seeking advise

[buckwheat]

looking for advise on this set of router bits.......have opportunity to buy set of 50 bits.....they are 1/2 inch mostly Whiteside, but some are Freud......asking price is $300.00

[jo4hn]

Assuming that all the bits are in good shape, that is $6 each for 50 bits. If you are like most of us, you will probably use no more than

20% of these which brings the price up to $30 each. Just some food for thought. mahalo, jo4hn

[Sonny]

They are likely worth $300, especially if you are going to use all of them. If you are not likely to use them often, then they may not be worth $300 to YOU.

Some of them are worth $25 each, bought new. Just make sure they are sharp, not dull or worn badly, and that the guide bearings work well, spin freely (not damaged).

Asking $300.... Make an offer of less and see where it goes.

I recently bought a comparable set (4 sets in custom cases, many unused), plus a set of Forstner bits (1/4" - 3 1/2") for $100 at a garage sale.

Sonny

[Swingman]

There are some nice bits in there, but I'd pass, even though I do a lot of routing.

Infallible rule: buy your router bits only as you need them. You won't be spending money on bits you will never use.

[dpb]

Is the green paint/coating Whiteside???? I've not bought anything recently if they've done something new, but I thought that green was Grizzly or some of the other imports...

I'd be careful...

[Ed Pawlowski]

Depends on how you look at it. At $6 a bit, it is a great price.

How many will you actually use? I'd not buy a $75 bit set for a one time small project, but I'd gladly pay $6 or $12 for a set.

Some of the bits may make a shape nice enough and unusual enough that you'd make something just to use the bit. Can't put a dollar value on inspiration even if it only cost you $6.

OTOH, if you only ever use three of them, it works out to $100 a bit.

[G. Ross]

Kinda reminds me of the old one--A couple were moving into a new house. The man sent his wife to get a mail box. She came back with two. "They were on sale".

[Keith Nuttle]

This has been my rule for many years, but slightly expanded.

Never by any tool until you need it. If it appears that it is a one time use by a cheap tool that you can throw away after one use. If you see you are using it more than you though replace with the best you can afford.

[woodchucker]

Those are not whiteside, mostly woodcraft, and some freud. only one or 2 whiteside...

Too much $$ for that.

[krw]

I agree WRT router bits (and other expendables) but not so much on power tools. Early on, I couldn't afford expensive tools so bought what I could. I had some real POS tools (mostly Crapsman and the like) and they worked like it. However, I always put off replacing them because, well, they sorta did what they were supposed to, if not well. After several years of suffering with junk I decided I would replace everything as I could afford to and *NEVER* buy a tool until I could afford to buy what I really wanted. As I've gotten older the price doesn't matter as much as the aggravation I had with the first tools. I only wish I didn't even start with the junk.

[Leon]

That is a deal if you will actually use 12 or more of them. If you end up using 7~8 which may or may not be exactly what you need it may not a great deal for YOU.

If it is a mix of brands I may also have duplicates that you may not ever use.

And one last thing, unless they are NEW I probably would pass.

[Doug Miller]

[e-mail] wrote in news:53e37782$0$1631$c3e8da3 $ [e-mail]:

I take it you haven't actually examined these bits hands-on yourself to verify the brand names. If you do take the trouble to do that -- and I strongly advise you to, before spending the money -- you will find that, in fact, very few (if any) of these bits are Whiteside, and not more than one of them is Freud.

Visit the manufacturers' web sites to see what their bits actually look like: whitesiderouterbits.com freudtools.com

Freud bits are painted or powder-coated red. Whiteside bits are not painted at all. No way are these bits "mostly Whiteside".

Nearly all router bits will have the manufacturer's (or vendor's) name on the shank; in particular, real Freud or Whiteside bits will say Freud or Whiteside. Woodcraft, Rockler, Woodline, Grizzly, and Hickory almost surely don't manufacture the bits they sell -- but they do put their names on them.

Looking at the photos, I see one bit that's probably a Freud, two that are probably CMT, maybe five or six that might be Whiteside -- and a whole lot from Grizzly.