Wasted $180 on a cheap 5C collet set that wobbled like crazy

I bought a no-name 5C collet set off Amazon last month (you know, to save some cash) and every single collet had at least 0.005 runout when I chucked it up. Tried a dozen different workpieces and they all came out tapered or just plain off. Lost a whole afternoon plus the cost of some aluminum stock before I trashed 'em and ordered a set from Hardinge instead. Anyone else gotten burned by bargain collets and have a brand that actually held up?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_owens1mo ago

0.005 isn't that bad for most stuff man.

the_julia1mo ago

My buddy Matt tried to use a 0.005 tip on a micro-welding job with some stainless steel parts. He said it just skated right off the metal without doing anything useful. He spent like 20 minutes trying to get it to work and finally gave up. Switched to a 0.030 tip and finished the whole thing in maybe 5 minutes. I guess for really thin stuff like foil it might be fine, but for actual work it seemed like a waste of time. He just tossed the tiny tip in a drawer and never touched it again.