How much better are Niagra or Kodiak brand end mills?

[martik777]

I re-sharpen the end flutes on my larger 3/8+ HSS USA made end mills, will ruin the center cutting ability but they will still work ok.

The reconditioned carbide ones on ebay I've bought are good as new.

These carbide roughing end mills work very well too:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/16m...25-4658-be2a-f7e382ff8a15&transAbTest=ae803_3

 

[Technical Ted]

Are larger end mills less susceptible to breaking/chipping?

That's hard to say... larger are stiffer and the corners are more likely to chip in my experience, especially from banging/hitting things. Smaller are more flexible and turning at a much faster speed and the corners don't seem to chip as much, but a mishap with them will snap them off.

If you are careful with quality HSS cutters they will last a long time. Use the proper speeds and feeds based on the quality of the cutter, the material being cut, cutting fluid used (if any), setup rigidity, depth of cut, etc. etc.

Ted

 

[ddickey]

In my experience square end mills have more of a tendency to chip. Stick with radiused end mills.

 

[projectnut]

I believe the radiused corner end mills are referred to as Bull Nose. I do have a number of them and they do a good job for most things. However they are don't do a very good job when cutting slots, especially keyway slots.