Oh my, the Pfeil tools arrived!

Yes, all the way from Sweden, these beauties arrived today! The Swiss-made Pfeil 1mm v-gouge and the .5mm u-gouge arrived at my door. And boy-howdy, was I itchin' to try 'em out!

aren't they pretty?

When I heard that Staedtler gouges were no longer available, I set out on a search for the next best thing. Who knows ... maybe there is something better out there! I hopped on the internet and started reading other artist-carvers - some rubber, some lino, some wood. I kept hearing the same story: they had collected several favorite brands and tools they liked, and used them all during their carving process. But the thing that stuck out to me was that they all had a treasured Pfeil tool in their collection, and they saved it to talk about last because it was the best. I had to get one to see what the fuss was about!

This tool feels very good in the hand. Used overhand, it has a long reach. After a bit of adjustment, it soon felt pretty natural. Unlike the Flexcut or Dockyard tools that are dark carbon steel, these are beautifully finished and smooth to the touch. And they are uber-sharp. They didn't send bandaids though, like the Flexcut Palm set - I guess they figured you could figure that out yourself. :)

The timing was perfect for them to arrive today - I had just transferred an image to Firm Kut last night before bed, but was too tired to start. Good thing - it was waiting for me to try out these babies!

trying to capture the difference
between the 1.0mm and the .5mm - 
contrary to what appears in the photo,
these tools are highly polished and smooth

These tools are smooth cutting on the material. There is no jumping or hanging up. And they are not angled as the Staedtler gouge; the 'v' is neither set back nor forward. They are solid, but not too heavy in the hand. I had no trouble getting fine detail, and was pleased with how little cleanup (after the first printing) was necessary. And, no bobbles or problems to fix. My first print was amazingly clean! Yeah, I agree with those other artists - these tools are worth the cost of admission.

That ticket-price is a bit steep, though. A single tool is just under $40 with shipping. But I managed to get both of them on Amazon, which didn't take too long for delivery (I did have to pay shipping twice since I ordered them separately).

So, here is the final stamp; I used both the Pfeil tools, plus the Flexcut (Micro) sweep (shallow u-tool, 1.5mm) and the 1.5mm Dockyard u-gouge for background cleanup.

2"x 3", Firm Kut, Archival ink, coffee

The bottom line: The Pfeil tools are very well made, felt good in my hand, and carved smoothly and cleanly. They are costly, but they are a lifetime tool. I am a little nervous about sharpening these lovelies, however. That .5 u-gouge is really tiny. If you can splurge, and they are available, I would recommend them. Here are the Amazon links, if you are interested: Pfeil L11/0.5 , Pfeil L 12/1

One final note - Kirbert is right, the 'v' on the Staedtler #1 gouge is still the tightest at the cutting base of all the tools I have tried. But, it is thicker in your hand, the flanges or sides are bigger and more bulky, and it is held different than most other carving tools (underhand, like a pencil), similar to Speedball lino cutters. However, I am pretty confident that, with practice, a high level of detail is possible using the overhand-style of tools, especially these Pfeil tools.