Quality/Durability of milling cutters

If we take Dormer/Presto at the top end and RDG/Chronos at the bottom end, where do you think Clarkson Sheffield cutters rank along that quality spectrum? They come up more frequently on ebay than Dormer or Presto and in good used condition seem to be the same price as a brand new one from those lower end suppliers....which to buy?

I would rate Clarkson above Dormer / Presto, based on 50 years experience of using their products.

Hi Adam,

I only have one Clarkson slot drill and that one has worked well so far. I also have non branded Chinese milling cutters, not quite the same as Dormer, but then they are a lot cheaper. I regrind the larger Chinese ones occasionally and use them for roughing cuts.

Thor

I like Clarkson cutters, I tried the Chinese stuff and gave up, although I'm sure they do make decent cutters, I just haven't come across any,, I buy most of my cutters from Cutwell, as I get pretty good discount from them now but I probably spend a couple of grand a year with them.

Dormer / Presto are certainly not top end far from it. I think they would be "mid range " compared to for example Emuge Franken, or OSG. They are still excellent even though I would put Clarkson ahead of Dormer / Presto. For our needs, any of the recognized production makes are very good.

I bought a handful of Hanita 3-flute endmills once, never found the like again. They were simply awesome.

EDIT: no wonder, they are £42 each plus vat. I bought 5 for £25 off ebay. Wish I had bought them all.:

https://www.mscdirect.co.uk/HNT-60040M/SEARCH:CATEGORY/product.html

Edited By Pete Rimmer on 17/10/2018 17:40:06

After various takeovers the original Clarkson company failed in 2001 and their factory was demolished soon after. The brand name survived but the current business is a wholesaler of tasty industrial cutters. Some of their range are badged 'Clarkson' but they are not actually made by this firm.

Does anyone know where Clarkson cutters are made today and who the maker actually is?

Dave

Thanks everyone. I did say "if we take..." thereby setting forth my own parameters of a quality range from RDG/Chronos to Dormer/Presto , not claiming either that Dormer/Presto are the very best or that RDG/Chronos are absolute rubbish. Anyway, it seems the consensus is that Clarkson in good used condition are a better buy than new Chronos/RDG at the same price, so I will focus on picking up used Clarkson. Thanks again, Adam

There is also the middle ground such as the basic YG-1 mills and the better quality ranges from the ME suppliers like ARC's premium range, certainly a whole lot better than some of the lesser no name ones and at a reasonable price and not the £100 you could pay for say a 10mm Dormer.

There is always the question of how "used" a cutter may be from an e-bay seller.

To be fair, your original post does create a rather unfair impression of their cutters. There are much worse out there if the tight-fisted want to find them.

I have Chronos FC3 cutters nearly 20 years old, not heavily used admittedly, but still good.

Neil

I will be able to see (and walk past) some likely rubbish cutters - at the midlands show this week.

One just needs to be selective, avoid the really cheap, non-descript, no-name, supposed bargains and move on - to the better quality cutters offered by the people who have a reputation (for good quality and service) to maintain.

Some of those ‘bargains’ are not cheap - because you have to buy again. Probably better, in the long run, to buy cutters which can be re-sharpened - not the throw-away types - so, investing in sharpening kit might be a more rewarding buy...

The throw away FC-3 type can be resharpened it is just the fact it is not economic for industry to do so and that is why they became known as throw away.

What is the difference between a good and a poor cutter? Is it the quality of the material, the geometry of the cutter or the precision of the grinding, or maybe all three?

In answer to the question Jason posed, there are 3 ebay sellers( to my current knowledge) who list the re-ground size of their endmills/slot drills. All of these are carbide tools and are sold at acceptable prices, I've never bought a new carbide tool. I'll let you all find out for yourselves who they are so that they may have what I want before you all buy out their stock!! Most are known names of quality tooling but I've never been let down by even their "no name" offerings. For HSS I,ll use ARC for preference. Nathan.