Router Bit quality

Joe, Whiteside is number 1 in my book. Highest quality and I know Bill Whiteside and his family. They are great people and run a top notch facility. I have been to the factory several times and I am very impressed with the operation and the people of Whiteside. You can not buy a better bit anywhere. I like the fact that they are made in America by Americans. Mike from American Sycamore

I'm a HUGE fan of Whiteside bits.

Try these guys for good service and prices:

No connection to either company beyond customer satisfaction.

CMT and Freud have been good for me too, they're my second choice for good bits.

Barry

I just read a magazine article (a couple years old) that compared router bits from about a dozen manufacturers. They found no correlation between price, reputation, and quality.

Accordingly, I buy from whomever I happen to be ordering from around the time I need a bit, without worrying too much about the brand.

They didn't test any junk brands; presumably there is a good correlation there.

If you ever find that lifetime router bit, let us all know. I have bits that I have had for 15+ years but if you use a bit much you will simply wear it out.

Good Brands, CMT, Whiteside, Amana, Freud.

Maybe the same magazine that did the TiteBond III testing? Or Consumer Reports.

I'd admit that "brand spanking new" bits hot out'a the bubble wrap probably yield similar results - the low cost bits often wear out faster.

Whiteside, Infinity, CMT have been the most used in my shop. I've bought a couple of MLCS (and one Katana) and have been pleased.

I use CMT and Infinity. Both are good quality bits.

-- Regards,

Dean Bielanowski Editor, Online Tool Reviews

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I've been happy with some recent purchases from Woodline. Keep in mind that any bit will wear out if you use it enough.

Leon,

Agreed, "lifetime" may have been a bit of an overstatement. Should have said, 'a bit I don't have to throw out after a couple hundred feet of routing!' ;-)

Thanks for your input.

Joe C.

IMO Whiteside is good value, but slightly under Amana for top quality--of course, you pay... :) The Whiteside bits I've had don't seem honed quite as sharp and somewhat more brittle (prone to small chipping). That said, they're still one of the best overall values of "bang/buck".

#1. Whiteside from routerbits.com.

"Life Time" router bits ???? Nope...

Long lasting...maybe.

Joe C. wrote:

HI

I am wondering if anyone makes extra long T shank (Bosch style) jig saw blades? This weekend I needed to cut off some 4X4 post and used my jig saw. Power was no a problem but the outer reach of the cut just got through the post. Not getting all the way through is a good way to break a blade, especially if holding things stable is difficult.

I have been through HD and Lowes and seen the same blades that on a good day, just cut through a

Thanks Roger

Dunno about the blades you're looking for... but you could use a reciprocating saw (Sawzall) as an alternative. I have a blade for my recipro saw that will cut through a 6x6 with ease.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

Get a copy of my NEW AND IMPROVED TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter by sending email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com You must use your REAL email address to get a response.

I did a google search and found it again; Fine Woodworking. We like Fine Woodworking, don't we? They found your Whiteside to be the best, but not much better than some that were significantly cheaper. The expensive PC and Jesada were terrible.

According to Pat Warner, 200 to 300 feet is about it for a router bit. I tend to agree.