Side by Side Comparison of: Yasutomo vs National

I'm a beginner block printmaker. I began using the speedball set where you have to change out the blades. That worked fine for the rubber stamps I began with but once I moved onto linocut they were horrible. So I invested in these babies. They are great. They slice through linoleum like butter. So far I haven't had to sharpen, but it comes with a little stone for sharpening which I did not expect and was an added bonus. Most importantly, you Can't beat the price!

Fantastic set of cutting tools for the price. I use these for Lino /block printing- these come sharp and have a very decent steel.No, these aren't super high-end, but definitely "user" quality that take a beating.

These tools are great for cutting linoleum. The handles are comfortable and I can use the tools at many angles to get a great cut.

I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of these carving tools. The profiles are true and the hardness of the steel is unbeatable. I purchased these for around $15 and now the price is $11 and change. That's unbelievable!I sharpened these on the DMT bench stones up to the 8000 mesh then finished with the Spiderco ultra fine. Then polished them with red rouge with a Dremel and small buffing wheel. Mirror finish and cuts like a dream!As with all hardwoods, you must make many small cuts. Works great for small works like jewelry boxes or light switch covers. I needed these to decorate a cup holder I made for a set of dog steps. I couldn't be happier with the size and convenience.

I have a printmaking class were we were instructed to carve into a block of wood in order to create prints. I was not sure what exactly carving tools were, so I decided to find something cheap online (since i'm a student on a budget). I found these for 11$ (plus S&H) and let me tell you, they sure do what they're made for. I was worried about buying a cheap set of carving tools, but hey, these got the job done. They are very sturdy and come with different carving sized tools. It also comes with a sharpening stone (havent used it). If you want to see this product in action, just type in the name into YouTube and there are a few tutorial on how to use them. Not sure how well they hold up against different types of wood, I used Poplar.

I've been using these to carve linoleum, and I'm really pleased with the quality, even after a few months. The first knives I bought (speedball) were pretty bad, and crumbled the linoleum pretty consistently. These knives cut through anything, I love them!

Good product and service.

I set the bar low with these, because there had been previous reviews saying they weren't worth the purchase. In a time of panic, because I had wanted to start woodworking, I bought them, and I haven't regretted it at all. They are sturdier than some say, and their only fault is needing to be sharpened--however, you can't expect shipped items to be razor sharp on arrival when it comes to tools. I'm pleased with them.

I bought this set of woodcarving tools as a gift for my husband to get started on woodcarving. Since he was just beginning, I didn't think it was a good idea to invest in expensive specialty tools. I chose these ones based on the reviews, and am very happy with them. Even the guy at the local woodcarving store who tried to talk me out of buying a "crappy art set online" admitted he was impressed with their quality and thought it was a great beginner set.

New to wood carving but can tell these are not "pro quality" but they are also 1/10th the cost for the set then just 1 "pro carver" tool. For the beginner they are good, they are fairly solid, come sharp and are easy to keep sharp with a slipstrop. Trust me they are sharp, made the silly mistake (again im a beginner) of carving during a football game, was using a little to much pressure because was almost done and didn't want to take the 30secs to sharpen on the strop, well oops...carved through the wood and about 1/2" into my palm at base of them. However, it was a very clean, surgical knife type cut about to the bone. Very sharp, quick shipping, worth the money.

Carved a couple wooden spoons with them. Really enjoy this set. even though they were priced low, they felt like high quality items

I love these carving tools. I needed them through my first class of printmaking where we did wood-blocks and I didn't need to sharpen or replace them once in the entire semester - fantastic. These are clearly good quality, and I'm still using them for my other side-projects.

For the price these things get the job done, if your serious about wood carving and you plan on taking it to the next level these would be a great starting set, however they are very easy to break. I broke a blade the first time I used it, granted I am not a professional. If you pay attention to what your doing and not horsing them they can make some great pieces.

I bought this set for my 10-year old grandson who loves working with his hands & has been wanting carving knives. It's been very helpful that the blades come pre-sharpened so he didn't have to learn how to sharpen before he could jump into carving right away. The blades have held up through 4 carving projects, several using left-over pine from construction projects. One blade did break off from the shaft & is not reparable. Hence the 4-star rating. But for the price, this was a great buy & I will buy again when he needs more.

i got this product expecting it to break very quickly because its so cheap i was pleasantly surprised that it could hold up to all the abuse i put it through i carve white oak skulls, screaming souls and the such this kit let me put a level of detail i was never able to do before and im extremely glad i got this set :) it supposed to be used for new years print making but it works equally well for other detailing projects

The knives did meet my expectations to what I thought they would be. Be aware that I'm not an expert carver or craftsman. I did use them for carving a logo into wood block and did not have any issues.Pros:-anybody can use them-sharp enough to start a project out of the package and comes with a knife block sharpenerCons:-they do seem to go dull a bit faster than normal knives-the handle for the knives will break after constant use, I have had mine for 2 months and give them 2 more months until they start breaking-handle could be strongerYou get what you paid for so you could find better knives out there but these worked for me.

I had never had tools like this before I bought these and was looking to get some cheap and reliable ones. These fit those criteria. I had one gouge break when I was carving out a cup but I think these are supposed to be used on flat surfaces so thats not too surprising. I gave it only 4 stars instead of 5 because of the break and that it doesn't come with a storing case, the case they come in is just a plastic bag with a card board back. I would have preferred them to have a hard case or even a plastic envelop withe loops to stick them in and a flap to fold over them like my files.I liked that they came sharp, were cheap, the blades are affixed to the handles well, and they seem durable enough even though one broke.

**First off, these knives are designed for woodblock PRINTMAKING, and not designed for carving 3D elements or sculptures out of wood. they'll still work for it, but don't be surprised if the set doesn't come with a specific carving tool you're looking for, or if the blade snaps off because you were using it at any angle but the one they're designed for (which would be on a flat wood surface). still probably the cheapest tools you can get that will work decently for carving, though, so just take it as a warning.**I actually have 2 of these sets, because I broke the blades off a couple times when I was first getting started with woodblocks. But that was more my poor handling of them, then any testament to the quality of the blade. For anyone who's just getting started, this is A GREAT SET TO BUY. They're cheap, but not poorly made, there's enough variety of the tips in different sizes that you learn how they work really well. Also, since they're cheap, you don't feel that bad when one gets busted, because a whole set is cheaper than replacing a single higher quality knife.As someone that uses them a lot, here's some tips:- ALWAYS KEEP THEM SHARPENED. You'll have to sharpen them regularly, luckily there's a sharpening stone included (which is great). If the blade gets dull, carving becomes way more difficult, and if you're using harder woods they'll be more likely to chip the blade, or snap it off entirely. not to mention the strain on your wrist and arm and hands will be hugely reduced by keeping it sharp.- Use pine when just getting started. Pine is a relatively soft wood, and very easy to carve, and even the harder parts of it (knots and other dark parts) aren't as hard as something like poplar or oak or even cherry. I know cherry is the traditional japanese woodblock wood, so some of you are thinking about it, but wait until you're decent enough with these tools to get a good set and then try cherry. otherwise you'll ruin your tools, and a perfectly innocent block of wood. Also there are printmaking plywoods that aren't bad, but depending on what you're doing a solid whole piece of wood is usually better than plywood (especially the kind you might find at a hardware store). In my experience the grains usually change direction with each layer, which can cause chunks to break off while carving that you didn't want, and the wood splinters more so harder edges are more difficult to get.- Don't force it. If the blade seems like it just won't move forward anymore, then it won't. I once got a blade stuck on a knot, tried forcing it, and almost took my eye out as the blade whizzed past my face. NEVER USE A HAMMER OR A MALLET on any chisel or carving knife that doesn't have a metal cap on the end of the handle, you'll ruin the knife, your block, and possibly hurt yourself or someone around you. if you see a big knot in your block, work around it, or use something like a dremel with a diamond-tip bit(very carefully) to remove what you have to, but most of the time it's best to just work around it.- Don't use them (or any wood carving tool) on linoleum. I'll admit, I use them in a pinch when I have too, but it's not smart. Printing Linoleum is made with powdered limestone and other minerals, and while yes when they're sharp these knives will cut through it like butter (which is also sometimes dangerous if it gets away from you), the constant grinding against these minerals as you carve rapidly diminishes the life of the blade and will mean you have to sharpen them more frequently. A speedball knife is still the better tool for linoleum.- Sort of basic tips for all beginning carvers: carve away from yourself (for safety, and you get better force and control behind your marks); carve away from your design (just because you drew a line, does not mean you or the blade are going to stop there, carve from the edge to open area, and do the same from the other side letting them meet in the middle); ALWAYS SECURE YOUR BLOCK, you can hold it down by hand, or use a bench hook, (vices and clamps might be a bit much though, and will probably ruin the printing surface), but make sure you have it firmly in place. that's the easiest way to have an accident that could hurt you or ruin your block.- And for anyone who strives for finer details, go buy a standard x-acto knife, and a box of 100 replacement blades, and use those to pre-cut any finer detailed areas then take out the wood with the chisels. pre-cutting will help you keep that hard edge, with less worry of wood splintering and taking a chunk of your design with it (unless you're going too deep), and is especially useful for spots that may be too small to fit a carving blade. I typically change the blade every time the very tip breaks off, but you can probably go for a little longer than that usually. Really, this is just another "keep it sharp" situation.

Look-$5 bucks? No one should complain. They are sturdy, sharpened and if they withstand a few more sharpenings, that's fine. They are small in size, the blades all 1/2 wide or less.Fine for trim work which is what I used them for-custom electric cello.

Like most low and middle priced chisels, they're shipped dull and need to be sharpened before they can be used, a lot like how most fountain pens are sold without ink in them and shoes come unlaced - it's a little annoying but it's simply how it's done. Just consider the first time you sharpen these to be practice because chisels get dull as you use them and you will be sharpening them again.My set included: 1 straight edge chisel, 1 skew chisel, 1 round gouge, 1 v-gouge, 1 round gouge with a moderate spoon-bend, and 1 round gouge with more severe spoon-bend. The metal was coated with a rust protectant which is very difficult to get off so the shafts on mine are still rust protected - no shame in that! The set came in a cardboard box with slots for each chisel that works very well at keeping the chisels from knocking around and getting damaged, so that's what I still store them in.It took me about 10 - 20 minutes to sharpen each one. It was fairly easy and I got them hair-splitting sharp using a medium grit wet stone, a fine wet stone, and a strop. I''m sad to say the spoon-bent ones took the longest because I'm just not very good at sharpening that style of chisel. The skew chisel's bevel hadn't been ground at all leaving the edge far to acute so I had to grind it before I could sharpen it, taking a lot of extra time. Very annoying but fixable.The handles are made out of a light-weight but sturdy wood, good for hand-push work but I wouldn't recommend taking a mallet to them. They're nicely rounded and fit comfortably in my hands but they are on the small side so if you have big beefy hands you might need to wrap them or change them out for larger ones.I've mostly carved pine with them and the cutting edges stay sharp for many hours of work. My boyfriend borrowed them and kept commenting on how very sharp they where, and that was after I'd used them for several hours. I cannot say how well they'd hold up on hard woods but as long as you wheren't rough with them they should work well. Just keep in mind they are for detail type carving and not for blasting though large amounts of wood. This set is well sized and shaped for smaller carving work.My only real complaint is the skew chisel not being ground properly. That's just sloppy manufacturing especially when it would only take another 5 or 10 seconds in the factory to grind it at least close to 15 degrees on each side. It was a very fixable problem though, and considering the price I don't think it's a deal-breaker. Just be sure to have a grinding stone on hand.Many many reviews rate these very low because they're shipped dull. Please don't let that keep you from buying this set. If you can't sharpen chisels or hate doing it, wood carving probably isn't for you. These are not top of the line tools with hickory handles and the best steel shipped perfectly sharp and ready for 300 years of hard use. Those cost $75 each. These are cheap but good tools that will last for dozens of years or longer with careful use. An hour or two of grinding and sharpening and you're in business for very little money!

My first tools for carving! Very excited. I played (without any instructions) on pieces of wood that I have. I need to get a book or watch you tube. Seem to cut well. Easy to hold in my small hands. I don't know anything about these types of tools to compare, but considering my novice level and the use they will get, they are very affordable and sharp.

The set of chisels came to me as I wanted to do more relief carvings on flintlock rifles I build. Three of six were sharp and ready to go. The other three were unable to push cut any wood and two had jagged edges. Nothing a file and some stone did not solve. Now they are ready for action and push cut at will with no need for hammering out wood. Just what I need. The handles are well throught out and smooth. I look forward to continuning to use these. While there are some higher quality chisel sets out there, for the price, these are not bad.

From what I've read about chisels, gouges, the edges on these are cut a bit steep so I'm going to need to flatten them out a bit but they do sharpen up quite well.

Received well within the limit, and as described. However, I guess I just assumed they'd be longer. They're only about 5-6" total. Does the listing say that? I'm sure it must I was probably being lazy again. One thing YOU should not be lazy about is the care and maintenance of these tools. They come ground, and are fairly sharp. Don't let this fool you. If you haven't seen the other posts regarding this, THESE CHISELS NEED TO BE HONED OUT OF THE BOX, and then, just like all other chisels, regularly thereafter. If you're not sure how to do this I'd suggest googling it or talking to an experienced woodworker. Good product, admittedly haven't used them too much yet but they seem sturdy, both steel and handle.

For anyone looking to do serious woodcarving, be advised you will need to spend some time sharpening and honing these cutters. Their diminutive size makes them awkward for someone like myself with large hands.

These are great and super sharp for soft linoleum. I've also used them on Basswood and haven't really had an issue. They will break with anything harder then that. I've broke around 4 so far. I've used more expensive tools that don't cut well because they're not sharp. So it really depends what you need them for. I do wish it came with one more smaller tip for detail.

Not bad at all for the price. Certainly a beginners set. However, even if slightly dull will chip linoleum. Just use them for wood. I was surprised, however, to find two of the blades exactly the same. I think they mistakenly placed two left cut angle blades in the set and left out the center cut blade. There is a right cut, left cuts, but no center cut angle blade in the set. Curious.

CAREFUL when you open the box! My tools cut out of their package and were poking out. They are definitely sharp, but the handles are not very strong

This feels like a basic one time curving lesson tool to introduce beginners, anymore than that it'll turn off people to the art. Or maybe an art project for school to earn bonus points? I actually liked them out of the package and got my brother to use them instead of the Xacto knives he was using. But then they became dull and difficult to use and if you sharpened them, the metal didn't have enough integrity to remain smooth and because jagged. Almost had an accident with them but the seller didn't even care a kid was hurt over their product. I'd be cautious about getting this to a kid this holiday and dampening their creativity and enthusiasm with a tool that is inappropriate for its purpose. Get them the softest wood you can get or maybe soap.

I bought this to try woodcarving, knowing that it is a cheap set. My dad borrowed it to carve a pumpkin and he broke one of the knives. He was not using it properly. I have since used the set to carve on a plank of wood and they are ok. I don't have any other tool knowledge to compare it to.I almost sent it back but I am keeping it. Hopefully my dad will replace the broken knife.

You will need to sharpen these as soon as you get them. They will sharpen nice but I couldn't do anything with the V gouge. For the price and the fact that I don't know what I'm doing it lets me know that I want quality because you need to work with these. I think there was one other that I couldn't use also but it's raining and they are outside.

Thought they were bigger than what they really were when they arrived. Happy with the product

First project and already chipped metal on the tools...I was using soft wood. But there is the old saying "you get what you paid for"..which wasn't much.

These are okay, if you understand what you are buying. If you are looking at these I assume you are buying your first set of wood carver tools. These are good for that because they are cheap and get you started, that is why I bought them. I also bought one fairly good V gouge. The difference is night and day. With this set you are going to spend at least the first couple of hours trying to get them sharp enough to work with. I can also compare the metal and these are made from a lesser metal. Fit and finish is not that good as well. But they are cheap and work well enough to let you know if it's worth it to you to buy a decent set of tools. After buying these you'll eventually out grow them and buy some better stuff. If you aren't good at sharpening avoid these altogether.

A relatively poor attempt from some Chinese factory to make wood working tools. I have had some success with 4 of the 6 tools but wouldn'trecommend it.

Mine were shipped with pretty rough edges. The steel is good and the build quality is solid, especially for the money, but I had to take it a step further than just honing to get them truly usable. Three of the tools needed serious sharpening and reprofiling. There were some serious burs and chips. Now this wasnt a huge issue as I would normally reshape the edges, but like to have the choice. On 3 tools, there was no choice other than to remove some steel.Once I put them on the sharpener, then a wetstone stone and strop, they sharpened into a nice edge. I starting into roughing out a carving and they seem to so far hold the new edge pretty well. Not bad for the money, but if someone didnt have the kind of sharpening tools that make it easy, they would be hurting if they got my particular set of these gouges.I'm giving it 3 stars because of the decent steel and nice handles. The edges you get might need more than just honed. But overall its a decent value.

Poorly made, got broken after 2 uses.

Handles are VERY easy to brake. Small side pressure during curved carving results in scary crackling sound. The tools should be used VERY JENTLY or handles should be replaced with better ones.

poor quality but for the price they were fine for a one semester class

I had these for a long time but used them sparingly. When I started to get into the craft of wood cutting again these didn't last longer than a month. The blades were dull and made from weak metals, they broke after only 3 projects. I was really disappointed in the lack of craftsmanship that you would expect from a Japanese product.

Horrible quality! Broke 4 within 25 minutes while carving SOFT PINE. The only reason this gets 2 stars is because the sharpening stone is decent and sharpens well, and can also be used on my pocket knives. I suggest paying a little more for a quality set that wont break with first use.

As stated above. You get what you pay for. Purchase the smaller set with the green cardboard box. You can at least transport and they might nit show up nicked.

Arrived early! Pretty small. Not great quality but I guess it'll do for starters. Got it for someone who is just getting a woodworking tool collection started. Not a beginner but someone who had lost their tools.

The plastic packaging for my 6 piece wood carving tool set was already cut open when I took it out of the box. All of the pieces were there but they look dull and slightly used. Pretty disappointed with this purchase but for the price it is a decent set just need to sharpen them on my own.

Do not buy they come dull as hell I had to you my knife sharpener to sharpen the chisels buy I am still looking for a way to sharpen the other things

Pretty cheap. some of the handles were broken or loose before even opening the package. The metal is cheap and soft.

It was the positive reviews left by others that helped guide this purchase.I don't know if there was a change in quality control, but the set I received was nothing like what I had read Upon arrival, they were not sharp at all. In fact, they were dull. I rub my fingers across the tips all day without fear of cutting myself. I was okay with that because I like to sharpen my own tools beforehand (but it did make me wonder about the other reviews saying that they arrived sharp). What warrants the 2 star review is the quality of the tools. One blade was already loose upon arrival while another completely came apart while sharpening. I gave it a star because I do in fact like the handles. However, I would not buy or recommend these again.

the box has a sticker with a part number and made in Tiawan. Other then that neither the tools or the box has any other markings.The tools arrived very dull. After sharpening the tools dulled quickly and in 2 cases the edge folded over from because the metal was to soft or not hardened. These tools were used on Basswood a light carving wood. They are one step above the cheaper set found in the plastic bag for a few dollars.

Used for about 15-30 minutes on a simple line carving and I broke the circular gouge. I was suing it on a small basswood plaque and trying to do an angled cut. Not sturdy at all. Probably commensurate with the price.

The first piece broke on its first use. You get what you pay for; I can't think of a good reason to own this particular product, unless you're carving something softer than wood (which it broke on) or pumpkin (which it broke on).

My son had wanted a woodcarving kit so bad that he saved up his allowance to buy one. When it arrived yesterday he could not wait to get started.He ran outside with his block of wood and within five minutes he was inside almost in tears. "It broke Dad". I guess you get what you pay for. We are off to the woodcrafters store near us to buy a real woodcarving set.

A pretty terrible set. Handles are uncomfortable and blades were so dull I just switched to carving with a pocketknife. The entire time I used these it felt like the metal bits were about to spring out.

I started carving with these, and I've used something like these before, but after about 3 gentle pushes the blade I was using snapped right off. It broke down inside the handle so I couldn't re attach or get a new blade. One down, I thought, so I got the size smaller to do the same task the the tip chipped off. Now it's jagged and won't shave anything. I like the blades generally but they seem very flimsy and maybe consider getting a slightly better set.

Cheap metal, you get what you pay for. One of the knives broke in first use. Useless except for on balsa wood.

Please be aware these are NOT the chisels they are sending now, but much cheaper ones with straight unvarnished handles.The ones I got weren't even sharp enough to cut a piece of soft pine wood! I would only use them on unbaked clay or plaster, not even for linoleum blocks. I would give 0 stars if I could. At least the "blades" seem to be stuck in firmly.

I could have forged stronger tools from a wire hanger. Whatever "steel" is used in their production is so flimsy that these are essentially disposable, single-use tools for denting wood. Unless you are sneaking these into prison for a shank convention (and even then, a tube of toothpaste would make a better weapon) do not buy.Not to mention that what they mean by, "offered in a heavy-duty, white cardboard box with dividers that makes a nice presentation" is "don't fool yourself, you'd have a better chance at winning over your stepson with a rusty oil filter and a naked picture of his mother. These single pieces of cardboard and plastic stapled together to sandwich the product in between is a perfect way to show whatshisname that you care enough to shell out $6 on a chisel set in hopes that he will just stay in the gd garage while you make nasty with is mom."

CHEEEEEAP steel. They claim this is tool steel? I'm calling them out on this because from how soft it is. A cheap wood file should not be able to mark these. It might as well be the stuff I use in pipes.Will not hold up to use, has to be resharpened constantly. I get better use out of a sharpened stainless steel table knife. Don't waste your money on these.

Not sharp at all. Very bad product for a beginner. My neighbor is a advanced wood worker and carver. I had him take a look at them. He said they are poorly mad and will make it hard to learn using them. I would in no way recommend using them. I have yet to be able to find a use for them at all. We sharpened them best we could. They just don't hold a edge. We could not even get a good sharp edge on them. Not good quality at all. Sorry to say.

Not very good quality. Dull edges, uneven finish, cheap handles. It does not remotely resemble "high-quality tool steel" like described.

I bought these expecting a cheap, basic set of gouges; what I got was worthless junk, the steel at the edges was notched, chipped, dull and misshapen, it was so soft that it couldn't hold an edge if you were carving butter. The wood for the handles felt as if it had already started to dry rot. Do not waste your money on these... 'tools'.