End mills starter kit

[Boyan Silyavski]

Hi,
I have checked many bits and some could be Chinese and some not. There is a lot of choice but being wise will save you a lot of money and frustration, so you are right to ask.

I was used to buy only Kyocera bits from Drillman1 from ebay, as his prices are outstanding and so is the quality and life of Kyocera bits. Now i buy some from China also, but not any, as the bad ones break like crazy. But there are very good ones from China, that many people resell re branded.

After having spend a lot of $$$ in bits, trying this and that from around, my recommendation is for a basic kit to do jobs is as follows:

1. 1/8 or 3mm fishtail spiral 2 flute Kyocera from drillman1 . 12-16mm flute length. These are the most outstanding bits this size ever, especially for the price, not worth buying inferior or more expensive.
They are good for small jobs on all plastic, wood and aluminum. Buy at least 2 packs x10 each, one the fishtail and one normal flat bottom



2. 60 degree V bit 1/4 Kyocera- this is incredible price and the best V bit ever. i have found that if i need only 1 V bit it will be 60degrees and exactly this bit. You could buy a couple of 30 degress for very detailed jobs/ 1/8 / or the smaller 60 degrees 1/8, but as i am telling you this is my money maker bit.





3. 1/4 or 6mm, 2 or 3 flute bit, straight ~ 25mm cut depth plus same but 2 flute spiral. These both are a must . 25mm length is universal for most jobs. Best thing straigh bits are easy and cheap to resharpen locally or just by your self. I use them for aluminum also. I used to buy the 1/4 3 flute straight Kyocera from Drillman but he dont have them now from some time, so i checked some from China and i found some that have very good quality.

They are brand Guangdong Jeefoo Tools i have now their spiral ones and they are very sharp and durable. Here are the straight ones in 22mm, you could see a list of references in the listing so you could choose the right ones for you.



4. As for 1/2 bits i dont use them much as i had till now a small machine. But from what i see they would be Jeefoo or Whiteside carbide bits from ebay


Hope that helps.

PS.
-many people dont know about and can not make difference between fishtail and straight end mills. Believe me fishtail are much better even for aluminum. Reasonable priced are only the 1/8 carbide ones from Kyocera. 1/4 or 6mm i have seen only re branded Chinese and they cost 15 euro each against 6 euro straight end Jeefoo, so i prefer the flat bottom ones as they are quite cheaper.

That bellow is the perfect geometry i like and i have found is best for wood



-many people will also swear by one flute bits. i have Kyocera ones, yes they are nice for plastic and aluminum, even for wood. But they are not an universal bit for me, as

they are not very good for drilling holes precisely at the same time.

-aluminum could be done better with roughing bit and later proper aluminum bit with different geometry



-you may need a dedicated surfacing bit at least 1", where 2" is the maximum for the type of your holder and spindle power. There are expensive ones and cheap ones as bellow