McMaster-Carr End Mills

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wnchstrtnfldvlle

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
H-M Supporter Gold Member
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Oct 12, 2023
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107
When you purchase and end mill from McMaster-Carr, how do you know which brand you are getting? I have purchased an individual end mill before and it was a Niagara brand end mill, but are they always the same? I am comparing TiCN coated Carbide Square End Mills between McMaster and MSC.

For a 4 flute, 1/4' diameter, 1 1/8" DOC, 3" OAL carbide end mill:
-36.37 at McMaster-Carr
-27.82 at MSC (Accupro brand) Which have good reviews.

The price difference grows more with each larger end mill. The 5/8" versions are 84.84 compared to 136.59. I'd like to assume more expensive equals better quality, but knowing brands might help with that. I have emailed McMaster to ask them, but thought I would ask here as well. I also looked at onlinecarbide.com, but their warehouse is closed down from the hurricane, with no update on when they will be able to resume shipping.
 
In my limited experience when buying from McMaster, the quality is very good unless you get the value line.
They go out of their way to not disclose the manufacturer. Strange.
 
McMaster does that with everything, you never know the exact supplier until you get the product and sometimes not even then. The trade-off is that they are very diligent in their supplier selection so you'll rarely get an inferior product, and if you do they will make it right very quickly.

If you want to know brands there are plenty of good suppliers that can provide that, might take a few days longer though.

John
 
If you have issues with your purchase, McM has some of the best customer service anywhere: if you’re not happy you’ll probably get a full refund (and probably the offer of a free replacement). They have sent free items because Ups lost a package and when the original showed up a week later they said “keep it.”
 
Some products they identify the brand name. Most products they don't. For the "unknown brand name" items, we have to rely on McMaster to supply professional grade goods. It's what they have built their reputation on and it's a darn fine reputation. As has been said, their customer service is exceptional.

Niagara, IMO, is a good brand of end mills. If you have the time to shop for lower price, you will find some. If it's not worth your time, or you need it very soon, or you value the customer service, McMaster is an excellent source.

All that being said, I probably wouldn't buy end mills from McMaster. EMs go on sale all the time, good brand names, from reputable industrial distributors. Get on some mailing/email lists (MSC, Travers, whoever is in your area, many more) and you will receive sale fliers. Plan ahead for your EM needs and buy on sale.
 
If brand is important to you, then McM is not the place to shop. I have always gotten high quality products from them, many times from brands I never heard of before. It’s been a while since I bought end mills from them, but I have a few YG end mills in my drawer that I believe I got from them, I’d be curious to hear what you get. I do know all my taps have been Widia.

Another place to check is Travers, you can select the brand you want, but I find them more expensive than McM some times, and their shipping cost is always higher too.
 
ChazzC said:
If you have issues with your purchase, McM has some of the best customer service anywhere: if you’re not happy you’ll probably get a full refund (and probably the offer of a free replacement). They have sent free items because Ups lost a package and when the original showed up a week later they said “keep it.”
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Very much this. McMaster, from their excellent website to their equally excellent (extraordinary these days) service is every inch a top-notch company. I never know what brand I'm going to get, but it's always been a high quality product.

GST
 
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