Customer Reviews

Neiko 80-Piece Premium-Grade 1/2 Inch Tungsten Carbide Router Bit Set - 3 and 2 Blade - Aluminum Case

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've taught myself time and again not to buy cheap tools. But I could not resist the bargain of this complete set, especially after reading the glowing praise of others. For my first use of the set I needed a 3/8" round nose bit. It had a nice large nick in the blade. Then I took a look at the other round nose bits and every single one of them has nicks in the blades. Not nicks that you can barely see but large nicks that can easily be spotted. If you are doing a lot of non critical work and have a limited budget, then these bits may be ok. But if you take pride in your work and expect perfection in the results...then you might be better off getting professional grade bits. I ended up making a trip to the local Wood Craft store and getting the actual bits I needed. The cost is about 15x per bit and that is hard to swallow but the results I achieved with the quality bits are worth the extra cost to me. Maybe I will give this bit set to a beginning wood worker.

I received my order witin two days of my order, excellent response time from the seller (I do live in a nearby city near Los Angeles). Note: the shipping is over $18 as they say the shipping weight is 12 lbs (it _is_ a heavy set). Still, it cost under $100 for 80 1/2 inch router bits! But are they any good... yes they are.

- I would give 5 stars for value.
- These bits are made in China (I whish I had known this).
- The overall quality of the bits is quite good, fine for everyday use. There is no documentation about the type of carbide however.
- The bit bodies are made from castings, which were then machined. The machining appears to be precise with no visible flaws, although a few bits had quite minor scratches on the shanks (not a problem).
- The brazing is fair - there are visible bubbles at the margins on some bits, probably not a big issue (-1 star for that).
- 44 of the bits have pilot bearings - these bearings appear to be fine.
- 4 straight bits are 3-wing, 2 flush trim are 3-wing, and the 4 slot cutters are three wing. I used the 1/4" 3-wing slot cutter in my router table, and the cut was very smooth.
- There is some minor duplication - two different 3/8" and 1/2" flush trim (that's fine with me). The range of sizes is very good in the different profiles.
- The paint finish if fine.
- The aluminum case is good (for the price). The labels for the bits need better adhesive - they fall off.

I got this set because I was tired of buying my bits piecemeal, and if they weren't the greatest, I wouldn't be out that much. However, now for the price of a few bits I have a very good, complete set, I am very happy with it. I just wish it wasn't made in China...

In general these are well performing bits. The broad selection of various bit functions is what makes this a good buy. If you are looking for a production bit which requires heavy usage you might want to purchase a higher quality bit. For having the broad choice of numerous sizes and configurations this is a good buy. I am pleased whith the bits and a very nice and well organized case. The labels are marginal but I don't need them for routing the work piece. Worth the money

My order just arrived and I'm somewhat disappointed. The labels in the case are loose and I'll have to glue them in place so I won't constantly have to be guessing what each bit does. The quality of the bits is average, not great, not bad - average. However because of the cheap price the things I just mentioned are no big deal. What does seriously bother me is that with this large assortment I thought I would pretty much be getting all the bits I would ever need but they did not even include any simple round-over bits. Round-over bits are the most basic bits and there are none in this case. So in the end my advise would be this - if you are buying this large assortment of router bits thinking you probably won't have to buy anymore for your workshop, forget it. I've still got to go out and buy some round-over bits.

I'm totally surprised and amazed. I initially bought this as a lark, thinking if I used each bit only once and then threw it out, I'd still be money ahead. These rugged and rigid (1/2") shank bits are incredible. The cuts are extremely accurate and true... as good as if not better than any "high" priced name brand I've used. I can't believe how its possible to produce these bits so cheaply. Now I can see whats fueling the Chinese robust economy.

I'm new to routing. My set arrived in fine condition-- case and bits. I've only used one of the straight bits to test my set up of my new Bosch router and Bosch router table. I think most of the other reviewer comments are valid. These bits are fine for occasional use, but not full professional, and the price reflects that just fine. My labels are not coming off as some reviewers suggested, but I ran a piece of transparent tape over them just in case. The metal case is light weight, but I expected nothing different for the price. The set does not have the true round-over bits as someone mentioned. It does have corner rounds with bearings. I might be able to remove a bearing to do round overs. I'll "practice" with this set, and if I get good and get into using good woods, I'll buy better bits of just those I really need. I would rate the set with more stars, but I think they could have done better with the assortment of bits, however I am not at all disappointed in the purchase-- it is great for just starting out. It's a very good deal if you know the limitations.

This is a follow up: After using many more of the bits, I think more highly of the set for the price. Eventually, I learn which bits I'll use most often (1/2 inch straight) and buy just one bit of higher quality-- but so far there has been no need. Smooth cuts but I don't force feed, and make multiple passes.

I have used these on solid surface materials, wood and aluminum, while not being anywhere near Amana, WKW etc quality they don't cost $45+ a pop either. When working on abrasive materials even the high priced cutters don't seem to last very long. My feeling is that these have about 1/3 the life of the high priced cutters but I haven't done a serious comparison. If you are a production shop this is NOT what you want. If you do lots of little jobs that require changing bits often anyway then these might save you some $.

There are a lot of redundant patterns here, mostly different forms of straight, but that is also what I need most often so that works ok for me. The way I look at it is that after you throw out most of the ones you actually use you can buy another set. With sharpening at $8 each it isn't worth getting them serviced, and after you rout off a couple of nails there isn't much left to service anyway.

This set is a great buy. I have used nearly a dozen of the bits on hardwood and they cut well. They show no signs of heat stress or discoloration. Other reviews complain about the case, it does leave a lot to be desired, however we don't cut wood with the case and a craftsman worth 80 bits can make a nice hardwood case from shop scraps as I did. Five stars.

I was prepared to be a bit underwhelmed with this set at this price but those who had reviewed it were mostly positive. I've used it for a while now and have been more than pleasantly surprised. This is a seriously good deal, and as been said perfect for lots of odd special jobs, and seeing how different bits work in different situations. Were I to do a heavy "production" job, I might buy a higher grade bit, but I haven't needed to yet. Many of these bits have good bearings, all are 1/2" shank (great), some are two *and* three faced versions, the carbide blades seem fine and cut well, and the variety is wonderful - if I damage one, there's another in there that can take over most of the time I'm sure. As I said, this is a seriously good deal in my book.

I'm happy with it. The price was right for the variety and number of bits included in the set. I've tried about half of the set on some scrap cherry, pine, and walnut. All of them performed well. I'm not sure how long they will last, but for $1.24 a bit I can consider them disposable.

Upon arrival.... open case... remove bits (and labels if you want) .... place into a bit drawer or shelf.... throw case into the ocean so it can find its way back to China...