I agree with Ken on the carbide tools , especially the Hunter tool , I love shooting those ribbons everywhere . The Hunter tool has a bit of a learning curve because it can be very aggressive and that's not always a good thing .
I use the other type he mentioned , the ones with the braised tips . I have the PSI set and absolutely love them but they have one very serious limitation ,you must keep the tool rest tight to the work . You can't let the braised tip overhang the tool rest or it will break off . Other then that they are fantastic , just the right size for pens and they hold a sharp edge much longer then HSS tools . Every one of my pens in my photo album was made with mainly the gouge and the skew , even the metal ones .