Nothing Severed Yet

A router bit review that isn't an insult to your intelligence

I was looking for a good review on router bits recently. A major woodworkers magazine that shall remain nameless (because I forgot its name) claimed to have done a comprehensive review on 12 brands of router bits. Their conclusion? More expensive bits cut better. Saywhat? That's right, no number, no ranked list of results, not even a list of what brands were tested. Just a looong section on methadology, and the conclusion that you should Fedex your visa card overnight to the good people at Carbide Anonymous and be thankful for it. Bull.

So when I stumbled on a non-moronic review of router bits yesterday I thought I should share. It's from Fine Woodworker, which is normally a little hoity-toity for my taste, but I can't complain about solid, free info. Check it out, and look for the little link that says "router bit scorecard" to get the actual dirt. If you want the short-short version, it turns out that the yellow Oldham Viper bits they sell at the Depot are a solid deal (and, bonus, made in the USA).

(I haven't bought any yet; I've got a couple of expensive Rockler bits I acquired with a secondhand router table purchase--which ironically performed near the bottom of the pack in this review. I'll post something when I've tried them out.)