Stanley FatMax’s folding pocket chisel (FMHT16145) was announced back in 2012, and although it was delayed, it was eventually released in late 2013.
FastCap’s folding pocket chisels have also been on the market for some time.
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There’s nothing new to be said about the tool; my intent for the post is to remind you that tools like this exist. There have been a couple of occasions these past few months, where I wish I had a chisel close at hand. Not a good one, and not an improvised “I could use this knife as a chisel” type of tool, but a simple chisel for some quick work.
For those applications, this folding chisel might have been just what I needed.
At just $10, the Stanley pocket chisel isn’t a big investment. For regular use, or more demanding use I would probably consider FastCap’s different sizes. Or a traditionally-styled full-handled wood chisel.
Maybe the FastCap folding chisels offer more for the added cost? You can buy two of the Stanley chisels for the price of just one FastCap.
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This isn’t a tool for building heirloom furniture. But if you’re doing something like installing a new pre-hung door, and the lock strike plate mortise isn’t exact, you’ll need quick chisel work to make things right.
Price: $10
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How many of you would benefit from carrying a folding chisel in your pouch or tool bag?
Andrew
I literally was just staring at this about an hour ago at Ace. Even had it in my cart for 15 minutes before deciding “nahhh.” Kind of regretting it now.
Adam
If Ace carries it, I’ll pick one up on their next 50% off under $30 sale.
Blythe
I’ve been looking at the fastcap version recently. Definitely nice for the carpenter to keep your tool bags from getting cut up, and keep the edges from getting nicked against metal objects in your bags or toolbox. Didn’t realize there was a cheaper option, so thank you
Paul
would it be considered a butterfly knife? legal issue in some states
it has same open/close and a sharp edge…
i don’t consider it so, but just a thought.
Adam g
Certain jurisdictions might be all too eager to go that route.
Koko The Talking Ape
I don’t trust the folding handle. Even if can handle mallet blows, it might not be 100% solid and tight, which would drive me nuts.
Ordinary chisels are cheap, durable and effective. (I like the Marples Blue Chip chisels.) You can make a sheath easily from milk jug plastic, or sheet brass, or stiff leather, etc.
fred
These tools remind me of an old adage my mother used “if you don’t have something nice to say – say nothing at all” … I’ve now said way too much.
Nathan
Honestly for the door installer or even cabinet installer it would make some sense. Otherwise I don’t need one.
Agreed you could use a normal 1inch chisel and rig some solid holding device and do similar.
mattd
for the same price you can buy the Morakniv Chisel tipped knife. and i feel it would be more useful
Hilton
I agree. It also seems more versatile and you can wear it on your belt for easy access.
Charlie
I have that Mora chisel knife and it’s a great utility knife as well. Super sharp!
Jerry
I like the idea. I have done work where I needed to do some quick chisel work away from the shop, and this would have filled the bill. Folded, you can drop it in a toolbox with other tools and not worry about damaging the edge or anything else. Probably not rock solid, but I’d be willing to bet it would be better than hammering on a folding knife to remove a bit of wood when the chisel I needed was a 40 minute round trip away.
Definitely falls into the ‘the one I have is more useful than the one I didnt bring’ category.
John S
Its kinda funny but it seems like the folding chisel got a lot of attention and resurgence after the recent custom on Laura Kampf made out a Leatherman on one of her videos:
https://youtu.be/yMQDHHnG10A
For the occasional use its has its place.
Scott K
I saw that video too-
Very cool and looks like a fun project. But I can’t imagine the time and cost are worth it to have a chisel on a leatherman.
Matthew Johnson
I think it would be a good addition to my homeowner toolbox so I have a chisel when I need it instead of improvising and breaking a different tool or damaging what I’m working on
Ct
Wow that is a great idea for my uses I am always worrying about the few odd ball chisel s I keep in my work truck. Keeping them sharp and not cutting other tools
Dennis
I have the Fastcap version. It’s a useful tool. And it doesn’t stab you in the leg when you put it in your pocket, so double bonus. Judging from the fact that the Stanley version costs half as much, I’d probably buy that one if I was in the market. I might have to get the putty knife version, I use those things a lot more than chisels.
Chris
The only chisels I use on jobsites are the stanley folding chisel in my side pocket and the fastcap chisels in a tstak. They are amazing, feel quite precise and are great for any application. The stanley is functioning as my less sharp Construction chisel, and it has taken a serious beating with a hammer and still works after several years. As gimmicky as they seem. They work great, and I always have a chisel on me wherever I go on a jobsite
K dukes
I’ve used the fast cap ones plus their scrapers. Had them for about 10 years. Great tools and overall and very handy.
JoeM
This is a real thing? Seriously? It’s not a holdover from an April Fool’s Joke?
Okay… I’ll bite… I suppose this would qualify as an “Oops” tool. Not something you use every day, just something you use to correct last minute “Oops” situations that you FIND every day. A burr left over from a planer used on a door or plank before installing it, that tiny imperfection that should have been caught a few minutes before, hell even removing that excess window frame paint that you could have sworn you taped off properly but has dried to the window anyways.
I agree that the strike plate somewhat worries me. Probably wouldn’t worry me so much if the strike plate was a single piece plate that covered both ends, rather than two smaller ones.
I’d honestly like to know the OFFICIAL reason for this design. What was its intended use, according to Stanley? I’m now curious what they were thinking this would be. I can speculate until I turn purple, but honestly this doesn’t seem quite right somehow.
ca
I have the Stanley and it’s great for what it is: something you can carry and not slit your wrists on. Obviously it won’t replace solid chisels but that’s not its purpose.
Jeremiah
There are some very cynical and skeptical people here.
Ken F.
I am going to pick one up but the 1″ blade is not the most useful width. I wish Stanley would also add a 1/2″ and 3/4″ chisel width. Thinking about buying the Fastcap set of folding pocket chisels (with plastic case, folding sharpener and putty knives) on Amazon for $99.
John
Ill stick with my morakniv chisel knife thank you
JeffMC_VT
I haven’t tried the Fatmax version, but the Fastcap chisel is one of those tools that I thought was useless until I had one and now I don’t know how it made it through the day without it before. As a contractor, I leave one in my belt and use it for everything from hanging doors and cabinets, laying flooring, cleaning up overspray foam when hanging drywall… It’s smaller and lighter than a straight handle chisel and tough enough to survive years of beating. HIGHLY recommend.
MikeTere
I have the fastcap version and if you only need a chisel occasionally or do t want to risk your good chisels its’s a great option.
michaelhammer
I have the Fast Cap set They can take a beating and the diamond stone is very handy. I do a quick sharpening before every use. The steel is not the best, though. It’s a bit on the brittle side and doesn’t hold and an edge well, so probably better suited for carpentry and not furniture making.
Randy
FastCap’s is made in the US, while Stanley’s is made in China. Simple.
Oleg k
One of the worst ideas, ever, if I have to explain why then you either work for Stanley or know nothing about how the chisel is used and why it should not have any moving parts
Jared
I think some miss the point of a tool like this. A regular-handled chisle is a better tool. That statement however, doesn’t mean this one is pointless. Sometimes the best chisle is the one you have on hand – and you’re more likely to have this one because it’s smaller.
A similar example is the Knipex pliers wrench. Often a ratchet and socket are the better tool for the task – or the appropriate sized box-end – but it’s way more convenient for me to walk around my farm with a pliers wrench in my pocket than either of those.
Jared
BTW Stuart, do you have a post somewhere of “tools like this”? I’d love to see some more examples.
Stuart
Can you be more specific?
Not many tools come to mind, but I have posted about some in the past. A good example is the Nupla Handi-Hammer dead blow – https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/nupla-handi-hammer/%3C/a%3E .
Jared
Interesting hammer! I could see tossing that into my tool bag when I go dirt bike racing versus the full size one that lives there now.
I was thinking of generally of tools that perform full-size jobs in smaller form factors without giving up much performance – e.g. the Knipex pliers wrench might be a good example.
Mostly the thought was triggered for me because you wrote “the post is to remind you that tools like this exist” so I figured you might already be thinking of something.
Ben
Just saw it for the first time, had to buy it. Its seems very useful to have now I renovate a 3 store old wooden apartment we bought. I am a pro cabinetmaker, and my tools are often in the wrong floor when I need them. At least a chisel is now right at hand, when I need it. The size is perfect.
HTG
I appreciate I must have passed this by at the time, but somehow, I came across this the other day (~2 years on) and realized this would fit a real need I have. It’s no use having a big leather roll of ultra-sharp chisels in a box in the garage when I’m trying to fix something for a friend. I always find myself doing terrible things with a utility knife!
Anyway, I ordered one straight away. It has arrived, I sharpened it with the Tormek and now it cuts pretty well. Out of the box, the grind seems OK, if not marvellous. It took a little while to flatten the back, but not long to sharpen the bevel. So at long last, I’ll have a chisel in the toolbox that I take with me places. It won’t wreck anything in the box, and it won’t get wrecked by anything in the box because it folds. Neat! As Jared says above, “the best chisel is the one you have to hand”. By that reckoning, a lot of the time, this will be my best chisel.
So thanks, Stuart, to bringing it to my attention. I’ve no idea how I managed to miss the existence of this type of thing, but I’m glad you did.
Bjorn
I just finished resharpening my two Stanley folding chisels and found this site while looking for a better folding chisel. I see a lot of purists on here complaining about how this isn’t a real chisel or whatever but I’m a locksmith and I’ve been using this chisel for fresh installs for 4 years, mortising out strike plates and such. They work great. The only trouble is they don’t keep an edge as well as more expensive chisels. The blade gets nicks in it from hidden finish nails in door frames anyway so i have to sharpen them once every few weeks anyway. The blade is really thick and doesn’t fit chisel sharpening rigs without modification.
If some manufacturer made a 1″ (most useful size for door hardware installation) with a better alloy I’d buy.