Is anyone familiar with Oscarbide?

Winegrower said:
I have been puzzled by what seem to me to be incredibly huge prices for “name brand” tool holders. It’s a relatively small stick of metal, a few milling operations, drill and tap a hole…then heat treat? Marking?

True, there are some holders like the “top notch” style that I have not tried yet, but I’ve made holders for the common inserts without difficulty. They work fine, can’t tell any difference. Can anybody explain what I’m not seeing?
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I just ordered four 16mm shank threading tools and a pack of 16ER-AG60 inserts, $50.
No, I can't explain it.
 
from what I've read, consumers aren't the targets for brand name indexable tool holders, businesses are. Typically they give the tool holder away as a freebie with a few packs of inserts to tie the business into buying those inserts. Makes sense when the inserts are ~$200+. Similar business model as inkjet printers or razors. Also no business is going to buy cheap toolholders and risk an insert coming loose or some other calamity. They're a billable consumable and a lot less money than scrapping a large expensive part.

That said, the larger toolholders typically come with carbide insert seats and funky screws/ clamps to hold the insert in place, so they're a bit more involved than the basic toolholders you or I use.
 
mattthemuppet2 said:
from what I've read, consumers aren't the targets for brand name indexable tool holders, businesses are. Typically they give the tool holder away as a freebie with a few packs of inserts to tie the business into buying those inserts. Makes sense when the inserts are ~$200+. Similar business model as inkjet printers or razors. Also no business is going to buy cheap toolholders and risk an insert coming loose or some other calamity. They're a billable consumable and a lot less money than scrapping a large expensive part.

That said, the larger toolholders typically come with carbide insert seats and funky screws/ clamps to hold the insert in place, so they're a bit more involved than the basic toolholders you or I use.
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Now that makes a lot of sense, Matt…I developed several HP printers and know well the economics of consumables. Thank you. It works even better if the consumables are proprietary and single sourced. Could be why it serms difficult to me to do brand to brand comparisons of inserts.
 
Lathe turning tools aren't too bad, as long as you don't stray too far from the common shapes and sizes. Eg. CCMT06 and 09 (25.5_ and 32.5_) are super easy to find and can be had for as little as $1 an insert or less for generic ones. CCMT04 is crazy hard to find and cost a minimum of $3 an insert on eBay. Similar thing with TCMT (cheap as chips) vs TPMT (alot harder to find). All bets are off with parting tools however.

Now indexable milling cutters, things can get really crazy with proprietary inserts. It really pays to research the cutters needed for a particular body before buying the body, as a potential "bargain" could leave you saddled with a cutter you can't afford to buy inserts for.
 
Well, they came in yesterday evening, and I have to say that I'm pleased. No question, they're a big step up from the Harbor Freight inserts and holders. The holders are made to a tighter tolerance for sure, they just fit their respective inserts better. I'm not making anything today except a mess, but I went in the scrap bucket for some of the nastiest stuff I've had, and they did pretty well. Did kinda all right on some properly purchased and pedigreed 6061, about the same on a stick of cheeze grade hot rolled steel, and made an ugly mess out of an old used oilite bushing. Given the nature of a used oilite bushing, I'm not even sure if that means anything. That's probably more on the insert selection than the tool it's self, but I've got other tools for softer stuff. The parting/grooving tool...... It obviously doesn't work like a HSS parting tool, I'm 85 percent sure it wants me to feed it harder than I dare to, but I don't have a spare insert and I'm being a coward since it's a day old tool... Maybe a spare insert will build up some courage. So yeah, for budget tools, I'm pretty happy with them. And given that I don't have one specific and exact thing that needs to be done with them, I'm kind of happy with their "pick" for a jack of all trades insert too.
 
I have this set, very pleased so far.
 
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