Germany has a reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse, and when we think of German manufacturers we naturally think of the big companies; Volkswagen, Mercedes, Bosch, or Siemens, for example.
So it is surprising to learn that Germany’s manufacturing sector is actually dominated by family-run small-to-medium sized enterprises (known as Mittelstand), who make up nearly 60% of manufacturing as a share of GDP.
MHG Messerschmidt
One such company is MHG Messerschmidt, a family-owned chisel manufacturer based in a small town in the picturesque chocolate-box heartland of the country.
The town of Schmalkalden has been known for toolmaking and cutlery since the Middle Ages. MHG continues this tradition, with the addition of state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques.
MHG’s chisels are notable for their attention to detail and their quality control. At first sight they are clean and traditional-looking, but without a lot of visual ‘pizazz’. But on a closer inspection, the quality of the tools becomes apparent. The blades are carefully and evenly ground and the handles are consistent and well-balanced on the tang.
Testing
We sharpened them with diamond stones and found them easy to bring to a very nice edge. The backs are easy to flatten because they seemed to be very slightly concave across the blade- a little like the ‘ura’ (hollow) on the back of a Japanese chisel – so a flat area all around the edge of the back was quickly developed.
Some overseas tool brands perform well with European and American hardwoods, but fall a bit short when faced with brutal Aussie timbers. We don’t expect chisels to be able to chop into redgum like it was butter, but we do like to give them a gentle test run to make sure they’re up to the task down under. Our benchmark chisel test is mallet work in Tassie Oak, and the MHG chisels stood up well to this kind of punishment, producing clean, sharp cuts without any recoil. We haven’t done the longer-term testing to know what their edge retention is like in Australian conditions, but early signs are very good.
Tools of Interest
A couple of interesting tools stand out from the MHG offering. The socket chisels are quite unique; each size is offered with two handles that can be easily interchanged thanks to the socketed construction. You can fit the socket with a hooped handle for mallet work, or a comfortable non-hooped handle for paring.
Meanwhile, the Powergrip series of chisels are unlike anything we’ve seen before. Their handles are, simply, enormous. We asked MHG about them and they indicasted that that they’re used in traditional European carpentry. At around 47mm in diameter, they certainly give you a huge target to hit with your mallet, and will provide a lot of inertia to power through heavy cuts.
Shop MHG Chisels exclusively at Timbecon Now!