Tool Quality of HSS Blanks - Are they all created equal?

[Xyphota]

Is there a big difference in quality of HSS from various sources, or is it all pretty much the same? I would like to purchase some 1/2" x 1/2" HSS for a fly-cutter I am going to make and am open to suggestion on sourcing.

 

[Susquatch]

Is there a big difference in quality of HSS from various sources, or is it all pretty much the same? I would like to purchase some 1/2" x 1/2" HSS for a fly-cutter I am going to make and am open to suggestion on sourcing.

No they are not all the same.

I find that high cobalt REALLY improves the life of a HSS edge.

Some suppliers are better than others too. Most of mine are just Amazon high cobalt tools. But if the usage will be demanding, I'll buy good premium HSS from a local jobber.

 

[DavidR8]

I'll second what @Susquatch said. I have some no-name HSS blanks and some brand name (can't remember the maker...) and the latter hold an edge significantly better than the no-namers. They are harder to grind but I don't have to grind them as much.

 

[garball]

There’s definitely a difference. A lot has to do with the % cobalt content but in general, US/Europe HSS is better than what comes out of China. I did a grind test the other day and found that my Rex AA, MoMax and Chechoslovakian HSS was much harder to grind than KMS HSS.

 

[cuslog]

From my limited experience, I'd say mainland Chinese HSS in general = not so good. Some HSS I tried from India was terrible.
A few times, I've looked for "Rex 76" as it was recommended to me as a particularly good choice for a job I was doing, never found anyone stocking it.
Anyone know of a supplier ?

 

[Xyphota]

@cuslog Perhaps the "Rex 76" you are looking for is actually the Rex AA @garball mentioned.

EDIT: Just kidding, there are lots of flavours of Rex XX, I'm learning all sorts of things LOL

 

[Tom Kitta]

Just go to the grinder and try to grind it. If it grinds easy, maybe its not even HSS. From HSS the sparks should be quite few and a bit "dark". If there are a lot of sparks its not HSS & its not too hard. There are fakes out there. I generally do not trust India stuff for anything. I been to India and Pakistan and I do not really see these guys matching China in the next decade or maybe even two (today's China).

 

[whydontu]

My $0.02. Don’t save money on tool blanks, buy the best you can find from domestic or euro manufacturers. I have Sandvik and Delevan HSS and cobalt bits that are still going strong at 60+ years old. Yes, they are triple the price of asian products but the cost per year is peanuts.

 

[Dabbler]

If you can keep your eyes open, you can pick up name brand HSS at machine shops for the asking - they'll probably want coffee money for it, but it's always a bargain.

 

[buckbrush]

Any decent H.S.S. will be etched with it’s makers trade name like mo-max or rexAA or…
Also the cobalt amount varies with different makers names. The mote cobalt the more effort it takes to sharpen, and the longer it stays sharp. Cobalt also increases brittleness. M-42 or Tantung are my preferred H.S.S. but I mostly use Chinese made carbide inserts now, they were almost free several years ago, but cost a lot more now. (What doesn’t)