Has anyone had experience with the carbide router bit sets that are listed on ebay? They are listed for approx. $20 per 15 bits. I am considering these for minimum use on small projects in a second shop I have. I would appreciate any feedback anyone has.
I have never ordered any router bits form Ebay, so I can't help you there. I get most of mine from MLCS, and some from Whiteside. All are carbide, and MLCS usually has good prices on their bits.
As long as they're MINIMUM use go for it.
I've had a set of 40 for years and used bits out of it dozens of times, but typically only for short runs…10, 20 or 30 ft of something out of the ordinary, or matching an existing profile for a customer. Something quick that I'll probably never use again and don't want to spend 30 or 40 (or more) bucks on. Saved a lot of money over the years.
The carbide is thin.
The carbide is crap.
The sharpening is crap.
The bearings are crap.
But what more can you expect out of a router bit you paid a buck and a half for?
Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed.
20 bucks for 15 bits,well i usually pay that much or more depending on the the bit for 1,hey if you live in vegas and are a gambling man,go for it.just remember when your pissed off at the results,you get what you pay for!!!
I think most "sets" have at least 1/2 the profiles that never get used at all. I go with buying bits as I need them, between Amazon, and other places the shipping is so fast a little advance planning doesn't even cause for down time like it did in the past.
For uses, I agree with Tony's thought. A bit for one time, 40 lineal feet, can be a cheeepie. For any bit where I plan to run it quite a bit, you are $$$$$ ahead to buy a good bit. The cheapies have almost no carbide, no chance to sharpen. Good bits, like Whiteside's have good carbide you can sharpen several times, so overall cost to own, is actually cheaper than the cheep ones. Plus while you are using them, you'll get better results.
cheap bits are also not always centered, or have their bearings threaded off-axis or at an angle, so can lead to excess vibration or burning
they're great for making jigs out of scrap plywood or mdf, where the overall shape is more important than appearance, and they help preserve the edges for your good bits when you need high quality cuts on nice woods
once you mess up a couple of expensive bits on baltic birch or particle board, you'll know…
When I started woodworking, my wife bought me a set of 50 Craftsman bits. After that I did use ebay to buy the inexpensive (cheap costing router bits). hard to beat the price of 99 cents or $1.99 each including free shipping out of China. Seemed to be the same quality as Craftsman or CMT bits. I have about 20 bits this way. Still have them, and doing a good job. The only hassle I've found was that it takes 25 to 60 days to receive it. I've switched to buying locally because I didn't want to wait that long to get the bits ordered. I switched to Craftsman and CMT bits. about year and a half ago I Switched to higher quality, Whiteside and Freud bits. I now have well over 100 router bits, some are doubles of what I already had. All of the cheap bits from ebay, shipped from China are still sharp and still being used.
I've got lots of name brand bits but started using Yonica bits found on Amazon. My first one was because I wanted a one use bit for a project. So I ordered these less expensive ones. I found out that they rivaled the bits that cost much more. The finish, sharpness, thickness of carbide, etc were amazing for the price.
I am doing cabinets in the shop, and I use the cheap Yonica's to cut out the door openings. In the past I used to use the cheapest bit I could find, and most of them were 1/4" shanks. They also snapped in two faster than you can say, oh snap. I bought 10 of these Yonica's expecting breakage, and failure after not much use. What I have experienced is over 150 lineal foot of cutting, no breaks, and no failures. For the simple cheap bits I thought they were going to be, I've been impressed. I think I have a lifetime supply of this bit.
A small MLCS set were my first bits, and they've been ok. I'm not sure if they're the same bits now, but they've been fine for cheap bits. After reading many positives on the Yonico bits, I gave a couple a try…they're also pretty decent. Neither are Whiteside or Infinity caliber, but they're fine for non-critical use.
i might use a router just a few times a year , i've had a set of craftsman bits for several years , i friend of mine uses a router more than I do and he swears by the ones he buys at harbor freight..never gets them sharpened , once a bit is worn out he replaces that bit or just buys another set of bits , says you cant beat the price and they last a reasonable amount of time
I do a lot of router work and I started it all many years ago with a cheap MLCS set which I still have. That set is rather dull now, but I still use them for rough work where cut quality is not critical. I have a number of the Yonico bits and my only gripe is the balance is a bit off on the larger diameter bits, but for the price I consider them worthy. My biggest surprise was some of the Wood River bits (dark green) purchased on sale. These were straight cut pattern bits (with a bearing) and the cost was about the same as Yonico, but man these bits are sharp!
For what little router work I do….I just pick up a CMT (orange) bit that fits what I need to do….or maybe a bit from Bosch….I can use both the 1/4" and the 1/2" shanks….depends mainly on the router I am using.
So….IF I need a certain bit….TODAY….I can either go to the Blue BORG, or the Green BORG….buy that bit, and be using it the same day….no shipping needed ( other than Lunch…) and no waiting at the Mail box….
I have a few Yonica's and they work well for limited use. One is a 2 1/2" diameter raised panel bit, and it does fine on red oak, but I've most likely only ran 50' thru it so far.
I picked up mine direct from their site. https://www.yonicotools.com/
I am considering these for minimum use on small projects in a second shop I have.
- spkwms
As long as they re MINIMUM use go for it.
I ve had a set of 40 for years and used bits out of it dozens of times, but typically only for short runs…10, 20 or 30 ft of something out of the ordinary, or matching an existing profile for a customer. Something quick that I ll probably never use again and don t want to spend 30 or 40 (or more) bucks on. Saved a lot of money over the years.
The carbide is thin.
The carbide is crap.
The sharpening is crap.
The bearings are crap.
But what more can you expect out of a router bit you paid a buck and a half for?
Don t expect much and you won t be disappointed.
That was my last bit acquisition. I bought it to do some rabbets in a project. They work as good as the others I've had. The bearing is fine and there is no sloppiness. Nice little box too. Great for the $$.
Like I said before guys…. The Yonicos are amazingly good. I've got a lot of CMT's, and Frued's. They're great. I've got small ones to big raised panel ones. Done a lot of work with them. I bought a Yonico on a hope and a whim and am actually amazed at the quality for the about half price. It's an inexpensive bit but not a 'cheap' one. Hard to think of it what way but it's true. If you tried one you'd see in my opinion.
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