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Rant: Wasted $80 on a fancy carbide end mill that snapped in 20 minutes
I bought this premium 3-flute carbide end mill from a flashy online store, thought it was going to cut like butter. First pass on some 6061 aluminum, running at 3500 RPM with proper feed rates, it grabbed and snapped off at the shank. That $80 went straight in the trash, and I had to spend another hour resetting the tool offsets. Has anyone else had bad luck with those expensive "game changer" bits from boutique brands?
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lucaslane2d ago
The whole "boutique brand end mill" thing feels like a trap honestly. You pay double for some fancy coating and a brand name but the geometry is often way too aggressive for real world use. Those 3 flute ones especially can be sketchy in aluminum if you don't have perfect rigidity. I've had better luck with the mid range brands like YG-1 or even the house brand from a good industrial supplier. Half the price and they don't shatter on the first pass. Just make sure you're not climbing into a corner or a thin wall section because that's where the grab always happens.
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riley5951d ago
Had a buddy who snapped a pricey 3 flute on the first pass in a Tormach, just like you're saying. Thing wasn't even taking a heavy cut, it just grabbed on a internal radius and sent the insert flying across the shop. He went back to his old YG-1 set and hasn't looked back since.
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