Dave,
When I got my first lathe, the guy who sold it to me recomended that I
get a generic set of high speed steel tools which I did. They served me
quite well for a while. I was always curioys about the other tools. I
got one of the 'stays sharp 3 times longer' gouges to see if it was
true. It seemed to be, and it soon became my tool of choice. One day,
on a whim, I switched back to my high speed steel gouge, and noticed
that it had a noticably keener edge. I then would use the hard steel
one for the major stock removal, and the M2 for the finish cuts. I
noticed that the 'fresh off the grinder edge' would last the about the
same amount of time on either tool, but the 'I can still make a few
more passes before sharpening'edge lasts a lot longer with the harder
steel. I have an Elsworth signature gouge, a One Way master cut, a 2030
gouge, and a Glaser V-15 gouge. They all work well, but I like the feel
and cutting action of the Glaser the best. I prefer my tools on the
heavy side (I did concrete work for 30 years), and this tool has
weight. There is also something about the way that it cuts, that may
have more to do with the shape; it has a high narrow flute,which may
give it more of a shear cutting action than the others, but I am still
trying to figure out exactly what it is. I reserve the right to change
my mind in the future, as I will continue to experiment.
robo hippy