A beautiful router bit

[gwyneth]

Your poetic review triggered my gotta have response. I just ordered the Whiteside 1/2" shank 7 piece starter set from our member Holbren. His price was $88.00 less the forum 10% [coupon code BT310] for a total of $79.20 with free shipping. Thats just over $11 a bit. Much less than I pay for individual Freud bits at the HD.

I didn't mean to trigger covetousness*...and though I've gone as far as getting the bit in the Bosch, getting the Bosch in the BT, I haven't actually used it yet because distractions keep popping up.

Hank's observation about the way Whitesides feel different when you pick them up is very apt, and confirms my thought that something's working on the senses as well as the intellect.

*That can wait until my upcoming essay, "Is 'Expensive' Misleading? Quantifying a New Approach to Tool Purchase".

[Uncle Cracker]

Your observations are right on, gwyneth... I only have 4 Whiteside bits, but they are head and shoulders above the rest. I have decided to replace most of my others with Whitesides as mine wear out. And Holbren is close by and always well priced and responsive.

[gwyneth]

Your observations are right on, gwyneth... I only have 4 Whiteside bits, but they are head and shoulders above the rest. I have decided to replace most of my others with Whitesides as mine wear out. And Holbren is close by and always well priced and responsive.

Well, this thread wasn't to push the quality-is-cost-effective theory, just to gush about the Whiteside bit's innate good looks. For some reason, lots of people don't understand how a router bit could be beautiful.

(Update: Since I ruined the first two pieces of ash I tried with the new bit (unless they can be salvaged for something that needs a wavy diagonal channel) because the BT fence drifted backwards--despite tightening, checking, etc. after it happened the first time--my admiration is still just visual. Off to read through years of rip fence threads.)

[Holbren]

Now granted in Spiral carbide bits it is my understanding that there are actually very few makers of these bits, so Whiteside quality on carbide spiral bit is probably not as great against MCLS as it would be in other standard profiles involving carbide cutters only.

For imported bits that's true because most of the Asian factories don't have CNC machines to do the work. Whiteside and I'm sure the other big names do machine their own.

I left a guy ealier who was buying his spirals from Southeast Tool not realizing they were importing them and they were not true fractional dimensions but metric as the Asian bits often are. Caused him some issues with his CNC program.

[crokett]

Glad I am not the only one. I have a few Whiteside bits including a 5/16 spiral upcut and a flush trim. I have the same bits made by different vendors. I can tell the Whitesides from the others by the way they cut. Just feels different.

[scmhogg]

Gwyneth,

I received my 7 piece set from Holbren in five days. I just peeled off the plastic gunk. You're right they are pretty to look at. They have much more heft than my other 1/2" bits. Perhaps a test run this week end.

Steve

[gwyneth]

Steve,

If one of them was good-looking by itself, I bet the set together looks amazing. Also, it's always nice to have a seemingly off-the-wall impression confirmed by other people.

[Slik Geek]

That's enough already! No more gushing - I'm about to buy some Whiteside router bits that I really don't need at the moment!!

[gwyneth]

That's enough already! No more gushing - I'm about to buy some Whiteside router bits that I really don't need at the moment!!

But Slik, unless you already have the Whiteside version of those bits, you do need them.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

But Slik, unless you already have the Whiteside version of those bits, you do need them.

Ya, especially at the 7 bit set price. $10 a bit. The only thing I wouldn't likely regularly use in that set is the cove bit, but that is just me.