Thread: Which Router Bits Are Decent?

I've recently bought a few of the no brand Chinese made ones from Banggood. I was after things I knew I would not use that often so I did not want to spend a wad of money on CMT/Freud et al.

Honestly, for the money; they have been pretty darn good.

For bits I know I am going to get a fair amount of use out of, I normally would have spent the money on a top branded item; but I'm not so sure anymore.

Carbitool; Aussie made, reasonably priced and readily available.

However for premium bits look at CMT or Freud. Imported and expensive but will last you for years.

Regarding router quality vs bit quality; in general you’ll get better results from a cheap router fitted with quality bits than an expensive router fitted with cheap rubbish.

It's a good question - some router bit prices seem to have been going through the roof
16 months ago I paid $53 for a carbide downcut bit, same bit is now $74

I'm now after a 10mm downcut bit but $109 is a bit hard to take.

Aside from CMT, Carbitool (also $109 for a similar bit) what quality choices are there?

Jeff

Aussie dollar is up around 80c US at the moment, may be a good time to look on Amazon for Freud, Amana, whiteside etc or other good brands. Speaking from experience with Freud bits which I can recommend.

I also have a couple of Torquata bits from Timbecon which I have found quite good value for money. Much better than Ultra from the big green shed.

Regards
Twosheds

Edit: Just noticed that Timbecon are now selling Freud bits.

If you don't want to spend a fortune on good quality bits have a look at these two sellers on Aliexpress -
WoodWorking Office - Amazing prodcuts with exclusive discounts on AliExpress
Tools From Factory - Amazing prodcuts with exclusive discounts on AliExpress

There are basically 3 grades of quality bits available in these stores, I'd avoid any of the others:
- Arden, professional quality, the very best bits from China. I'd happily compare them to any of the other brands already mentioned. Carbatec sell them (at a price).
- Huhao, industrial quality, for production work at a reasonable price.
- Tideway, good quality bits for home use. No problems for occasional use, the sort of bits markharrison probably bought.

I've never seen the point in spending more.

We exclusively ran Carbitool at my old work and never had any quality issues. The only exceptions were giant solid carbide spirals (16 and 20mm diameter, up to 70mm flute length) that Carbitool didn't make. Being 300m down the road from their factory made it rather convenient too

Thanks all for the wealth of useful info; I'm looking forward to checking out each suggestion.

I have only been shopping on Aliexpress in the past two years, and I have bought some on Ebay before. Like Ebay,There are a lot of cheap tools on Aliexpress.

Hi all, I have no affiliation and hope I’m not breaching advertising rules.
have a look at “bits below cost” they have a variety of router bit styles and brands at reasonable prices. The range seems to vary so you need to check it regularly if you are after a specific bit. Just my two cents worth
Happy hunting

For something that’s spinning at 18,000 RPM, I like to have the best quality bitand as sharp as possible.
Dimar
Carbitool
Torquata
CMT orange.

Never had one let go in 40 plus years of using routers every day.

The top rated router bit in the USA is Whiteside. These always stand head and shoulders above all other router bits in every FWW mag comparison, which include CMT, Freud, and others. I have a few, and they are indeed appear very finely made to my eyes. But I do not use router bits enough to state how much better they are than our own champion, Carbitool or the Torquata and Arden bits I have, which appear decent as well. I think one has to run these often enough to test out the quality of the carbide, both in content and in construction.

Why did I lash out on the more expensive Whiteside? Because it scares me to think of poor router bit pieces wizzing around the workshop.

Regards from Perth

Derek

The subject of relative qualities was an interesting one for me. I agree that to judge the worth it is necessary to perform a lot of work with the bits and have the same size and profile bit from different makers to really evaluate them.

I am not in that position. All I can say is that I have quite a selection of router bits and when used I try to run them at an optimum speed, which of course requires a variable speed router. I also, particularly with larger bits go for 1/2" shanks in preference to 1/4" as they are more robust. However, I got caught out recently when I bought a set of rounding over bits and did not notice they had 1/2" shanks (this time I wanted 1/4" shanks as rounding over bits are light use even in dense hardwoods). As I had intended to use them in a laminate trimmer and a small DeWalt machine I had messed up badly.

Many of my router bits are budget quality and, with the limited use I put them to, it does not seem to be an issue. I touch them up with small hand held diamond hones as required. I have never had a bit break (chip yes).The only issue I have ever had was recently when one of the ball bearing guides came off and the bit, now no longer guided, ploughed into the work. Perhaps I had not secured the screw tightly. Annoying, but not dangerous.

Regards
Paul

I would say a true test of quality in a router bit is the resulting finish. All my roundovers are CMT; when I use these there is generally no sanding required, even when I cut ovolo profiles with them. Cheap bits give you a rippled surface and feathered edges that need to be cleaned up.

I have picked up a couple of the Inverted Flush Trim TruaCut ones from samsbitsnthings on eBay.

Used them on a solid body guitar to modify the neck pocket, pickup routes & control cavity.

Seem OK, I haven't worked them hard.