That $400 tool set I bought from that online ad turned out to be pure junk

I fell for one of those Instagram ads for a "complete CNC tool kit" about 2 months ago. Paid $400 thinking I was getting a deal on end mills, collets, and holders. First end mill snapped after 30 minutes of light aluminum work, and the collets wouldn't even hold a shank straight. I should have just stuck with my usual supplier even if it costs more. Anyone else get burned by those flashy tool bundles online?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_ellis15d ago

Yeah those Instagram ads are a trap. I did the same thing with a "machinist starter bundle" from some random website. The calipers were off by .005 right out of the box and the drill bits were so soft they went dull after a few holes in some mild steel. Waste of money, learned my lesson to just buy from McMaster or Travers and pay the real price.

carr.brooke15d ago

Same thing happened to me with those end mills, total garbage.

nelson.nancy15d ago

Bought a similar set from an Instagram ad once too lol. How'd you even find out the calipers were off by that much though? Did you have a known good set to compare them to or did you just notice the measurements seemed wrong on some critical part? I think I read somewhere that some of those cheap calipers use a lower quality scale that actually drifts with temperature changes which is pretty wild if true. Curious what kind of tolerance you were trying to hold when you caught it.