Best mortice chisel for the joint you are cutting
Updated: 23 October 2026
The best mortice chisel on this shelf matches the mortice width, and the handle has to take a mallet. A higher star line is not better if the reviews belong to a different width. Peter F. read the nine kept amazon.co.uk listings on 22 October 2026. There was no test joint and no hardness measurement. The [mortise chisel comparison](/hub/hand-tools/mortise-chisel) holds the rows. This page says who each listing is for. Width, before any of these names, is on the [mortice chisel buying guide](/hub/hand-tools/mortise-chisel/sub/mortise-chisel-buying-guide). A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
The best mortice chisel on this shelf matches the mortice width, and the handle has to take a mallet. A higher star line is not better if the reviews belong to a different width. Peter F.
The best mortice chisel on this shelf matches the mortice width, and the handle has to take a mallet. A higher star line is not better if the reviews belong to a different width. Peter F. read the nine kept amazon.co.uk listings on 22 October 2026. There was no test joint and no hardness measurement. The mortise chisel comparison holds the rows. This page says who each listing is for. Width, before any of these names, is on the mortice chisel buying guide. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Width stated | amazon.co.uk reviews | Steel as stated | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Narex Narex Wood Line 6 mm | 6 mm | 4.7 from 376, shared | Alloy steel | 6.9 | about £15.96 | View offer |
 Narex Narex set 4, 6, 10, 12 mm | 4, 6, 10, 12 mm | 4.6 from 471 | Cr-Mn, up to 59 HRc | 8.8 | about £63.00 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  Narex Narex Richter 13 mm | 13 mm (1/2 in) | 4.0 from 6, no text | Cr-V, cryogenic | 2.6 | about £54.50 | View offer |
On this page
Best for a first furniture mortice
For a first furniture mortice around 6 mm, the Narex Wood Line 6 mm at about £15.96 matches the width without three other chisels. The bullets say stained beech, chromed ferrules, about 300 mm overall and about 145 mm of blade. The 4.7 from 376 is one parent pool shared with the 12 mm and 16 mm pages, not a separate test of this width. One review measured a 5 mm chisel under width. That sentence is not this listing. Skip the 16 mm unless the mortice is already 16 mm. The 12 mm title is one chisel at about £19.97, not a set of eight, and its edge attribute says Pointed. With no drill press, skip every hollow listing.
Best if you want four widths now
The Narex 863600 set is about £63.00 for 4, 6, 10 and 12 mm, with 4.6 from 471 and 31 United Kingdom reviews about this set. People describe mortice-and-tenon and locks in oak, and they compare the edge with chisels from Screwfix or B&Q. The bullet says Cr-Mn up to 59 HRc. That figure was not measured here. Several reviews say the backs still needed a hone, including about two and a half hours, and the box has no case. It is the only listing here that contains 10 mm. It is the top pick when the drawing uses 6 mm and 10 mm together. Skip it if every mortice is 6 mm. Toolnut's four-piece was about £69.90 when that page was fetched, so about £63.00 is a normal shelf.
The Richter, with almost no reviews
The Richter 815113 is about £54.50, titled 1/2 in and 13 mm. The bullets say chromium-vanadium, a cool to −190 °C, a 25° bevel and a 30–35° secondary, and two ferrules. The line is 4.0 from six ratings, with no review text. Shop copy that it holds an edge longer is not a result from those six ratings. UK Workshop replies often say a regular Narex is enough. Workshop Heaven lists one around £49.50 with about 115 mm of blade and an ash handle. This Amazon file prints 2.29 m by 2.29 m and does not name the wood. Buy it for that printed specification, not because the price feels more serious than about £15.96.
Hollow sets are a different best
A hollow sleeve has to be clamped while the auger spins, so none of those listings is the best tool for a mallet mortice. The Holy Feather at about £7.99 has one UK review that calls the any-drill bullet misleading and puts an adapter at about £15. ArtisanShow at about £26.99 states a 19 mm shank, and one UK review had not used it because an adapter was about £50. GOTOTOP at about £30.88 has a UK review of a hand caught in the bit when a cage was missing. That is one review, not a rate. Luolety at about £49.99 includes an adapter, and a UK review says the bolts stripped. Clamp and column are on the hollow mortise chisel page. The mallet sequence is on how to use a mortice chisel. The about £15.96 6 mm is the best value for a first narrow mortice. The set matches 6 mm and 10 mm together.
Common questions
Which is the best mortice chisel if I only chop furniture?
On this shelf, the Narex Wood Line 6 mm at about £15.96, if the mortice is about 6 mm. Add the four-piece set at about £63.00 if the drawing also uses 10 mm or 12 mm. The 16 mm single is for a mortice you have already measured at 16 mm. A hollow set is for a machine that clamps the sleeve, not for a first furniture joint at the bench.
Is the £63 set better than the £15.96 6 mm?
It is better when you will use more than one of 4, 6, 10 and 12 mm, because 10 mm is not sold here as its own single. It is worse value if every mortice on the job is 6 mm. Both need a hone. The set has 31 UK reviews in its own file. The 6 mm star line is the shared pool of 376, so the extra stars are not a separate road test of that width.
Is the Richter worth £54.50 with no review text?
Only if you are buying the specification on the bullet: chromium-vanadium, the stated cryogenic treatment, the 25° bevel and the pinned ferrules, at 13 mm. The file cannot tell you whether owners agree. Forum replies often say a regular Narex is enough. Do not treat the price as evidence that it chops better.
Why do three Narex sizes share 4.7 from 376?
The 6 mm, 12 mm and 16 mm pages carry the same star line, the same Best Sellers Rank and the same opening reviews. Amazon is showing one parent pool on three widths. Use it as one set of comments about the Wood Line pattern. Do not add 376 three times, and do not read a remark about a 5 mm chisel as a measurement of the 16 mm.
Who should skip the 16 mm?
Skip it as a first chisel, and skip it when the tenon is 6 mm or 10 mm. The listing also disagrees with itself: spring steel and 280 g on this file, alloy steel and 113 g on the narrower sisters, and a 7 cm dimension line against a 300 mm bullet. It remains the wide single if you have measured 16 mm and you can check the tool on arrival.
What should I buy if I have no drill press?
A hand chisel. The 6 mm Wood Line or the four-piece set, depending on how many widths you will chop. Do not buy the Holy Feather because the bullet says any drill, and do not buy a hollow set because it is cheaper than the Richter. Without a clamp for the sleeve, those bits are the wrong drive for the joint.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listing files. Checked on 22 October 2026.
- HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods contract rights (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE: using the right type of PPE (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Eyecare Trust: eye protection for DIY (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- UK Workshop: recommendations for mortise chisels (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- UK Workshop: mortise chisels (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Toolnut: Narex mortice chisel (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Workshop Heaven: Narex Richter mortice chisels (retrieved 22.10.2026)