Bought a fancy Festool router bit set and trashed one in 10 minutes

I picked up a 8-piece set last month for $150 thinking it would be an upgrade from my old cheap ones. But I pushed too hard on a piece of oak and snapped the tip clean off on the third cut. Anybody else have a bad experience with pricey bits that just aren't worth the cost?

2 comments

2 Comments

hall.nora21d ago

Last year I burned through a $40 bit from a well known brand on just two pine boards. It's funny how we expect expensive tools to be indestructible but wood doesnt care about your wallet. In my experience the price tag often covers better precision and finish, not necessarily toughness. Your mileage may vary, but I've found that even the cheap bits hold up if you ease up on the feed rate and take lighter passes.

margaret_chen21d ago

Wow, I have to push back a little here. I get what you're saying @hall.nora, but I just don't agree that cheap bits hold up as well if you take lighter passes. In my experience, the cheap ones lose their edge way faster, even when I baby them. The metal quality and heat treatment really matter for how long a bit stays sharp. I've burned through budget bits on softwood by going slow, while my nicer ones just coast through the same cut. Price definitely buys better toughness too, not just precision. I think you might have just gotten a bad batch or a defective bit, because $40 should not die on two pine boards no matter how fast you push it.