in my honest opinion it is the honed edge that you put upon your chisel that "makes" the tool what it is, as "bevel" edges will come and go depending upon your own choice of what you do and how you wish to use them.. and as for brand, well the better the steel , the longer the edge you have put on the chisel will last, that is about all, we have chisels over 30 yrs old in my work shop, which will see me out of this life time, and also some "cheapies" which may just last a year or two, they all shave/cut the same, just the cheapies will require a lot more honing more often...
if you intend to use the chisels with a mallet, get "FIRMER" chisels, for hand use only, use bevel edged/paring chisels(one and the same for those who do not know!!) or even mortice chisels, heavy duty for actual mortising work, or the lighter ones for general joinery!!!
regards matt :lol: