It's marketing hype. The tool is so soft it is all but worthless. I
have a set that I let the "grandkids" play with. The others come from
Japan.

I called LN this week. Sometime this quarter they promise to have their
chisels out.

RB

Bay Area Dave wrote:
I just picked up 3 Marples protouch chisels, wasted my time to sharpen
the 3/8" one and then proceeded to put chisel to wood; namely red oak.
Before getting more than 4 sides of a mortise started the chisel's edge
was so nicked that I could see it without my reading glasses! That's
saying something. BTW, I sharpened it on 3 diamond stones and then up
to around 5k+ papers. I used the Lee Valley honing guide...

I've got a Sears chisel, 3/4" that holds an edge for quite a while.
What's up with these Marples?

dave