Comments on: More Details on the New Stanley Chisels

By: Fister

Fister — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:03:25 +0000

It’s actually SweetHart not Sweetheart. William H Hart was the CEO of the company back in the the late 19th century. They decided to honor him by implemting his name in the logo.

By: Scott Kloster

Scott Kloster — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 20:25:13 +0000

Chris,
My feeling, like others, is that Stanley abandoned this market long ago in favor of mass production for the trades. They have done well. Thomas Lie-Nielsen and others tapped into and in many ways created the niche market that Stanley now wants to return to using volume and price as their competitive advantage. I also prefer being pragmatic about tool purchases and not blindly loyal, but I do have criteria that will probably lead me to continue to purchase Lie-Nielsen products in the future.
Let’s assume they are equal to LN in tool quality and performance (a big assumption, but possible). Let’s also say they will be priced temptingly less that LN and Veritas. Why would I still buy LN?
Continuity of production.
Continuity of research and design
Continuity of business model and ownership.
LN maintains complete control over every aspect of a tools production from metals, castings, hardware, knobs, fittings and final tune, pack and ship, customer service, customer information and market enhancement. LN has been a constant steward ot the fine woodworking market since it’s inception and constantly promotes the work of fine craftsment. In return, LN has a finger on the pulse of the market in a unique and vital way that allows them to develop and test new products by listening to the end user. This means that when I buy a LN tool I know that real woodworkers made it.
LN takes it’s time to design and bring to market new products.
Last I checked, Thomas Lie-Nielsen still answers some emails himself and he certainly makes himself available to the market via workshops, seminars and conferences. i wandered into the store last year and found Deneb sharpening a plane blade. I was the only one there for over half an hour and got the greatest lesson on sharpening anyone could get…for free!!!! Check their YouTube videos out.
LN is small for a reason. So it can handle and control the aspects of their business that are most important to them. Quality product and customer support. That all adds up to a confidence in their products that I have in few other things. And a successful business for them. They will continue to get my business.

By: Frank D

Frank D — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:31:36 +0000

Stanley will crush Lie-Nielsen within ten years and Lie-Nielsen will be forced to lower prices within two from today. I can’t wait for Stanley to get back into the marketplace with high quality affordable tools.

By: Hoody

Hoody — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:36:52 +0000

I’ll wait and see…

But I’m not very optimistic.

By: David Hall

David Hall — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:41:14 +0000

Chris, do you have any indication that Stanley might also have plans to resurrect their old 720′s line of paring chisels? They were truly classics, and to my knowledge, no other company is making those today.

By: Skip Carlson

Skip Carlson — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:16:58 +0000

Stanley has a real opportunity … they have the brand recognition and the distribution outlets, something that neither LN or LV have … and they are resurrecting brand names of high quality tools from the past – "Baily" and "Sweetheart" When I first started getting serious about improving my woodworking skills I just about croaked over the cost of LN and LV. If Stanley had a "professional" line of chisels and planes – they would have been my first choice. Also, unless you are a very serious woodworker – you likely know very little about LN or LV … so Stanley has an opportunity to sell good quality tools – at a mid-level price to entry level woodworkers. They will likely succeed. I say "Welome home !!"

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:57:37 +0000

I’ll take that bet. It’s sort of like predicting that McDonalds will make serious inroads in fine dining with emphasis on the use of locally grown organic produce, meats and cheeses. Boutique level quality is not likely to come ut of large multinational corporations. Stanley may make things that resemble fine tools, just as they have made chunks of pot metal that resemble planes for the last several decades, but that won’t make the tools fine, any more than it made those plastic and pot metal jacks anything more than plane shaped paper weights. Quality comes from honest pride in the production – LN has it, LV has it. Stanley just don’t.

By: Capt Barnacle

Capt Barnacle — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:36:09 +0000

I bet 95% of the people blasting Stanley are grumpy old men.

It simple economics. When Thomas Lie-Nielsen started reproducing the No 95 edge plane there was a very small market for fine quality hand tools. The guy who originally made them for Garrett Wade quit so Thomas picked up where he left off. Fast forward twenty years and the market has grown considerably since then. Stanley simply wants to get back into the action again. Give Stanley five years and I bet you they will have a whole slew of high quality tools available to serious woodworkers. And they’ll sell them through Woodcraft and other high end woodworking retail outlets because Lie-Nielsen would rather sell direct.

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:54:41 +0000

If the anti-Stanley establishment read my complete statement, I was merely suggesting that larger companies often have to move in directions that small artisan groups do not based on the market.

Some of you have even suggested that it could be possible that some of these artisan groups might actually "want" to see themselves bought out.

The real point is that no one is is holding a gun to your heads to purchase a new Stanley tool. Let your money do the talking.

Many of us have spent time and money trying to polish tool turds. It’s those experiences that allow us to see the light.

By: me.yahoo.com/a/g77zPrkczPB8.ad63uxEVK8Z.w--

me.yahoo.com/a/g77zPrkczPB8.ad63uxEVK8Z.w-- — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:50:09 +0000

Looking at the picture of those chisels, they still don’t seem to get it.

The sides of the chisels are still fat. The old 750s that I have don’t have fat sides.

The delicate sides are basically what separate lie nielsen chisels from all of the hardware store sort of shape chisels, even the "bevel edge firmers" that effectively have as hard and as durable of steel as the LN….

.. they don’t have that and the beveled sides.

Come on, Stanley. You want to compete in the market, do a little bit of research and pay attention to the details.