networkspeedy Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Got my bosch 1617 router/plunge combo today. Getting ready to make the table, but I'll need some good bits to "machine" out the wood for the quarter inch deep plate. If I'm going to buy bits, I might as well start buying good ones that are going to last a long time and stand up to abuse, right? Enter the "nicer" brands. Freud. Bosch. Skil (just kidding). Do the Freud bits live up to the hype and the high dollar price tag, or is there a middle ground where a serious hobbyist could find high satisfaction for a lower price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Freud bits are good, I'd put them right under Whiteside in terms of quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Another thing you want to consider is buying high quality bits that are the ones you'll use often (round over, flush trim, straight, chamfer, dovetail) as far as profile bits, if you're not going to be using classic and ogee/double ogee bits, it's wasteful to pay money for a high quality bit you never use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 If I might do a bit of thread jacking, what about rockler bits? I can't afford most of the freuds, but the rockler bits seem like a good deal if they are quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 I have bought sub quality bits in the past, and I can tell you from perosonal experience thwt its not worth it. They cut is sub par, and they don't last. I've had great results with freud (especially quadra cut) and lee valley router bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Because of the price, I've never bought the Freud but the ts blades are great. I like the Rockler carbide if you use it often. Otherwise their hs are tolerable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbutcher74 Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 I know I'll probably get slam dunked for this but I have had good luck with MLCS bits. They have free shipping on everything and I have never had any problems with any bit I ever got from them. Keep em clean and a dab of bearing oil occasionally and they perform for me. I started buying from them back when I first started and the prices allowed me to experiment with a lot of setups. They work for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
networkspeedy Posted December 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Wow, lots of great opinions. I have to say that I remind myself of an important lesson every time I select a tool. It's a lesson I've had to learn over and over again. DO NOT BUY LOW QUALITY TOOLS. Not only is it an issue where you'll always be wasting time trying to get it to work correctly, I've personally experienced situations where buying cheap tools resulted in injury. I'm always "a guy on a budget" right? Who isn't? We need to save money where we can, and we sometimes lie to ourselves that it will be OK to sacrifice quality for a lower price. But I do admit there are exceptions to the rule! They are rare, like unicorns. Good deals on quality tools where you really are saving money while getting good value. With every passing year, we see fewer and fewer unicorns like this, because of the nature of mass tool production and several other factors I need not mention. So now I've got payday coming up and I'm ready to lay down some good money for a set of go-to basic bits. The bits will be used often. I don't want to spend more than $200 dollars unless you folks think I need to. So I should look at Rockler carbide bits then? OK, I'll check those out. Lots of other brands to research now. At least two folks have come out on the "no" side of the freud dollar per bit value question so I'm taking that into account... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Here's an option and wn15 code will get you 15% off http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/3762/multi-profile-sets 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
networkspeedy Posted December 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Here's an option and wn15 code will get you 15% offhttp://www.hartvilletool.com/product/3762/multi-profile-sets Thanks! I'll check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 wn15 code will get you 15% off Dammit...I just ordered some bits from there earlier today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
networkspeedy Posted December 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Here's an option and wn15 code will get you 15% offhttp://www.hartvilletool.com/product/3762/multi-profile-sets Thanks! I'll check it out. Wow! Those look very nice. I wish it had a bigger dovetail. I'll probably have to buy one special. I want to make a few 2'x2' boxes soon. I'll need a larger bit for sure. Might end up doing it with a jigsaw. I'll be asking for advice on that in another topic when I get to the point that the project is about to begin. Really though, those bits look very nice. Very nice indeed. I can't see why they don't come in a case though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
networkspeedy Posted December 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Dammit...I just ordered some bits from there earlier today. Call them up and see if they'll work with you. Tell them they are getting business because of this forum and it's only going to help their image and bottom line to do the right thing and give you the discount. At least that's what I would do. What's the worst that could happen? They say no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 I know I'll probably get slam dunked for this but I have had good luck with MLCS bits. They have free shipping on everything and I have never had any problems with any bit I ever got from them. Keep em clean and a dab of bearing oil occasionally and they perform for me. I started buying from them back when I first started and the prices allowed me to experiment with a lot of setups. They work for me. No slamming from me. Is MLCS the name of the company? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Really though, those bits look very nice. Very nice indeed. I can't see why they don't come in a case though. They're Whiteside...the best. Also it does say "Comes in pasteboard storage box." but it's not in the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Dammit...I just ordered some bits from there earlier today. Contact them and tell them you forgot to put in your code and they might credit you back. The wn15 code can be used anytime but believe it doesn't apply to sale items. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Call them up and see if they'll work with you. Tell them they are getting business because of this forum and it's only going to help their image and bottom line to do the right thing and give you the discount. At least that's what I would do. What's the worst that could happen? They say no. Type four characters in a box to save $20...sure. Make a phone call and sit on hold and try to explain and blah blah to maybe save $20...I'm way too lazy for that. =p They already have better prices than other places and free shipping and I'm sure I'll order plenty more in the future and hopefully will remember to ask around for codes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Call them up and see if they'll work with you. Tell them they are getting business because of this forum and it's only going to help their image and bottom line to do the right thing and give you the discount. At least that's what I would do. What's the worst that could happen? They say no. Well that discount is for members of another forum so I would just say I forgot Maybe Marc should get a tww15 code for us. Better yet a tww20 code! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrylR Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 I really like Freud bits and have about 25 of them now. When I first started I was going to buy a set like that but I found a number of bits in there I didn't think I would ever use. I ended up buying them mostly one at a time as needed. I highly recommend Freud bits. -Darryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 When I bought my router table and router I got a free set of 50 yonico bits. They are carbide, they cut well, they are all coated with this sticky crap all over the shaft. It's a decent set of bits but for my most round over bit and my dovetail bit I've got Whiteside bits. My raised panel set, shaker set and tongue and groove set are Sommerfeld, and I like those a lot. They are well thought out and shanks are height matched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 I have this set and quite like it. http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=30224&cat=1,46168,46179 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 Freud and Whiteside are both great. I find that Whiteside does keep an edge a bit longer than Freud - purely anecdotal. Whiteside is also made in the USA, which gets a few points from me. If the price is not to dramatic I go with them. Buy only the bits you know you'll use/need. Sets look nice and offer a few bucks off, but a few bucks off on a bit that you never use is not really a few bucks off - is it? I once purchased a small cache of cheap router bits, and learned that cheap bits give you a cheap cut. They can even give worse than a cheap cut, they can damage the wood. It's happened to me. All of those bits have found their way to the landfill. Some of them had never been used, not because I didn't like the shape but because I didn't want them touching my wood. I have not learned how to sharpen router bits (yet) so I buy good ones - same with saw blades. Bottom line, yes they live up to the hype, as do a few other brands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 It all depends on your expectations and the amount of time you want to spend sanding. A less expensive bit that isn't used frequently and is kept clean will do the job, but you will spend more time sanding. Better bits, kept clean and used frequently will save you hours of sanding boredom. If you are planning a big project a better bit is worth the investment. Small projects or infrequent use is the only time I consider lesser priced bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbutcher74 Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 No slamming from me. Is MLCS the name of the company? http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 I'll have to chime in and say only buy the bits you need. I'm pretty sure the mfg sells 'sets' just to get rid of bits no one ever uses. I know every set I ever bought contained at least 2 of those. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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