Forstner bit set

[Rod Sheridan]

but I guarantee you the wood doesn't know or care if you're using a $20 set or a $200 set!

Shawn, that's been the exact opposite of my experience with cutting tools..............Regards, Rod.

[Steve Peterson]

What Amazon is that? I've read tons of reviews on Amazon where people said they got nowhere with returns.

Many of the bad reviews I see on Amazon are from people that let the item sit around for 6 months before opening the box and then they complain that Amazon won't let them return it. Most of the stuff I order from Amazon has a pre-printed sticky label to use for returns if needed. It was painless the one or two times that I have needed to return something. I think there is a 30 day time limit.

As to the original question: The 14 piece set on Amazon looks OK, but probably not much different than any other set from China. Look at the zoomed in pictures of the cutting surfaces. They look like any other cheap set. They are handy for general purpose use.

I waited until I found a 50% off sale on a generic set at Woodcraft with 1/4" to 2-1/4" by 1/16ths. Grizzly has a 31 piece set for $84. Then I would buy a few individual carbide bits for specific uses if I am drilling a lot of holes.

Steve

[Stan Calow]

I have the set from Rockler and have been satisfied.

[Ole Anderson]

I bought a cheap set at a WW show years ago, they still are serviceable, but they thed to rust. TIN coating would be nice.

[Darcy Warner]

Not cheap, but the festool zobo's are the best I have used. I have that PC set, they were bought to use as junkers, which they were good for while they lasted.

[Nick Decker]

I bought a set of Irwin Marples at Lowes a couple years ago and have been surprised at how cleanly they cut in some pretty hard wood, including bubinga. How long they'll stay sharp is anybody's guess, but I really don't drill enough critical holes to justify a lot of money for them. Better spent on things like saw blades and router bits, which get used regularly.

[Gregory Carles]

I invested in a set of Freud's last year off of Amazon. They are the ones made in Austria. Very good quality and stay sharp a long time. But they were over $200 though.

[jack duren]

I think the main concern other than a good cut is whether it wobbles out of the box or isn't accurate in size of cut. Watching Amazon prices for a reasonable deal..

[Bill Adamsen]

I have two sets of Freud bits (what look similar to today's FB-100 and FB-107) both purchased perhaps 30+ years ago. Individual bits have been replaced, but I am still using the sets and they work fine.

I have also been given dozens of loose bits and sets of a wide variety, typically donated by friends and relatives who had "moved on" from a home shop. The key observation has been that virtually all of these donated bits, which had been purchased as value priced product sets, are total crap. Almost universally when chucked, the "value priced" bits wobble, rendering them useless. Never buying that sort of stuff I was a bit shocked - how could someone sell a bit that isn't substantially true? Lesson

learned is that that you want at minimum to purchase a decent set from a trusted brand with the ability to return if not satisfied.

[Steve Peterson]

I'd say it depends on how often you will use them. I worked in a very good shop that bought a cheap Taiwanese set because we did 18th century repro furniture and drilling holes was not something we did a lot of. I bought a $10 bit from Home Depot and drilled 5400 1-1/4" deep holes with it and it seems in pretty good shape despite the fact that I believe it falls in the cheap, Chinese made category.

It must have been a HSS bit so it could tolerate the heat without destroying the temper. 5400 holes by 1-1/4" deep is a lot of wood to remove.

Steve

[glenn bradley]

What Amazon is that? I've read tons of reviews on Amazon where people said they got nowhere with returns.

The Amazon I use comes with the return address label in the package. Where people make mistakes is when they're using Amazon to buy from third parties who are less reputable. When things are actually sourceed by Amazon returns are not a problem.

P.s. I vote for fewer bits of better quality rather than a wide range of cheap bits .

[Thomas Canfield]

I am still using the cheap set of 1/4 to 2-1/8" by 1/8" that I got about 20 years back for about $30, and then about 10 years later paid about $60 for a similar set of the 1/16" to fill in the gaps. There are a couple of bits that are getting dull and need replacing, but the little investment has paid off too often when I need to drill the needed hole. Of course, my work is strictly hobby, but bits get used often. Now if money is no object, go for a better set.

[Kelly Cleveland]

I have a few of the Freuds and a few of the LV bits, I have to say I much prefer the Freud. They are quite a bit sharper and cause very little blowout. Also the shank fell off a lee valley bit the second time I used it, maybe I got a lemon but the quality overall didn't impress me.