What is your favorite end mill and usage

[DPittman]

I opened an AliExpress account and tried to purchase some Azzkor bits from your link. I'll be honest, I can't figure out what I'm getting, what size, or even how many. Scrolling right and left on the product images doesn't help clear things up. Maybe I am trying to hard,.... Or maybe not hard enough. Right now I'm frustrated. I plan to try again in the morning.

I also looked for some HSS bits and failed at that too. I'd like to give AliExpress a decent try, but they are not making it easy.

Yup thats Ali express for you....frustrating and deceiving. You see an item listed for a low price so you click on it and the low price is actually just for one small component of the item. So then you try to select the actual item you want from a small thumbnail and you wonder if you've actually selected it or not . The piss-poor description is not helpful at all. Then you wait 3 to for months to see if you've got ripped off or not. It better be pretty damn cheap for the hassle.

And believe it or not after my ranting, I have had some purchases from Aliexpress that I thought were worthwhile. (Carbide end mills were some of the positive ones).

 

[YYCHM]

The one good thing I have to say about AliExpress is that they promptly refunded me in full after that VFD disaster. It was however a good 5 month ordeal but most of that was the vendor's fault.

 

[Tom Kitta]

I opened an AliExpress account and tried to purchase some Azzkor bits from your link. I'll be honest, I can't figure out what I'm getting, what size, or even how many. Scrolling right and left on the product images doesn't help clear things up. Maybe I am trying to hard,.... Or maybe not hard enough. Right now I'm frustrated. I plan to try again in the morning.

I also looked for some HSS bits and failed at that too. I'd like to give AliExpress a decent try, but they are not making it easy.

got to https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32896890158.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.5b284c4dr37Xu3

select 12mm x 75

select how many you want - default 1

click "buy now" - it will now ask you to sign in if not signed in.

review your order, click "place your order".

It is about as easy as Amazon.ca

Current price is just 11.32 CAD (!!)

Once you click "place your order" after about 2 seconds it will say "payment successful".

I just ordered 1 to test it out - arriving on Sep 10th or before.

 

[PeterT]

Finding parts on Ali is sometimes like that Wheres Waldo. After a while your eyes cross & you feel motion sickness. Then you scroll down to see a matrix of many size offerings, only to discover none of the part numbers line up, or they have different ones, or only a subset of the ones.... Some sites are better than others but can drive you batty. Inserts commonly use different (ISO) notation to NAm. I try & stick with machine/cnc related sites, avoid sites selling endmills, lipstick & crazy glue.

I checked my favorites store (you can save them). I've used BB, Ucheer, Dreanique, Leader. Of course depends on what you are after. Toms site ^^ loosk pretty good. Pay attention to EM cutting length, total length, corner rad & type of course. I really don't find the coating makes a difference if they are good quality but I prefer uncoated carbide for aluminum which I reserve for aluminum.

 

[Tom Kitta]

They have uncoated for AL as well - I think even touch cheaper.

 

[Susquatch]

It's not you. AliExpress is strange and a bit deceiving actually. I had a hard time getting my head around the presentation initially. When I ordered my first DRO I really wasn't sure what I had purchased until it arrived.

Can you provide a link to the page you're looking at.

The link @Tom Kitta provided a few posts ago.

 

[Susquatch]

O

got to https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32896890158.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.5b284c4dr37Xu3

select 12mm x 75

select how many you want - default 1

click "buy now" - it will now ask you to sign in if not signed in.

review your order, click "place your order".

It is about as easy as Amazon.ca

Current price is just 11.32 CAD (!!)

Once you click "place your order" after about 2 seconds it will say "payment successful".

I just ordered 1 to test it out - arriving on Sep 10th or before.

OK, I succeeded. But not without a lotta pain.

Hurdle 1 - I eventually figured out that the photo isn't what you are getting. You have to select size and then quantity separately. Then pray what you selected is similar to at least one of the bazzilion pictures displayed. Hurdle 1 cleared. (I Hope.....) TBD around Sept 11th.

Hurdle 2 - Next came entering a shipping address. Got it all in except postal code. It wouldn't let me enter a postal code! After much Fg around, I tried creating one in a text message and then copied that to my clipboard and then pasted that into the postal code and then finally saved my default address. Hurdle 2 cleared.

Hurdle 3 - Next came payment details. PayPal isn't one of the options. Hmmmm, I really don't like the idea of sharing credit card info overseas.......... But Google Pay to the rescue. They allowed me to create a one-time use credit card that AliExpress accepted. (I love that about Google pay!) Hurdle 3 cleared.

Hurdle 4 - they won't let me NOT SAVE my credit card info. WTC! (where C = F) It gave me the option to not save but then gave me all these reasons why saving is a good idea. From this screen you go into a do-loop unless you choose save. Oh well, I guess I'll have to "update my card" every transaction...... Hurdle 4 cleared.

Order placed successfully.

I don't know why PayPal isn't an option. I find that a bit scary. I'm guessing that PayPal had trouble with them and took them off their vendor list. If so, I don't know why I should trust them anymore than PayPal doesn't!

But I do love Google Pay. I use it for almost all my debit/CC payments now. It is SOOOO FAST, that it's scary. Get your phone within 6" of an RFC payment terminal and you are done. Simple as that. But best of all, every transaction is ghosted. The vendor gets a one-time use card, they never see yours. And you get an electronic receipt instantly.

Anyway, it's done. Now we wait and see.

 

[Susquatch]

They have uncoated for AL as well - I think even touch cheaper.

So how do you search for that?

 

[Susquatch]

Finding parts on Ali is sometimes like that Wheres Waldo. After a while your eyes cross & you feel motion sickness. Then you scroll down to see a matrix of many size offerings, only to discover none of the part numbers line up, or they have different ones, or only a subset of the ones.... Some sites are better than others but can drive you batty. Inserts commonly use different (ISO) notation to NAm. I try & stick with machine/cnc related sites, avoid sites selling endmills, lipstick & crazy glue.

I checked my favorites store (you can save them). I've used BB, Ucheer, Dreanique, Leader. Of course depends on what you are after. Toms site ^^ loosk pretty good. Pay attention to EM cutting length, total length, corner rad & type of course. I really don't find the coating makes a difference if they are good quality but I prefer uncoated carbide for aluminum which I reserve for aluminum.

They have stores? I thought AliExpress was a store...... So it's a bit more like e-bay then???

 

[PeterT]

I don't know really. Whenever you land on an item, you can drill outward & inevitably see other items as part of a 'store' with a unique name. Sometimes it represents other similar items (machining for example). Sometimes it resembles someones closet... which it may well be. AliExpress is the overall umbrella selling website. In Ebay you can see individual people items but also stores.

In terms of payment you are pretty much confined to the modes they specify. Payment & credit cards are big business, tiny fees times bazillions of transactions. I think I had to set up AliPay which boils down to providing CC#. Truth be told I have had no issues & when an item didn't land in time or wrong item, it was dealt with expediently. But like most e-things these days, this is a personal decision if you want to play the game or not. Some people prefer (or also use Bangood). I have also see the exact same seller on ebay as Ali so its an inter-twined world.

 

[Mach64]

They have stores? I thought AliExpress was a store...... So it's a bit more like e-bay then???

AliExpress is *very* much more like ebay. Most sellers have a "Visit Store" button that will take you to their page where you can search and filter for items that they offer.

 

[Susquatch]

It's not you. AliExpress is strange and a bit deceiving actually. I had a hard time getting my head around the presentation initially. When I ordered my first DRO I really wasn't sure what I had purchased until it arrived.

Can you provide a link to the page you're looking at.

You bought a DRO on AliExpress? Wow, that must have taken some trust.......

A DRO for my lathe has been on my wanted list for years. I'm gunna look and see if there are any good threads on getting a decent DRO on the forum. If not I'll start one. It's about time!

 

[Susquatch]

I don't know really. Whenever you land on an item, you can drill outward & inevitably see other items as part of a 'store' with a unique name. Sometimes it represents other similar items (machining for example). Sometimes it resembles someones closet... which it may well be. AliExpress is the overall umbrella selling website. In Ebay you can see individual people items but also stores.

In terms of payment you are pretty much confined to the modes they specify. Payment & credit cards are big business, tiny fees times bazillions of transactions. I think I had to set up AliPay which boils down to providing CC#. Truth be told I have had no issues & when an item didn't land in time or wrong item, it was dealt with expediently. But like most e-things these days, this is a personal decision if you want to play the game or not. Some people prefer (or also use Bangood). I have also see the exact same seller on ebay as Ali so its an inter-twined world.

I see. In that case, I bet you can find those same sellers on Amazon too!

In this day and age of identity theft, credit card fraud, piracy, ransom ware, and infections of every kind imaginable and some unimaginable, I'd rather play things on the safe side. I was using a credit card on line long before most people started doing it. So for me, it's not about learning to trust these outfits - it's about learning NOT to trust them. I do like what Google Pay has done to improve security. And PayPal is pretty good too.

 

[YYCHM]

You bought a DRO on AliExpress? Wow, that must have taken some trust.......

A DRO for my lathe has been on my wanted list for years. I'm gunna look and see if there are any good threads on getting a decent DRO on the forum. If not I'll start one. It's about time!

Actually I have purchased two DROs from AliExpress, both in the $300 range with scales. Both went off without a hitch and fairly fast delivery.

 

[Susquatch]

Actually I have purchased two DROs from AliExpress, both in the $300 range with scales.

OK, $600 off to AliExpress. You have my full attention.......

Please tell me more! Brand, model, pros, cons, problems encountered, etc.

 

[Tom Kitta]

They have stores? I thought AliExpress was a store...... So it's a bit more like e-bay then???

Its like Amazon. 50% of stuff is sold by amazon. Less profitable stuff is sold by sellers that can have lots of listings.

On ali its more organized - each seller has a store - where he sells items. There is no AFAIK aliexpress only selling - just third party.

Think of it as a large building called a bazzar. In this bazzar you have stalls - each stall is a store. Each stall rents itself from the bazzar owner. Its same system like a 1000 years ago (or even 2000) but electronic. If someone cheats you you can complain to bazzar owner whom will come down on stall owner for being a cheat.

Aliexpress is generally good to deal with - slightly better then say eBay and a bit worse then Amazon. Far better to deal with then most Canadian businesses.

Generally big ticket items - like DRO do not need a lot of trust - items over $100 usually have plenty of tracking etc. I got multiple DROs and my parents even got a very large tent from aliexpress for like $300 (it is great BTW - way, way (100x way) better then crappy tire - even better then MEC).

I know it can be a shock but the Asian market is way, way bigger then US. We do not see this due to our US centric view. We do not see the fact that China makes 2.5x more cars then US + Canada combined and growing.

 

[Tom Kitta]

I got both of my DROs from aliexpress. I also got most of my CNC stuff from China (some from stepper direct, some from ali) - with other purchases in the last 6 months I easily spent there more then 2000. Heck I outspend amazon at least 10x with aliexpress. In fact aliexpress is my main go to place for everything other then heavy stuff. It is my main online shopping place for new items.

No issues with both DROs. I tested them with uber precise indicator and they work better then on specs. There is zero reason I can think of of people buying expensive DROs. I would take brand new Chinese DRO over 20 year old Mitutoyo.

 

[YYCHM]

OK, $600 off to AliExpress. You have my full attention.......

Please tell me more! Brand, model, pros, cons, problems encountered, etc.

This seller https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32847968410.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.1cec4c4d63UFCs but what's pictured here isn't the same unit I purchased, it wasn't the LCD unit, it was a VM600-3. $209US shipped

And this seller

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001238045156.html?pdp_ext_f={"sku_id":"10000015417644927","ship_from":"RU"}&gps-id=pcStoreLeaderboard&scm=1007.22922.122102.0&scm_id=1007.22922.122102.0&scm-url=1007.22922.122102.0&pvid=70ad331a-8bba-431e-9ab6-705d1f77c35e&spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.smartLeaderboard_725393586.4001238045156 $219US shipped

Both went off without a hitch and fairly fast delivery.

 

[Mach64]

Actually I have purchased two DROs from AliExpress, both in the $300 range with scales. Both went off without a hitch and fairly fast delivery.

I got my DRO off aliexpress as well. Also...without a hitch.

 

[Proxule]

Its like Amazon. 50% of stuff is sold by amazon. Less profitable stuff is sold by sellers that can have lots of listings.

On ali its more organized - each seller has a store - where he sells items. There is no AFAIK aliexpress only selling - just third party.

Think of it as a large building called a bazzar. In this bazzar you have stalls - each stall is a store. Each stall rents itself from the bazzar owner. Its same system like a 1000 years ago (or even 2000) but electronic. If someone cheats you you can complain to bazzar owner whom will come down on stall owner for being a cheat.

Aliexpress is generally good to deal with - slightly better then say eBay and a bit worse then Amazon. Far better to deal with then most Canadian businesses.

Generally big ticket items - like DRO do not need a lot of trust - items over $100 usually have plenty of tracking etc. I got multiple DROs and my parents even got a very large tent from aliexpress for like $300 (it is great BTW - way, way (100x way) better then crappy tire - even better then MEC).

I know it can be a shock but the Asian market is way, way bigger then US. We do not see this due to our US centric view. We do not see the fact that China makes 2.5x more cars then US + Canada combined and growing.

Spent several K over the years!
Always have issues - from small to big. But never had an issue with full refunds.
I am and have been a platinum member on ali... they issue rerunds instantly when youre a gold and platinum member. Among other perks.

I wouldnt hesitate to spend 1k in a single transaction on ali.

Chooce aliexpress standard shipping and confirm HK post or ubi express as those reach me in alberta in less then a week.

After that you end up paying heavy $ for shipments with EMT DHL FEDEX or UPS

YMMV
gluck