Klein Tools Cold Chisel, 12-Inch

Three blade widths: 1/2 inch (part 66174), 3/4 inch (part 66177), and 1 inch (part 66183). All three are the same 12 inch overall length, so you pick the width by the cut you need, not the reach. Wider blades shear flat stock and remove weld or rivet heads faster; the 1/2 inch is the one that gets into a narrow slot or starts a cut in tight metal.

No. A cold chisel is for metal, it cuts, shapes, and removes metal, and the edge geometry and hardness are set for that. Concrete, block, and brick call for a masonry or brick chisel instead; driving a cold chisel into masonry chips and rolls the edge.

That is what the length is for. At 12 inches overall (30.5 cm) the Klein cold chisel keeps your hand and the striking end clear of the work, and the correctly ground edge plus the long shank is specified for hard-to-reach areas. Short stubby chisels force your knuckles into the enclosure; this one does not.

Heat-treated high-carbon steel, which is what gives it the hardness to cut mild steel stock, bolts, and rivet heads without the edge folding. It also carries a corrosion-resistant black finish, which matters if the tool lives in a damp truck box or service bag. Made in USA.

Yes, and it is the one warning Klein puts on the tool: always wear approved eye protection. Striking hardened steel against steel throws chips, and a mushroomed struck end throws metal from the chisel itself. Dress the struck end once it starts to mushroom.

For shearing a seized or rusted bolt head, the 1/2 inch (66174) concentrates the blow on a narrow line and starts the cut. For dressing a weld bead or paring a flat edge on sheet or plate, the 1 inch (66183) gives a longer bearing surface and leaves a straighter face. The 3/4 inch (66177) is the middle ground most electricians and MRO techs carry as the single general-purpose size.

The 3/4 inch blade width version (part 66177) weighs 1.05 pounds in a 12 inch length. That is light enough to carry all day in a tool pouch but with enough mass behind the blade that the hammer blow transfers to the cut instead of bouncing the tool.