Has anyone tried the Heller Gr8at rasps? They have 8 teeth instead of the usual 6. I bought a couple of boxes last spring and am just getting to them. I really like the Heller Red Tangs, but I broke out one of the Gr8ats last week and so far it seems to be about the most miserable piece of steel I've ever held in my hand. Doesn't cut well, is very grabby, and clogs easily. I'm thinking of trying to exchange them for some Red Tangs. I'm going to try one more, in case I just got a bad one., Are any of you finding them unsatisfactory. I've always liked Mustad's other products. Regards
I have a hard time using anything except my Heller legends. I have used them so long that I just don't want to change. Someone told me that if you had a rasp that was really grabby to drag it backwards one lick across the edge of your anvil and it would start working.
I've tried the Gr8ts and got on with them well enough to buy a second box. I found they cut ok, they didn't keep their initial keenness any longer than any other rasp but they stayed usable for longer than others I've tried and they make good cold rasps for boxing, once I've finished trimming with them. I was using Black legends before them. Everyone raves about Save Edge over here, but I don't find them any better than the Hellers. Strange how different people have different views on different rasps, I've often wondered if it's the way we use them and one person's 'action' flatters one design and another's another...
Save Edge used to be the king of the hill of the rasp world over here until the inconsistancy of their quality made them not worth the risk to buy a years worth at a time. I find the Heller legend not nearly as sharp as the best Save Edge BUT the consistancy of the legends, rasp after rasp, box after box, makes them my choice when buying 50 at a time
You are right about save edge being inconstant, we have a good box at the min and we are getting two weeks out of a rasp at the min!!!! I have also had some where two days is a struggle!!!
OK, I finally decided my stingy nature was making me work way too hard, so I chucked the Gr8at rasp after 23 trims, and broke out a second one. Totally different beast from the first. I guess the first one was just a bad one. I think I still like the Red tangs and Save edges better, but at least it's not a total loss. I only bought 10 of them, so I'll use them up and move on. Regards
After trying all the different rasps and plane's over the years I have come to the conclusion that the Hellar legand white tang (not red) is the best bang for your buck.
