Router bit recommendations

[Nick Mazzino]

What are your guys recommendations for good quality router bits that are not crazy expensive?

Im currently just using a Ryobi set from home depot and have been working fine until last night when I was trying to use the Roman Ogee bit on an oak end table top and was getting some tear out. I assume it was from the lower quality bit.

Thanks!

[Charles Lent]

I have quite a few and some sets of bits from Woodline and have never had a problem with the bits. On one order from them the boxed set arrived with the wooden box broken and I sent them a note. Two days later a replacement box arrived. www.woodline.com. I've been buying from them for about 20 years. Great people to deal with, and good products at reasonable prices. They might not last as long as the higher priced bits, but I haven't needed better, and what I have is still good.

Not all of my bits are from Woodline, but my less frequently used bits are mostly from them. I buy my high usage bits like straight, rabbeting, flush cutting, and spiral bits from Freud, Sommerfeld, Bosch, and Whiteside.

Charley

[Cary Falk]

Define crazy expensive. Many people like Whiteside bits. I bought a bunch of Freud quadracut bits whenn HD was closing them out and love them
I also have some Amana and CMT bits that cut fine also.

[Nick Mazzino]

Looking for around 25-40$ a bit

[Adam Grund]

my experience is almost nil, so take my post for what it's worth. I have a few mis matched cheaper sets that came with used tools I bought, and a whiteside shaker door set. Every bit that I've had to buy new, I've bought Infinity, and could be because I don't know any better but I'm super impressed with everything I've bought so far

[Mike Cutler]

What are your guys recommendations for good quality router bits that are not crazy expensive?

Im currently just using a Ryobi set from home depot and have been working fine until last night when I was trying to use the Roman Ogee bit on an oak end table top and was getting some tear out. I assume it was from the lower quality bit.

Thanks!

The tear out could just be the grain orientation and structure. You could try a first pass and leave a 32nd or so and the climb cut on the final pass.
I've used all kinds of bits through the years, Whiteside, Amana, Bosch, Freud, Woodcraft, CMT, Home Depot specials,etc and to be honest, I've never really seen any dramatic quality difference between any of them.
CMT, and Bosch are nice bits, and wold fit your budget, with the exception of the larger bits and cabinet sets.

[Art Mann]

When using a CNC router, you sometimes run the bit for hours on end. That is one place where the quality of bits starts showing up quickly. In this instance, premium bits become the best value by far. I use Whiteside because they have a good consistent product at a reasonable price and they are easy to find in a wide selection. For edge profile bits used infrequently, I haven't found too much difference between name brand and off brand. Sometimes, it is technique that makes the difference in cut quality.

[Bas Pluim]

I've tried a number of different brands, including some cheaper ones. The cheap ones are definitely not worth it. After you've spent $100+ on wood and 3 weeks of work, the last thing you want to have happen is to tear out a big chunk of wood because of a cheap bit.

I like Whiteside and Freud bits. Woodcraft is fine for your standard roundover/ straight bits too.

[Dan Baginski]

I can tell you I just broke a 3/4 inch Rockler bit going through some ash. Chipped one of the cutting edges off about 1/4 inch long.

[Bob Vaughan]

my experience is almost nil, so take my post for what it's worth. I have a few mis matched cheaper sets that came with used tools I bought, and a whiteside shaker door set. Every bit that I've had to buy new, I've bought Infinity, and could be because I don't know any better but I'm super impressed with everything I've bought so far

I'm with you on Infinity. Unless I absolutely need it that day, I'll order from Infinity. I've never been disappointed in any of their tooling.

[Van Huskey]

Whiteside and Southeast tool make what I consider the best router bits, the only time I don't buy one of these is when Freud makes a Quadracut in the same profile.

[glenn bradley]

I have dozens of bits and have been through dozens more so I am not a complete novice. For bits that are part of my primary arsenal, those bits that get used time and time again on nearly everything I do, I use Whiteside. They last longer than others by an order of magnitude. Interestingly the only ones that seem to last as long are Lee Valley(?).

Obviously I haven't used EVERYTHING out there but, there are brands I have left behind. I should add a disclaimer here that I will use these and others if I can get them for around $5. at that price many of them are worth about what I paid and I just toss them when they start to dull. Others do better but, Whiteside uses magic elves or some voo-doo spell to make their bits :D.

There are also those that are the only or near-only maker of such things like Amana's cool miniature bits. So anyway, . . . the ones I rarely bother with anymore are CMT, Freud, MLCS, Peachtree, Rockler, Ryobi, Skil, Woodcraft, Woodside, you get the idea. As mentioned, I will pick up common profiles in these bits if I catch them at a blowout sale or a woodworking show.

Not all profiles can or make sense to resharpen but, as an example of a value-add due to quality: (this is not REAL math and is just a wildly-loose way to demonstrate something you might want to think about when you buy cutters) Whiteside bit = $30. Use it twice as long as a $20 Rockler bit. I just saved $10 as it would have taken two Rockler bits to do the same work. Send the bit in for sharpening (the math gets better if you send in a dozen in a flat rate box) $5 or so per bit plus $6 postage; I now have a new $30 bit for $11 (even less if I sent multiple bits in the flat rate box) so now I am $20 ahead for not buying a second Rockler bit and $19 ahead for getting a new bit for $11; that's more than I bought the Whiteside bit for in the first place. I told you it wasn't real math :D. Just think about avoiding the penny-wise and pound-foolish routine when you buy cutters.

[Van Huskey]

Whiteside uses magic elves or some voo-doo spell to make their bits :D.



Dat be good ol' boy elves and elvettes in Claremont NC.


If anyone is interested in the production of Whiteside bits...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiO9ZFIZ1oY&t=98s

[Paul Girouard]

Dat be good ol' boy elves and elvettes in Claremont NC.


If anyone is interested in the production of Whiteside bits...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiO9ZFIZ1oY&t=98s


I use a lot of Whiteside bits and Osrud bits. Very interesting to see the process, amazing they are as reasonablity priced as they are!

[Charles Lent]

The OP was asking for recommendations for "good quality bits that are not crazy expensive". Most of you are suggesting the high quality and higher priced bits, and not what he is asking for.
I too buy better bits for my higher usage bits, but the Woodline bits that I suggested are quite good and very reasonably priced. I have quite a few of the single bits and about 8 sets, including round over, ogee, and bull nose in both 1/4 and 1/2" shanks.

Charley

[Jim Becker]

It's relatively easy to get decent quality cutters at reasonable prices with online shopping at both woodworking concerns as well as through Amazon and EBAY. You can also opt for less expensive bits "of various colors" for those profiles that are "very occasional use" and go for higher end cutters for the few that you use all the time. Everything doesn't need to match in brand, quality and cost. While I'm an Amana fan for a number of things I use (which includes some insert tooling), I've been buying Whiteside compression bits and HTC (US0 or Yongo (China) for the .125 end mills and ball nose cutters I've been using a lot lately with my CNC....the price is right off Amazon or EBAY and they both perform well for me. A lot of the bits in my cabinet for hand-held router use are Infinity, Whiteside, Freud and the old Jessada, I have a whole bunch of profiles I bought inexpensively from Lee Valley (green paint) and some others that are yellow, red and blue that came from "wherever" including the 'borg over the years.

[Nick Decker]

The OP was asking for recommendations for "good quality bits that are not crazy expensive". Most of you are suggesting the high quality and higher priced bits, and not what he is asking for.
I too buy better bits for my higher usage bits, but the Woodline bits that I suggested are quite good and very reasonably priced. I have quite a few of the single bits and about 8 sets, including round over, ogee, and bull nose in both 1/4 and 1/2" shanks.

Charley

The OP mentioned "$25-$40 a bit." The vast majority of the Whitesides I use are in that price range or lower.

I haven't tried Infinity bits, are they made in the U.S.?

[Jim Morgan]

The OP mentioned "$25-$40 a bit." The vast majority of the Whitesides I use are in that price range or lower.

I haven't tried Infinity bits, are they made in the U.S.?

Infinity is the successor to Jesada (same family owns the company). Toured their bit-making facility in Oldsmar, FL several years ago; think they still make their bits there.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Infinity is the successor to Jesada (same family owns the company). Toured their bit-making facility in Oldsmar, FL several years ago; think they still make their bits there.

That's good to know, Infinity is one of my go to online stores.

[Ben Zara]

Cheap: Yonico
Expensive: Whiteside and Freud

[Ben Rivel]

Another recommendation for Whiteside. Theres are the only bits I use/own.

[Stan Calow]

Try Eagle-America.

[Van Huskey]

Try Eagle-America.

AFAIK the upper level "Eagle" bits are made by Whiteside. The MLCS bits are Asian in origin.

[Orlando Gonzalez]

What Van says. Just got their catalog and there was a significant difference in price between the made in the USA and the MLCS bits.

For me if I'm cutting plywood, MDF, or cheap wood I go with the MLCS, Woodline, or some Craftsman that I still have. I've also used Chinese made end mills as spiral cuttrers. For quality cuts it's Whiteside, CMT, or Infinity. I still have some PRC (Paso Robles Carbide) that the late Pat Warner endorsed and got me hooked on. Sad they went under because they made a great router bit.