That $30 end mill I swore by was actually junk - 3 broken parts later

I used to think cheap HSS end mills were fine for aluminum. Bought a 10 pack for $30 on Amazon, figured it was a deal. Broke 3 of them in one afternoon cutting some 6061 parts. Then a guy at the shop let me try his $12 single carbide end mill. It cut clean, no chatter, and is still going after 40 parts. Has anyone else found that spending more on tooling actually saves money in the long run?

3 comments

3 Comments

wyatt1354d ago

Ngl, I've had better luck with the cheap ones than the expensive ones honestly.

dixon.james4d ago

Ha, right? It's like the universe is just messing with us at this point. I spent a ton on a "premium" one once and it broke in two weeks. Meanwhile the $8 thing I grabbed at a gas station in a panic is still going strong years later. It's almost like there's no logic to any of it. Maybe the expensive ones are just cursed or something. Or maybe we're just all getting played by the marketing. Either way, I'm sticking with whatever's cheapest from now on.

jessej234d ago

Whoa, gotta disagree with you there @wyatt135! In my experience, the expensive ones just hold up way better over time without breaking or wearing out. The cheap ones might work at first, but they always crap out on me right when I need them most.