Are expensive, quality router bits a smart buy?

[Dave Falkenstein]

For use in a home, semi-pro (I get paid for projects for other people) shop, I wonder if you REALLY get your money's worth buying upper end router bits? Example - a four-piece, Whiteside roundover set at Holbren's for $88, less a 10% SMC discount - about $79. A similar (one bit is a different size) four-piece Woodline roundover set - $30. Or from Holbren in the Holbren brand - $30. Woodline has a "limited lifetime warranty". Not sure about the Holbren warranty.

Please understand this question is coming from a guy that willingly spends freely for tools, like Festool, for example. But I have a hard time getting my arms around spending over twice the price for router bits that are guaranteed for life.

My own experience with Woodline has been good. I recently ruined a straight bit cutting dados in birch ply. Woodline sent me a replacement bit when I called. That was my first and only need to invoke the warranty.

Please tell me why I should or should not be buying higher end router bits from now on. Thanks folks.

[Bob DiGiacomo]

Dave,

I use MCLS for my router bits. Their bits are of good quality carbide and they have nice ball bearings. I teach industrial arts and the bits get used pretty hard. Likewise, they sell the bits in sets at a discount. I usually buy about 30 1/2" shank bits for about $100, and it comes in a wooden case. I just can't justify paying twice as much for router bits. Let me know how you make out. Bob

[Rick Moyer]

I can't answer that personally, but Mike Heavy said in a seminar one time that you can usually judge router bits by price. He said that there are several grades of carbide available and the better the carbide/the more expensive the bit. There were other factors as well, IIRC. I subscribe to the theory that you buy better(more expensive) bits of the varieties that you use alot, and economize on the limited use bits. That said, I found a great deal on a 13 pc CMT set (only a few bits were purported used) on Craigslist a while back, so I would say best bet is to buy the "better" bits that way if you can get a deal. I have not used any cheaper bits enough to say that they are inferior, but I would suspect they would not hold up as well in extended use.

[Todd Franks]

Dave,

When I got started in my WW hobby I bought cheap router bits. I was disappointed by the results. I was constantly getting burn marks. I finally bought a Whiteside bit and was amazed by the difference in performance. The cutter was nearly 3 times thicker when I held it up to my old cheap bits. From now on I only buy Whiteside or if I'm in a hurry I buy the brand in the store with the thickest carbide. Good quality only causes grief once (at time of purchase), poor quality causes grief every time you use it.

-Todd

[David Giles]

Depends on if you use them or just store them away. I've got a bunch of unused bits that came in a set or that I just had to have after reading some magazine article. Cheap bits would have been the best choice. But any router bit that I wear out gets replaced with a Whiteside or Infinity bit.

[Scott Loven]

I have made 37 raised panel doors with a jesada door set that I purchased a while back and I think it is still in good shape. I think it pays to buy a good set for bits that have to mate together like a rail and stile set. You could get by with a less expensive roundover bit for decorative edge treatment because it doesn't require a mating profile to match-up with.
Scott

[Keith Outten]

If you expect to see beautiful crisp clean edges that require little or no sanding or cleanup purchase the highest quality router bits.

Check out Centurion Tools web site, they are now selling router bits for woodworking, most are for CNC routers but they work just fine in hand held routers and the carbide is top qulity.

I just purchased a Vcarving set in the November Bulk Buy, the quality is very high and the cut is perfect.

[George Bowen]

Cheap bits dull real fast. But if you take small light passes they will last longer, it is just a pain to keep adjusting the depth.

[Greg Just]

When I got started with my big PC router, I purchased a 20 something piece set. That was about 10 years ago and there are some bits that I have never used. I believe that if you plan on using a bit a lot, like a raised panel set, it pays to buy quality.

[Mike Henderson]

I generally agree with the posters. For a bit that I'll use a lot, like some sizes of spiral upcut bits, I'll buy a top name brand. But if I need to do some special cut (like a quirk bead on a table), which I may or may not ever do again, I'll buy a lesser name.

That said, I buy a lot of bits from MLCS and have been satisfied with the results (I consider them a "lesser name brand"). But note that I do woodworking for a hobby and don't use the bits a whole lot.

Mike

[scott spencer]

If cost if the driving factor, I think it's a mistake to spend a large sum of money for a large quantity of cheap bits that have many near duplicate profiles and aren't likely to be used....it's still a bunch of money spent but you end up with lower quality cutters. A smaller set of cheap bits for less money makes more sense to me if you've got a need for inexpensive bits. There's a place for both grades of cutters in my shop, but I'm fairly fussy about what I consider a "bargain bit"....Holbren, Price Cutter, Woodcraft, etc., have been pretty good bits for the money. Infinity, Whiteside, CMT, and Freud are great bits, but usually cost a lot more...I tend to buy the sale prices to help offset that. Whiteside are American made, have huge carbide, and are about the best you can get IMHO....plus, they're far from the most expensive too! (the basic Whiteside and Infinity sets can be a better buy than individual bits if you'll use them all...~ $10-$11 each on sale)

I tend to "blend" usage between top shelf and bargain cutters. On one hand, the highend cutters do tend to cut better, last longer, have better bearings, thicker carbide, better balance, can be resharpened, etc., and do tend improve their value in the longer haul. On the other hand, will the better cutters outlast those costing 1/3 to 1/2 as much by a factor or 2 to 3x, and do their superior cutting characteristics justify that premium? Maybe... for critical cuts, it's nice to be totally confident in my highend cutters, and they're always a pleasure to use, which is a bonus to me as a hobbyist....it's supposed to be pleasurable right?! I tend to save my better cutters for important cuts, and tend to use my bargain bits for the bulk of tough cuts, then finish it off with the better bits. I also tend to use bargain bits for seldom used profiles.

I've never regretted buying a highend cutter of any type, though I sure don't like to knowingly trash them by beating the snot of them either...that's when the cheaper bits come into play.

For those in the market, it's possible to get this Whiteside set for ~ $80 shipped...Holbren and Hartville are good sources.
http://www.hartvilletool.com/shared/images/products//medium/newR401.jpg

[Chuck Burns]

I tend not to buy sets but to buy what I need when I need it. I've been so frustrated when using poor quality bits in the past that I only buy high end bits; Whiteside, Freud, Eagle and Infinity. There is nothing more frustrating then to have a bit go south on you 3/4 of the way thru a project. So you buy the second marginal bit to finish and now you have a marginal bit for the price of a top quality bit. Not to mention burning and sanding.

[John Newell]

Where do the Freud Avanti bits fit on the spectrum?

[JayStPeter]

I think the higher quality bits are a good buy for bits you use a lot. I do use the Woodline bits for the profiles that are project specific. I've more recently been replacing my worn bits with ones from Infinity. They have constant sales going on. Since I can choose from a list of bits that are approaching replacement, I can wait for a good deal on a good bit.

[Fred Floyd]

It's been 27 years since I purchased my first router. Back then, I bought a cheap high-speed steel set from Sears. They were total garbage. Then I discovered MLCS and bought a handful of their carbide bits -- big improvement. Still there was burning, tearout and grabbing.

The first major furniture project required a specialty bit from Freud. Wow!!! that was a quantum leap up again. The old high speed steel set is gone to the scrap heap, the MLCS haven't been used in a decade or so.

I do not buy "sets" of bits except for a "door" set. I bought a lot of the Oldham Viper bits from the woodworking show before they went away. I put them in the high end on quality. Lately, when I need a bit that isn't in my collection, I use Whiteside.

My rule of thumb is to buy the best on those bits that get used. I can't remember ever regretting that I bought a high quality bit.

[Adam Burgess]

Good quality only causes grief once (at time of purchase), poor quality causes grief every time you use it.



well put. i like that idea.

[keith ouellette]

I bought a large set of two flute carbide router bits
from mcls (over 60)and have used many of them with no problems. for under $200 I received
10 dado/straight
3 flush trim
6 round over
6 cove
4 chamfer
5 core box
2 key hole
6 dove tail
5 v grove
along with various edge forming bits and others. So far they have all worked great. even the cove and bead edge cut very smooth. The only tear out I get is against the grain with a deep cut.

In the infinity catalog I have these bits would cost $20 a piece. I don't know if the $20 bits would last ten times longer or not. I compared my mcls and wood line bits to a freud bit and the carbon thickness was the same. If the cut is smooth how much more smooth could it get with the extra money. Maybe at 20 plus dollars per bit you could take three times the size of cut.
I know people say you get what you pay for and maybe I just got lucky but that was one cheap purchase that worked.

[Tim Malyszko]

I've been buying Whiteside bits almost exclusively for the last year except for a woodcraft brand raised panel bit set and a Freud bit here and there. While they are more expensive than many other options, I always feel confident in Whiteside's quality. Furthermore, purchasing them 1 bit at a time as the need arises significantly lessens the cost shock for me.

For instance, I have 3 of the same roundover bits - 1 Freud, 1 Bosch and 1 generic - all carbide bits. I always reach for the Freud because it leaves the smoothest cut with no burning (even on cherry).

In my opinion, I would be hesitant to go on the cheap on anything that spins at 20,000 RPM. To be honest, I wish I spent the extra $100 and purchased the equivalent Whiteside Raised Panel Set, because the Woodcraft ones burned badly and the rail and style set did not leave a very smooth finish. While I'm only a hobbiest, my time is more valuable spent doing other things than sanding and scraping burn marks and rough edges. Nothing drives me more nuts than losing details due to needed aggressive sanding to remove roughness. The next time I make raised panels, I'm going to buy a new set more so for piece of mind.

[Lee Koepke]

I miss having a WoodCraft store 2 miles from my house.

I would stop there every couple of months for their Whiteside Bit of the Month ... and pick one up for what, $25 ???

I am sad i moved ..haha