Originally Posted by
Phillip Gregory
The Euro block cutters' main advantage is that you can run a bunch of different profiles (about 200) on a typical 40/50 mm Euro block and the knives are about $20 a pair for each profile. You can also get custom Euroblock knives ground cheaply, my local saw shop charges about $100 or so to make a custom pair of 40 mm knives. They are the least expensive way to do molding in wood, and generally cheaper than even poor quality router bits. You can also get a limited number of knives in carbide which last a very long time and can be used in synthetic materials.
The main advantages of fixed wing cutters are they can have a very deep profile depth and they are either tantung or carbide and last far longer than the HSS that most Euroblock knives are made of. Downside is cost, they cost a bunch more. The 4 mm thick standard 40/50 mm Euro block knives have a maximum profile depth of only 5/8", where you can have inches of depth on a fixed wing cutter. Also a fixed wing cutter is going to be rated for manual feed as it is very chip limited while the Europeans deem the not very chip limited style of Euro block widely available in the US to be only suitable for use with a feeder.
I have both types and I generally use the Euro block for shallower profiles and fixed wing cutters for deeper profiles. I hand feed but am careful and keep the fingers well away from the twirly bits.