[ChrisAttebery]

I'm throwing the BS flag up on this one. I buy from Enco every couple months. I usually have my order in 48 hours using the cheapest shipping option. They are in Reno and I am the SF bay area.

MSC charges more becuase they will ship that day...Enco will not unless you pay the next day rate...

MSC ships that day...Enco takes a week to ship...

[Just Me]

I'm throwing the BS flag up on this one. I buy from Enco every couple months. I usually have my order in 48 hours using the cheapest shipping option. They are in Reno and I am the SF bay area.

I forgot that I was posting here and hard facts are reqired so let me correct my statement to the world...If I order from MSC by 8PM MSC ships that day and becuase I'm near a UPS terminal I recieve it the next day for ground rate...
I order from ENCO on Monday I'm lucky if I have my tools before the end of the week unless I pay for them...

But when someone only orders tools every few month that tells me your not a company that has due dates...
So go ahead and throw your BS Flag all you want...
If you need a tool the next day from enco that is not 48 hours (after order date)....So yes MSC you are paying for...
Enco is not such a great deal anyways...

[ChrisAttebery]

You changed your statement. First you said it takes a week. That's BS. USUALLY if I make an order with Enco it is picked that night and shipped the next morning at the latest. Sometimes I get my order the next day. No, I don't depend on machining to make a living. That doesn't invalidate my opinion. I have a small business and set my own schedule. I plan ahead and if I really need something the next day I get it from the local tool supply. If I want to buy a bunch of tools at better prices I get them from Enco.

[fizzissist]

I'm throwing the BS flag up on this one. I buy from Enco every couple months. I usually have my order in 48 hours using the cheapest shipping option. They are in Reno and I am the SF bay area.

Enco & MSC are in the same building... Not in Reno.
They're in Fernley (35mi east of Reno), occasionally referred to as "Ferntucky"

You'll find that on occasion Enco will sell the same tools as MSC, but cheaper. You have to be on the lookout. Enco is cheap, name brand is name brand.

[BAMCNC.COM]

I have to amend my previous statement about Helical only being the best for Aluminum, it now has beat out Lakeshore in Titanium, I've done almost 2x the amount of the exact cuts with same settings and this Helical is holding up well, I thought I seen a chip but it was just a tiny Titanium chip, brushed it off and I couldn't believe it. Both were 4 flutes and absolutely nothing has been changed but the endmill, helix and coating could be different I guess.

[Just Me]

Msc ships from a few places Harrisburg PA is the main location for shipping...Enco ships from Reno...So if you're in CAL. that would mean you are in the same shipping district as Reno...I'm on the East Coast so if I order Monday it is pulled Tuesday and I get it Friday…That a Week for most people in the business world…
Anyone that thinks ENCO is a great deal is just showing how little they know…Enco sells crap...If it is not a name brand...

[mike sr1]

Interestingly, the premium and standard cutters both make the same noise when I snap them off.

The only difference that I can tell is the noise that I make. It is higher and more anguished when I break the "good" ones.


nitewatchman

That is a good one!
I use carbide 4 flute no coatings. I use 4 flute for the rigidity and finish, I just "shortened" a .5 4 flute with the Jog pendant, it was in x and I thought it was in z, that equals disaster if your beside the vise!

[rlockwood]

I have to amend my previous statement about Helical only being the best for Aluminum, it now has beat out Lakeshore in Titanium, I've done almost 2x the amount of the exact cuts with same settings and this Helical is holding up well, I thought I seen a chip but it was just a tiny Titanium chip, brushed it off and I couldn't believe it. Both were 4 flutes and absolutely nothing has been changed but the endmill, helix and coating could be different I guess.

Helical has been my favorite since their inception, for both aluminum and stainless. Each of their tool lines is well thought out and simply functions well for the task at hand, and fills a niche. They don't have a ton of overlap, and simply seem to understand what it is i'm going to do with their tools.

Their "milling advisor" tool is a joke though :0

[Just Me]

For Machining of Ti. a 60* helix is used.... sloting 3 flute...profiling 5 or 6 flute...Altin is the best coating

For Machining aluminum a 45* helix is used...2 or3 flute for both sloting and profiling...Zirconium nitride is the best coating

[BAMCNC.COM]

That is more or less close to what I've found aswell, DLC has been superior in Ti, but all I use now is Altin for Ti based on price, although whatever coating Helical is using, I think it said A+ seems to be pretty nice.

[sperman]

Enco & MSC are in the same building... Not in Reno.
They're in Fernley (35mi east of Reno), occasionally referred to as "Ferntucky"

You'll find that on occasion Enco will sell the same tools as MSC, but cheaper. You have to be on the lookout. Enco is cheap, name brand is name brand.

You will never convince me MSC isn't a ripoff, at least not for a small shop that doesn't get special pricing. I've compared name brand items from MSC against other retailers, and MSC is never even close. If I'm ordering enough to qualify for whatever special MSC is running at that time, then it is about a wash, but that just convinces me they are way overpriced.

I've talked to the guys at my day job and they say we get discounts that make the MSC pricing very competitive. When I'm ordering from home those prices aren't available to me, and I will always chose to buy from someone else.

[sansbury]

You will never convince me MSC isn't a ripoff, at least not for a small shop that doesn't get special pricing. I've compared name brand items from MSC against other retailers, and MSC is never even close.

I've used them often for the generic-brand domestic tools where their pricing seems decent to me. What I like about them is that I pay for UPS ground (and their rates are low) but almost always get orders the next day if they have them in the warehouse near me.