A decent set of bevel-edge chisels is one of those tools where the gap between the cheap-and-cheerful and the proper trade kit shows up in the first hour. Cheap chisels arrive blunt, the steel won’t hold an edge through a morning of door hanging, and the handles split the first time you lean on them with a mallet. Spend a bit more and a set lasts a working career.
We’ve worked through the chisel sets that earn their place in a UK trade van in 2026 — the ones stocked at Screwfix, Toolstation, Axminster and Amazon UK, plus the specialist sets the joinery shops swear by. Everything here is bevel-edge for general carpentry use; if you’re cutting mortices for door locks daily you’ll want a separate mortice chisel set, but the bevel-edge sets below cover the 90% of jobs the average tradesperson hits in a week.
All prices are approximate at the time of writing and based on UK retail. Buying as a boxed set is almost always cheaper per chisel than picking up individual sizes.
Our quick verdict
If you want the one-line answer: the Bahco 424P-S6-EUR six-piece set is still the best all-round chisel set for UK tradespeople in 2026. The blades hold an edge, the impact-resistant handles take a battering, and Screwfix and Toolstation both stock them. For a budget pick that won’t embarrass you, the Stanley FatMax DynaGrip set is a step up from the truly cheap stuff. For joinery shop work and finer paring, step up to the Narex Richter or Kirschen Two Cherries sets.
The 6 best chisel sets for UK tradespeople in 2026
Bahco 424P-S6-EUR Bevel Edge Chisel Set (6 piece) — Best all-round
Price: Around £55–£75 for the six-piece set (6, 10, 12, 18, 25, 32mm)
The Bahco 424P set has been the default trade chisel set for UK chippies for years and the 2026 version hasn’t given anyone a reason to switch. Six bevel-edge chisels in a fold-out wallet, sizes from 6mm up to 32mm, chrome vanadium steel hardened to 60 HRC, and the impact-resistant two-component handles are designed to take mallet blows without splitting.
Out of the box they take a working edge with a few minutes on a stone — they’re not honed razor sharp the way a premium Japanese chisel arrives, but the bevels are properly ground and the backs are flat. Stocked at Screwfix, Toolstation, Axminster and Amazon UK in the six-piece wallet, with individual sizes also available if you lose one. The right pick for the carpenter who wants a set that earns its keep on first-fix and second-fix without paying joinery-shop prices.
Pros: Holds an edge well for a general-use chisel, impact-resistant handles take a mallet, fold-out wallet keeps edges protected in the van, individual replacements available, sensible price for the quality.
Cons: Not as fine an edge as a premium joinery chisel out of the box, the wallet is fabric and gets grubby fast, no leather edge guards on the chisels themselves.
- Comfortable 2-component handle giving an excellent grip
- Precision ground blade for maximum sharpness
- Sizes: 6, 10, 12, 18, 25, 32mm
- Perfect for fine carpentry
- Blade guard protects working edges of blade when not in use
Stanley FatMax DynaGrip Bevel Edge Set (5 piece) — Best budget set
Price: Around £50–£75 for the five-piece set (6, 12, 18, 25, 32mm)
The Stanley FatMax DynaGrip set is the answer for the apprentice or the trade who needs a set in the van for occasional use without spending Bahco money. The blades are chrome vanadium with a thinner side bevel than the Bahco — slightly easier for paring tight corners — and the bi-material handles are comfortable in the hand and survive moderate mallet use without complaint.
They don’t hold an edge as well as the Bahco set under heavy daily use and the bevels need a bit of work on a stone before the first job, but for the price they’re a real step up from the £10 supermarket sets. Stocked at Screwfix, Toolstation, Wickes and B&Q. Each chisel gets a plastic edge guard which keeps them safe in a tool bag — small thing but it matters when chisels rattle around in a roll-bag with screwdrivers and pliers.
Pros: Cheapest set worth buying for trade use, plastic edge guards on each chisel, comfortable bi-material handles, widely stocked at every UK trade chain.
Cons: Steel doesn’t hold an edge as long as the Bahco or Marples, bevels need flattening on a stone before first use, handles wear faster under heavy mallet work.
- FatMax Bevel Edge Chisel with Thru Tang Set, 5 Piece
- Model number: STA216269
- Colour: Multi
Marples Splitproof Bevel Edge Chisel Set (5 piece) — Best traditional pattern
Price: Around £45–£65 for the five-piece set (6, 12, 18, 25, 32mm)
Irwin’s Marples Splitproof set is the modern version of the chisel pattern UK joiners have used since the 1800s. The blades are chrome vanadium, the bevels are properly ground out of the box, and the polypropylene handles are reinforced with a steel through-tang so they won’t split or shear off when you put a four-pound lump mallet through them on a stubborn mortice.
The geometry is what sells these — slightly thicker side bevels than the Bahco, which makes them more forgiving for the carpenter who occasionally uses a chisel as a small pry bar (don’t, but everyone does). Stocked at Toolstation, Screwfix, Axminster and Amazon UK. The five-piece set covers the sizes used most often in joinery; a 38mm wide chisel is available individually if you need it for door hanging.
Pros: Splitproof handles genuinely take heavy mallet work, traditional UK joiner pattern, blades hold an edge well, sensibly priced for trade-grade kit, well stocked at the high-street chains.
Cons: Side bevels are thicker than premium joinery chisels — less ideal for fine paring in dovetails, the plastic carry case is basic, only five sizes in the standard set.
- Best in category steel - for improved sharpness and edge retention.
- Hardened and tempered blade - for long chisel life.
- Contoured handle - provides added control.
- Splitproof acetate handle - absorbs vibrations, offering superior durability.
- Bevel edge - for versatility.
Narex Richter Bevel Edge Chisel Set (6 piece) — Best for joinery shop work
Price: Around £150–£200 for the six-piece set (6, 10, 12, 16, 20, 26mm)
The Narex Richter is the chisel set the small joinery shop and the cabinetmaker buys when they’re tired of hobbyist tools. Czech-made cryogenically treated chrome vanadium steel hardened to 62 HRC, properly thin side bevels for getting into dovetails and tight corners, and a hornbeam handle with a brass ferrule that takes mallet work without complaint and is sized for a working hand rather than a marketing department.
The edge they take is genuinely impressive — push these into hard oak and they slice rather than bruise, which is the difference between a clean joint and one that needs filling. Available in the UK from Workshop Heaven, Axminster and Classic Hand Tools. Not the right pick for the chippy who hammers chisels into door frames every day — the geometry is too fine for that — but the right pick for the trade where the chisel work is the visible bit of the job.
Pros: Cryogenically treated steel holds a fine edge for far longer than general-purpose sets, properly thin side bevels for dovetail work, hornbeam handles fit a working hand, made in the EU.
Cons: More expensive than a chippy needs, fine geometry is not ideal for heavy mortice work, only available from specialist UK retailers — not Screwfix or Toolstation.
- Set of 6 Narex Richter chisels by The Woodworking Club
Faithfull Pro Bevel Edge Chisel Set (4 piece) — Best for first-fix and rough work
Price: Around £20–£30 for the four-piece set (12, 18, 25, 32mm)
The Faithfull Pro set is the chisel set that lives in the toolbox specifically for the rough work nobody wants to do with their good chisels — chopping out plasterboard around socket boxes, levering off skirting boards, opening tins, and the other crimes against fine joinery that happen on every UK building site.
The chrome vanadium steel won’t hold an edge like the Bahco or Marples, the handles are basic plastic, and the side bevels are thick enough that you wouldn’t pick them for dovetail work — but for £25 you get four chisels in the most-used sizes and an honest price-to-life ratio. Stocked at Screwfix, Toolstation and Amazon UK. Pair with a real set of joinery chisels and you’ll keep your good ones sharp for the work that matters.
Pros: Cheap enough that you genuinely don’t mind using them as door scrapers, four most-used sizes covered, plastic edge guards included, widely stocked.
Cons: Not really a joinery chisel, edge dulls quickly under any serious work, handles aren’t impact rated, no replacement steel available.
- Ideal for precise cutting and paring of joints or for use where access is limited
- 110mm long drop forged chrome vanadium steel blades
- Accurately ground bevels
- Virtually unbreakable soft grip polypropylene handles with steel striking caps
- The short length bevel edge blade is ideal for cutting into tight corners
Kirschen Two Cherries 1101 Bevel Edge Set (6 piece) — Best premium set
Price: Around £200–£280 for the six-piece set (6, 10, 12, 16, 20, 26mm) in a wooden case
The Kirschen Two Cherries 1101 set is the German chisel the bench joiner buys once and uses for the rest of their working life. C70 high-carbon steel forged in Solingen, hornbeam handles with a brass ferrule and leather striking pad, and an out-of-the-box edge sharper than most British trade sets ever achieve. The wooden presentation case is well made enough that you’ll actually keep the chisels in it rather than rattling them around a tool bag.
These are not the right pick for first-fix carpentry on a wet site. They are the right pick for the cabinetmaker, the bench joiner, the stair-builder, and the chippy who’s reached the point in their career where the difference between a good chisel and a great one is worth £100 to them. Available in the UK from Workshop Heaven, Classic Hand Tools and Dictum.
Pros: Best edge of any production chisel set in this list, hand-fitted hornbeam handles, leather striking pad protects the handle ends, wooden case is genuinely useful, carbon steel sharpens easily on water stones.
Cons: Carbon steel rusts faster than chrome vanadium if left damp, expensive enough to be a treat purchase, not stocked at any of the high-street UK trade chains, mallet work needs a wooden mallet rather than a steel hammer.
- Contains 6 pcs
- With bevelled edges
- Comes with wooden box
UK chisel sets compared at a glance
Set | Sizes | Approx Price | Best for |
Bahco 424P-S6-EUR | 6, 10, 12, 18, 25, 32mm | £55–£75 | All-round UK trade carpentry |
Stanley FatMax DynaGrip | 6, 12, 18, 25, 32mm | £25–£35 | Apprentice / occasional use |
Marples Splitproof | 6, 12, 18, 25, 32mm | £45–£65 | Traditional UK joiner pattern |
Narex Richter | 6, 10, 12, 16, 20, 26mm | £150–£200 | Joinery shop / cabinetmaking |
Faithfull Pro | 12, 18, 25, 32mm | £20–£30 | First-fix and rough site use |
Kirschen Two Cherries 1101 | 6, 10, 12, 16, 20, 26mm | £200–£280 | Bench joinery and fine work |
What to look for in a UK chisel set
Steel — chrome vanadium for site, carbon steel for the bench
Chrome vanadium is the standard for UK trade chisel sets — it holds a working edge through site abuse, doesn’t rust if you put it back in the wallet damp, and sharpens easily on a diamond stone. High-carbon steel (Kirschen, traditional Marples) takes a finer edge and sharpens beautifully on water stones, but it rusts the first time you leave it on a damp scaffold board. For the chippy who works on wet jobs, chrome vanadium is the sensible answer.
Handles — impact-rated for site work, hornbeam for the bench
If your chisels are getting hit with a mallet on a daily basis, get a set with impact-resistant polymer handles and a steel through-tang. Bahco, Marples Splitproof and the Stanley FatMax sets all qualify. If your chisel work is mostly hand pressure with the occasional mallet tap — bench joinery, cabinetmaking, fine second-fix — hornbeam handles with a brass ferrule are more comfortable for a long day’s paring.
Bevel geometry — thin sides for dovetails, thick for general work
Thin side bevels (Narex, Kirschen) get into the corners of dovetails and inlay work without bruising the wood next to the cut. Thick side bevels (Marples, Stanley) are stronger and more forgiving when you abuse the chisel as a light pry bar. Most UK trade work is fine with the thicker geometry; if you’re cutting dovetails for a living, pay for the thinner sides.
Sizes — what you actually use
For UK trade use, the sizes that earn their keep daily are 12mm, 18mm and 25mm. The 6mm is essential for hinge mortices and electrical chases. The 32mm is the door-hanging chisel. Anything bigger than 32mm is a specialist size — buy it individually if you need it. The four-piece Faithfull set covers the absolute essentials; the six-piece Bahco covers everything you’ll actually reach for.
Sharpening — buy a stone with the chisels
A blunt chisel is a dangerous chisel. Even the best out-of-the-box edge needs touching up after a few hours of work. Buy at least a 1000/3000 grit combination diamond or water stone with the set, learn the 25-degree primary bevel and 30-degree secondary bevel, and spend two minutes touching up the edge at the start of every job. A sharp Stanley FatMax outcuts a blunt Kirschen every time.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate mortice chisel set?
Only if you’re cutting deep mortices in hardwood on a regular basis — fitting Yale-style mortice locks, building stairs, traditional door making. For 90% of UK trade carpentry, a bevel-edge set with a 12mm and an 18mm chisel will handle the mortice work you actually do. If you’re a stair-builder or a traditional joiner, yes — buy a separate mortice set.
How sharp do new chisels arrive?
It varies. Premium sets like Kirschen and Narex Richter arrive with a usable working edge — hone them on a 3000-grit stone and they’re ready for fine work. Mid-range trade sets (Bahco, Marples) arrive ground but not honed — they need 5-10 minutes on a stone before the first job. Budget sets (Stanley, Faithfull) often need the back flattening as well as the bevel honing before they really cut. Factor that into your buying decision.
Are wooden-handled chisels still worth buying?
For bench work, absolutely — hornbeam and ash handles are more comfortable than plastic for a long day of paring. For site work where you’re hammering chisels into damp door frames and dropping them off scaffolds, modern impact-rated polymer handles last longer and don’t split. Most UK chippies own a set of each — the polymer ones live in the van, the wooden ones live in the workshop.
What size mallet should I use?
For polymer-handled chisels, a small steel hammer (12oz claw or 16oz Estwing) is fine — that’s what the impact rating is for. For wooden-handled chisels, use a wooden joiner’s mallet or a soft-faced rubber mallet — a steel hammer will mushroom the handle end inside a few weeks. The Kirschen and Narex sets specifically need a wooden mallet.
How do I keep chisels sharp on site?
Carry a small diamond credit-card stone in your tool bag — Trend, DMT and EZE-Lap all do them for £15-£25. A 600/1000 grit combination is plenty to refresh an edge between sharpening sessions. Two minutes of work on a stone before each job keeps a working edge for weeks. The other essential is a leather edge guard or a chisel roll so the edges don’t get bashed against other tools.
Final verdict — which chisel set should you buy?
For the UK chippy who wants one set that handles the day-to-day work on most jobs, the Bahco 424P-S6-EUR six-piece set is still the right answer in 2026. The steel holds an edge, the handles take mallet work, the wallet keeps the edges safe in the van, and Screwfix and Toolstation both stock them with individual replacements available.
If you’re an apprentice or a trade who only occasionally needs chisels, the Stanley FatMax DynaGrip set is a real step up from the £10 supermarket sets at a price that doesn’t sting. If you do bench joinery, pay the money for the Narex Richter or — once in your career — the Kirschen Two Cherries 1101.
Whatever you buy, sharpen it before the first job. A blunt chisel is the most dangerous tool in your bag.
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