do cheap carbide burrs work?

[ozaudio]

tried doing my mates ball joint and discovered the last garage to touch his car snapped his locking clean off. the bolts have spinning collars so only options are weld a nut on or im going to try some tungsten burrs ( cheap ones ) to see if i can trim the spinning collars down and cold chisel them and hope they snap.

im not putting much faith into them when they turn up but ive never used burrs before so no idea if cheap ones will work?

 

[bw77]

Project Farm did a comparison of burrs, some cheap ones did well.

 

[Kaervak]

I have a cheap set I got from eBay years ago and they work great. They look identical to the 2181 burrs from Astro Tools, but I doubt they're the exact same ones. One of them did break, but that was after a couple years of constant use and I was pushing it quite hard when it broke. I've been hugely satisfied with them.

 

[haveissues]

Same experience. Have a cheap set that I bought years ago in a generic grey plastic case. Work great.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have the Astro burrs. They work great !

 

[strutaeng]

I bought some a few years ago for a large steel guardrail welds grinding from this place. Mine were made in the USA and prices were very good. They ate steel for lunch and dinner like crazy:

Cutting Tools - Carbide Burrs - Page 1 - Lehigh Valley Abrasives

www.lehighvalleyabrasives.com

 

[ozaudio]

these comments are giving me some faith when they do turn up today haha

 

[Stobal]

In my experience they work well enough as far as the cutting goes but the shafts are questionable. They either snap or deform. I am currently using the Astro set and a set from Harbor freight which weren’t actually that cheap even on sale and I much prefer those. Just make sure you wear proper protection in case one snaps.

 

[jar944]

Yes, they work. I've successfully ground bearing races with them.

 

[zendriver]

In a pinch, got the set from HF, not necessarily cheap priced, but did the exhaust grinding I needed to get done.

2 in. Double Cut Genuine Solid Carbide Burrs, 4 Piece

Amazing deals on this 4Pc 2In Double Cut Solid Carbide Burrs at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[larry4406]

I bought some Astro pneumatic ones in a kit for I think $40ish range and they have worked fine.

 

[cherrybomb]

I've had and used cheap bits for years.I bought a Makita variable speed 1/4 die grinder and a flex cable for my drill press.I upgraded at CarbideBurr.net with a few shapes.They are USA Tungsten carbide.The site is really good on their explanations and pictures of their product.Great stuff! In my experience the upgrades cut smoother,cooler and less vibration that helps eliminate the grabbing.My tools ,with the variable speed helps.I.M.O I would upgrade the one you use the most,to try.But have the cheaper set with more shapes.I also dabble in Aluminum so thats going down a different road.I upgraded one,and its done well also

 

[dnschmidt]

I trust you are using them in a die grinder. There are people that try to use them in a drill and that's only spinning 15X slower than these tools are suppose to be turned at.

 

[cherrybomb]

I trust you are using them in a die grinder. There are people that try to use them in a drill and that's only spinning 15X slower than these tools are suppose to be turned at.

My Makita variable speed is the Bee's Knees, certain burrs and materials I can find the sweet spot for better cut and less vibration,I agree those using a drill never will get the full use of the burr

 

[ozaudio]

I trust you are using them in a die grinder. There are people that try to use them in a drill and that's only spinning 15X slower than these tools are suppose to be turned at.

yes i borrowed a mains powered ryobi one from my step dad, my bits came so ill be giving it a go later on

 

[big bab bob]

I think it depends on your expectations, most will work at least for one job, some will last years. Depends on the application

 

[AEAdam]

My machinist friends almost all say Chinese carbide is good and good value. Chinese cobalt steel not so much.

 

[ozaudio]

ok so the verdict is wow wow, they ate that hardened steal like it was cutting plastic or something. managed to get all 4 locking nut rings in half so 2 cuts per wheel and the carbide bit looks the same as before i even used it

 

[engineer2]

I must have gotten the ultra cheap ones. On one the burr head snap off, and on another the mild steel shaft bent 90° and gouged my thumb. This was using them with a Foredom flex shaft tool.

 

[AEAdam]

Chinese carbide burrs, end mills indexable inserts are all pretty awesome for the price. The value/cost is quite high.

 

[liliysdad]

Carbide burrs are the most useful tool that I hate to use. I stumbled into a pile, about 75, SGS burrs brand new in the tubes several years back at a garage sale. The box had all sizes of cylinder, cone, and ball burrs. It sure is nice to have them when I need them, but holy hell they make a mess.