Diefenbacher 30mm Violin Gouge

Because the metal is soft. It doesn't hold an edge for more than a few strokes. If you just want to plow through, that's OK, but if your wood is chippy, you want the thing sharp. Speaking of chippy, be prepared to grind, if you don't want a ragged cutting edge.When it arrived, mine was rounded quite a bit, but as I said, it's soft enough to make it REALLY easy to put a hollow grind into. (Took about 6 minutes to give a hollow grind, a further 3 to bring the edge to hair-cutting sharp on the stones. You can skip straight to 4000 grit). Less than 10 mins, all told.That said, the size, shape and length are great. And the steel isn't terrible, just soft.