Fell for a cheap end mill bundle on Amazon, wasted $60

I bought a 20 pack of carbide end mills for $60 thinking I was getting a steal. First one chattered so bad it ruined a part I had 3 hours into. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way?

3 comments

3 Comments

alexbennett1mo ago

That "first one chattered" line hit me right in the wallet. I still have a box of those cheap sets in my garage that I'm too stubborn to throw away but too smart to actually use. My rule now is just buy name brand off eBay or at a local tool show, you pay a little more but you never lose three hours of work.

nathan9011mo ago

Catch myself reading some old forum post from a machinist last week who broke down the cost of cheap vs good taps. He figured every broken tap in a halfway decent part costs you about 45 minutes of setup and cleanup, plus the tap itself. That math hit me hard because I've definitely had days where I snapped three or four cheap ones in a row and just wanted to walk away from the whole project. The garage box is real though, I keep mine around too - sometimes you need a sacrificial tool for a sketchy hole where you dont care if it breaks.

jennifer8331mo ago

@alexbennett I used to think name-brand taps were overpriced, but after snapping one cheap tap too many, you totally changed my mind on that.