were new. I'd say money very well spent and I'm over the moon that I didn't throw my old chisels away then waist the new set I was going to buy.
Author: Hubert
Rating: 2
Review: First thing to know is that you'll need a drill with a lock-on button. No battery-powered drill that I've ever encountered has one of these. Luckily I have an old Black and Decker mains-powered drill which I pressed into service. Second, the grinding wheel (I hesitate to call it a sharpening wheel) is very coarse and won't give you a smooth finish. It may be ok for grinding down a worn and ancient chisel or plane blade, but you'll need to use other methods to get a properly honed edge. Third, you'll need to devise some way of fixing it securely and semi-permanently to a bench, with enough space behind it for the power drill. Even when fixed down, the whole concern rattles around alarmingly - not conducive to precision working. Fourth, the chisel holder doesn't grip well and is almost impossible to get straight. If you're not careful, your 'finished' bevel won't be square to the edge of the tool. I also found that at certain angles the chisel would slip over the stop and the tip of the chisel would lose contact with the grinding wheel. Fifth, the water reservoir ends up full of metal filings and debris from the grinding wheel. It's an unholy mess to clean out. The only really good thing I have to say about this is that inspired me to go back and sharpen my tools properly.
