Display

There’s no actual screen here, so the closest meaningful category is presentation, range, and how clearly the set is laid out for use. EZARC wins this section because it gives you a 6-piece set in a wooden presentation box, which is genuinely useful for storage in a small UK workshop or a shared garage bench. You get more sizes for general joinery, paring, and cleanup work, and the box makes it easier to keep edges protected. Narex is more utilitarian: the set is focused on mortise sizes only, so it is less versatile but more purpose-built. If you want a set that looks good and covers more tasks straight away, EZARC wins.

Performance

This is where the choice splits sharply. Narex wins performance for mortise work because these chisels are designed specifically for chopping and levering out waste in mortises, where blade stiffness matters more than finesse. Mortise chisels need to survive repeated mallet strikes in hardwoods such as oak, beech, and elm without twisting or chipping, and Narex has the stronger reputation for that kind of abuse. EZARC, by contrast, is the better all-rounder for trimming tenons, cleaning dovetails, easing joints, and general bench work. If your main job is cutting mortises in a proper bench setup with a mallet and holdfasts, Narex is the better performer. If your work is mixed and you want one set for lots of tasks, EZARC is more flexible, but it does not beat a true mortise set at mortising.

Build quality and design

Narex wins build quality and design for serious joinery. Narex chisels are widely respected among UK woodworkers because they are made with the sort of heft and blade geometry that suits hard use, especially in traditional mortise-and-tenon work. The handles are designed to take repeated mallet blows, which matters if you are chopping joints in oak beams, kitchen carcasses, or workholding components. EZARC’s ash handles are attractive and the set is well presented, but the overall design is more bench-chisel oriented than heavy-duty mortise duty. The CRV steel and ash wood handle combination is perfectly respectable for hobby use, yet Narex feels more like a tool built with a job in mind rather than a gift-ready general set.

Battery life

Neither product uses batteries, so this category is not applicable. In practical workshop terms, what matters instead is edge retention and how often you need to return to the stones. On that basis, Narex has the stronger reputation for staying serviceable under hard mallet work, while EZARC is likely to be perfectly adequate for lighter bench use and occasional sharpening on waterstones or diamond plates.

Price and value for money

EZARC wins value for money, and by a clear margin. At £42.98 versus £63.97, it is £20.99 cheaper, which is a meaningful saving for a hobbyist or someone setting up a first workshop on a budget. It also has the stronger review count, with 4.7/5 from 2,385 reviews compared with Narex’s 4.6/5 from 455 reviews, which suggests broader buyer confidence and a lot of satisfied users. Narex is still good value if you specifically need mortise chisels and want a tool that can take punishment, but you are paying more for specialisation. For most buyers, EZARC gives more chisels for less money, and that makes it the better bargain.

Game library/features

Again, the analogue here is feature set and versatility. EZARC wins because six chisels in a presentation box gives you a wider working range out of the gate. That matters in a UK shed or small workshop where you may be doing everything from softwood carcassing in pine to finer work in oak, beech, or walnut. Narex’s feature set is narrower but more focused: these are mortise chisels, so the “feature” is toughness and suitability for chopping deep, straight-sided slots. If you already own bench chisels and need a dedicated mortise set, Narex’s narrow feature set is actually a strength. If you want one purchase to cover more of the common jobs, EZARC wins.

Overall user experience

EZARC is the better experience for most hobbyists because it is cheaper, better reviewed, and more versatile. It feels like the set you buy when you want a decent all-purpose chisel collection for marking, paring, chopping light joints, and general workshop use without spending much more than the cost of a couple of premium replacement blades. Narex delivers the more satisfying experience for joinery purists who regularly cut mortises and want a tool that feels made for mallet work. In a real workshop, that means Narex will be the better companion if you are building furniture in hardwood and cutting lots of mortise-and-tenon joints. But if you are after the best overall buy, EZARC is the easier recommendation because it does more jobs for less money.

Overall summary: Narex is the specialist’s choice and the better chisel if mortises are your bread and butter. EZARC is the smarter buy for most people because it costs less, has far more reviews, and gives you a broader set of chisels for general woodworking. If you only buy one, choose EZARC for value and versatility; choose Narex only if you know you need a proper mortise set.