planes and chisels?

The choices in hand tools can be rather confusing. There are a couple of general criteria that affrect quality. First is the date of manufacture, where older tools can tend to be better than new ones (new ones usually being manufactured in China or India with varying degrees of attention to quality). Second is the market at which the tool is aimed. Tools intended for the construction trades need to be more robust than those aimed at cabinetmakers, for example. Then, there are the fine points - the choice of steel, subtle points in the geometry of the tool, etc.

With chisels, the most important aspect is the quality of the steel, which affects how well they can be sharpened and how long they will retain the sharp edge. What you save in initial purchase of an inexpensive chisel will be spent many times over in fussing with sharpening it. My favorites are Lie Nielsen and the Japanese chisels I bought years ago from Japan Woodworker. But, the Marples set (English made) I have, made in the '40s or '50s is pretty nice, too.

With planes, the less expensive planes will often fall short in terms of machining - things like the sole not being flat, or sliding parts not being smooth. These aspects affect how the tool will work - whether it planes well, or makes a mess of the piece of wood. Buying old (pre-WWII) Stanley planes can be a solution, but involves learning how to tune the tool back to life. Veritas and Lie Nielsen are safe bets out of the box, albeit more expensive.

The next point of consideration is the source of the tool. Home improvement stores generally sell the cheap ones, mostly for homeowners who might use the tool once every few years. Woodcraft and Rockler tend to sell cheap to mid-range tools, while the boutique woodworking tool stores concentrate on better brands.

Overall, choices are driven by intended use and budget. Better quality tools will be easier to use and can affect the quality of the work produced. Here's a list of some of the sources of quality hand tools:

http://www.bluesprucetoolworks.com/

http://www.japanwoodworker.com

http://www.leevalley.com/

http://www.lie-nielsen.com/

http://planemaker.com/

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/

First welcome to the craft!   For hand tools i'll say two things one, get the best tool you can afford(save if you have to) and second what my daddy use to say you buy a good tool once.  For chisels, the difference can be pretty amazing.  My first clobber was a stanly (not an old one) that could not hold an edge if it had hands.   It would get the job done, but you were sharpening it every 10 minutes what a pain.   I've got a set of Iriwns that you mention and they are not high end by any means but have served me well.   I had to spend a good amount of time to get them flat & true, but once that was acomplished they cut great and hold an edge pretty good.  I'm saving now for a nice set of Lie-Nielsens but that's another level all together. 

For planes my first was a stanley block plane from the 80's that was a total POS.   It even ruined me for a long time on even using hand planes.  It was not till about 6 years ago that I needed to use them that I decided to jump in.  I bought my firs Lie-Nielsen and have never looked back.  They are not cheap, but if you ever beleived in "you get what you pay for" it fits them.  Great Tools and a pleasure to work with.  

What ever you decide to buy  learn to sharpen, and that is an art IMO.  Not having sharp hand tools or not understanding how to do it, will turn you off them quick.  You don't need a $1,000 dollar sharpening system although they are nice.   i started with the scary sharp method with sandpaper and a piece of machined granite.   Works great and is cheap.   Take care and make some sawdust!  Or in this case nice shavings.