How much better are Niagra or Kodiak brand end mills?

[Pcmaker]

I have end mills I bought from Amazon. HSS set and a couple of 3/8" carbide end mills. I'm thinking of spending some money on brand names like Niagara or Kodiak. Are they that much better? They're a lot more expensive than the ones I have.

Also, what are the most common sizes I should get? Largest one I have is 1/2" and it's a roughing end mill. I'm thinking of getting a 3/4", would that be even better for roughing? I do a lot of work on hardened steel since I like to modify existing tools. Do I go with Cobalt or Carbide?

 

[Shootymacshootface]

For hardend steel and unknown metals you really need at least a couple of good carbide endmills. Also you want both 2 and 4 flute endmills in your tooling arsenal.

 

[Technical Ted]

I suggest you keep your eye on Craig's List. I have built up a large collection of quality HSS and carbide end mills (made in USA) from there. Not sure how commonly they come along in your area, but it doesn't hurt to keep an eye out for when they do.

Ted

 

[Pcmaker]

I always check Craigslist and they never come up on there. You would think there'd be a lot in Las Vegas, but nope.

I'm leaning towards using 3/4" or 1/2" carbide end mill as my general use type and size. I figure it'd be easy to machine with a larger diameter end mill. Maybe i'll be able to take off more per pass due to the rigidity.

 

[projectnut]

I have no idea what brand end mills you bought from Amazon, but I can tell you from my experience the American made ones have been far better than the Asian imports. Only 1 time did I intentionally buy some off shore tooling and it was a disaster. I bought a box of 3/8" ball nose end mills for a special job. They bounced around like they were made out of rubber rather than do any cutting. I returned them and replaced them with Niagara brand. The Niagara ones worked as they should and the job was completed on time.

I don't exclusively use Niagara, but I do try to stick to known brands, made in the USA whenever possible. There are close to 1,000 end mills in the cabinets. A quick look revealed the following brands: Union, Cleveland, Morse, Niagara, Nachi, FastCut, RapidKut, Putnam, Beloit Regal, National, DoAll, Acculead, Melin, TRW, Weldon, and Hanita. They are all good brands and there are undoubtedly others. I don't know which of these brands still exist, but I'm sure even if the companies are gone there is still some new tooling on the shelves.

The most prolific brands seem to be FastCut, RapidKut, and Melin. That's most likely because they were the brands handled by our local supplier. As for sizes I have 1/16" to 2 1/2". Most of the larger sizes were acquired for specific jobs. I would guess less than 10% are carbide. Like the larger size mills I only buy carbide for special jobs.

For a beginner I would suggest 1/8" to 3/4" by 1/16", if you have a mill powerful enough to handle the larger sizes. If you have a small machine or a mill/drill I would only go to 1/2"

 

[Technical Ted]

I have a bunch of carbide end mills but seldom use them. From my experience, you need a very rigid setup to run these and get good life out of them. They chip very easily and they are not as forgiving in every day use as HSS end mills are. I do use them on hard materials though... but I'm very careful in their use.

My go to are good, ole made in USA HSS cutters like some of the brands mentioned above by projectnut. It's hard to go wrong with them.

YMMV,
Ted

 

[Buffalo21]

Is kodiak as manufacturer or a retailer??, most of the part numbers match those of carbide manufacturer, TitanUSA, that are made in Massachusetts. I’ve used the Titan products for years, with great results.

 

[pontiac428]

I pick up used end mills and sharpen them on a Deckel clone. Most of what I have is Niagra, and they cost me $0.50-$1.00 a piece. eBay is a good place to watch for lots of end mills. I don't have the patience for China metal anymore.

 

[ThinWoodsman]

I bought a bunch of non-name import end mills from places like LMS, Amazon. For the most part they're OK, but when you get a bad one you know it. Chip easily, bendy as pointed out above - and I even had one snap taking a deep side cut into aluminum.

So I've been replacing the import ones with Niagras, which when done on a piecemeal basis isn't so bad. I don't regret buying the import ones - they didn't cost very much, they saved me from ruining a good cutter while learning, and hey maybe I can turn that shank into a lathe tool.

 

[wildo]

I have a pretty sizable collection (I think? For a hobbyist?) of Kodiak/Titan USA end mills. And I also have a couple no name (Accurite, Harbor Freight, etc) end mills. Without question, my Kodiak stuff [especially the ZrN coated, high flute, aluminum cutters] give me a much better finish and cut with significantly less effort. Yes, they are easy to chip if you do something dumb, but I'm still learning what "something dumb" actually means. I will continue to buy them for sure.

I have received parts labeled Titan USA when ordering direct from Kodiak, so they might be a reseller of sorts- not sure. The "sets" they sell are particularly great, I think. They help me stay organized; they group my end mills by type; and they keep them safe from banging into each other.

[EDIT]- I will note that the harbor freight set as a whole cost me less than a single 3/4" end mill from any name brand. I've really only used the 3/4" ones (two flute/four flute) in the set and they have worked surprisingly well. Definitely don't give me the surface finish of the branded end mills, but for $75 less 20% or whatever, I think they were a great buy. Certainly if you have a need for a 3/4" end mill.