Richard 625-3000 Kell Brass Bevel Gauge

Item to small. Engraved numbers should be darkened.

If you have a lot of edged tools, hatchets, axes, kitchen knives, hunting knives, etc... you REALLY need this little gadget. I have a lot of edged tools to keep sharp and making sure that I'm keeping them sharp with the optimum edge profile for the task that tool is going to be performing is a real chore. This takes the work out of it. I simple use it to determine what angle the edge is, sharpen the tool for that angle, and then check to make sure the angle is still the angle it is supposed to be. Any time I get a new edged tool I check the edge profile... and sometimes it doesn't have the edge profile I WANT it to have. Not only does this tool give me the ability to check what edge profile the tool came with but, if it DOESN"T have the edge profile I want, it gives me the ability to work the edge to the profile I want... exactly to the edge profile I want. To be honest, every single edged tool I have has a note on what edge profile it has that I keep in Evernote. That way I can check there but most of the time it's just easier to grab this little tool and check the edge since I keep it with my sharpening kit.

There are cheap plastic versions of this tool that will do the same thing but this is a nice quality brass tool that will last. The only reason I gave it 4 stars might be nitpicking but.... the diameter of the relief holes at the root of each V is large enough that when checking the bevel on thinner tools, like a smaller hand-plane iron, a high percentage of the iron's bevel goes deep enough into the hole to leave a smaller than desired amount of the iron's bevel against the bevel of the gauge making it harder to see and read the fit in the bevel. A thicker tool like a chisel has more material out of the hole up onto the bevel so is easier to see. I would still recommend this tool over the cheesy plastic ones.

Excellent build and elegantly simple-no batteries requiredBe aware that Richards Bevel Gauge is packaged as "Robert Larson quality woodworking tools." With proper care I do not see any reason this tool should not last for many decades. Although not losing it will require some para-cord and the habit of parking it in the toolbox. This bevel gauge is going to take practice, strong light, and a white piece of paper to become an effective gauge for each user. Starting out, any kind of magnification would help correlate edge fit with angle. Included instructions focus on bevel angles and their purposes for chisels, saws, etc. For using on knives, watch Richard explaining the technique for measuring bevel angles, for six minutes over at YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lXV9cOoUL8Sigh, The following quote from Richard should relieve any worries over lead in his bevel gauge. If not, perhaps washing it with soap and water once would be in order:"The brass I use in the bevel gauge is sold to me as unleaded, it is only my drill and dowel gauge with lead content 2%"

I purchased this (shipped and sold by Amazon) and unfortunately this item appears to be a CHINESE COPY rather than authentic merchandise. Not sure where Amazon sourced these from, but authentic Richard Kell bevel gauges are manufactured in ENGLAND and come attached to placards which are printed in English. As you can see from the attached photos, this particular bevel gauge came in a (bubble-wrapped) zip-loc type bag with instructions that seem to be written by someone in China who speaks English as a second language. I had no issues with the quality of the product, but I cannot trust it because it doesn't appear to be authentic. I gave this a 5 star review rather than a 1 star review because many buyers on Amazon only seem to look at the 5-star reviews for some reason.

I love it. I think this is going to work out really nice for me. Now I will be able to sharpen my turning tools to the right bevel. I should be able to do regular wood chisels too. I have a few of my tools here and I tried it out and it was so nice to be able to get the bevel. I have it on my key ring right now but I want to get a chain for it and wear it around my neck so it will always be there to use when I need it. My shop is so dark that I have trouble finding things so the chain will be great. What a great little tool to have. I might even put a little bling on it on the bevels that I use the most so I can find the one I want. Hee hee Thank you for a great piece Fay

This gauge is completely useless for measuring the grind angle on a knife.Where do I even start? The angles are way off. The stamped numbers on it are unreadable. The grooves you place the knife in to are way to small to get an accurate read on the blade's edge surface.Guessing is more accurate than this useless thing. Do not buy.

Well what can I say. It is very cute, but the results obtained come at a rather high cost in hand / eye coordination and time.. , and I am not sure it is telling you anything that you did not already know. I have a professional sharpening service, and to be honest, it is just way too time consuming for me to run many blades through this thing. Actually, I have it in a prominent spot on my bench, because everyone that sees it says "Wow, what's that?" So for that result it was worth the price of admission. Get one for yourself just for the hell of it !

I loved the simplicity of use and bright brass. About the size of a £2 coin so it sits in my axe sharpening kit, with my Lansky Puck Sharpening stone just neatly.

this thing is tiny, far too small to be of any real use, why are the reviews being hidden? I only just found them as it appears from the header box that there are none. if I had seen these before I would not have purchased.

This is really designed for chisels, not knifes. Slightly larger than a loonie, and the angles are very small- hard to read. Would not buy again. Buy a digital cube to read angles

I sharpen for a large meat packing company and ofren travel to our other facilities to instruct other sharpening staff. This is a very handy tool for measuring bevel angles quickly and accurately to aid in set up of our industrial sharpening equipment.

Excellent pour estimer l'angle de mes couteaux à aiguiser.