Beyond Pfeil

[Brian T]

True, I do think that the Kestrel blades are high quality and hard steel for the chopping action.
Blade shape is another matter altogether. Straight, sweep, lip, gutter? In any case, sharpening and honing is a whole other world.
Look at the designs that Hans Karlsson offers for bowl carving. Bowls and kuksa and spoons are a big Scandi concept.
Are there Kestrel equivalents? Don't know, never looked.

I made the assumption that I'd buy more versatile blades than just for bowls alone.
Maybe more big (3-5' ) cedar carvings and I might have an answer. Not yet.

[fiddlesticks]

Ashley Iles have a complete line of fishtail as do Taylor. Dastra and Hirsch/Two Cherries are probably 3/4 as good. Pfeil only have them in 1,3,5,7 so call that 1/2 a line up? Stuabi not much at all in the full size 4 and 6 I think unless you go the the European size - think Pfeil D series. They English makers have the most complete catalog of carving tools to my mind. Realistically, most have everything you'd ever need, but maybe not what you would prefer most.

[Brian T]

Thanks fiddlesticks
There's a couple of fishtails that I "think" I'd like to have. No particular brand loyalty = if one doesn't make it, someone else does.

[Donna_T]

Well first, what a lucky guy you are that your wife gave you all those top notch tools. I agree about the quality of Pheil tools and I have some--not a whole collection. I have a lot of Stubai palm and intermediate tools that I prefer over over all my other tools. Like many carvers, I picked up various brands of tools along the way and would love to be able to afford to get rid of many of them and replace them with the brands I prefer now. One of my daughters is beginning to carve so I'm gradually replacing some one by one with either Pheil or Stubai and giving her the cast offs. They are plenty good for beginning!

[BobD]

This is an odd analogy... but it's something I think about whenever I pick up one of my Ashley Iles (I've got a variety of tools including Pfeil, Kirsch, and even a few old Addison)... When you go to a really nice restaurant, and the silverware feels heavy. It's got a great hand feel... that's what I like about my Ashley Iles. They have a good hand feel. One thing I don't like as much are the round handles. They feel nice in your hand, but you have to be very careful about how you put them down. They will roll.

[fiddlesticks]

To keep the ones with round handles from rolling off, I've put bumpers on the sides of my carving bench. A thin strip of wood anywhere from and inch wide to an inch high along the edge or even some scrap quarter round. Easily removable if it gets in the way of holding a carving. I've also see some recommend sanding a flat in the handle.

[Brian T]

I made a place for all tools, on my cluttered bench, about arm's length in front and to the right. The dang cat can easily jump from the floor and land in a sea of edges.

Narex skews (approx 1S/12 size) have round handles. The flat blade helps a little but as 'fiddlesticks' suggests, a whopper of a flat spot on each one did the trick.