Bought a $300 set of fancy chisels and they chipped on the first project

I picked up a set of Japanese chisels from a booth at a woodworking show near St. Louis. Paid $300 for the set of 6, thought I was getting top quality. First time I used one on some oak it chipped at the edge within 5 minutes. Turns out they were overhardened from a bad batch. Has anyone else had luck getting a refund from a traveling vendor or am I just out the cash?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer_west8d ago

Yeah that stinks. I'd try reaching out to the guy who runs the show and see if they have a list of vendors or any way to contact the seller. Sometimes the show organizers will step in if a vendor sells bad stuff. Maybe it's just me but for $300 I'd be pretty upset too, especially if they were advertised as top quality.

wrenstone8d ago

Respectfully, I gotta disagree with you on this one. The show organizers probably have zero responsibility for what happens between a buyer and a vendor after the sale. Most of these craft fair types just rent tables, they don't vet the products or guarantee anything. Chasing down the organizer feels like a long shot when the real issue is the seller who took the money and ran. For $300, absolutely I'd be mad too, but pinning it on the show runner is like blaming the landlord when your neighbor has a loud party. Better off trying to track the seller down through whatever info you have, even if it's just a name and a blurry social media profile. Sometimes a polite but firm message through those channels works better than expecting someone else to fix it.