I came across a tool deal mention of this Diablo 5pc carbide-tipped general purpose router bit set on a deals forum, and it seems like a pretty good sale, priced at $59.34. It is sold and shipped by Walmart.
Select Bosch tools and accessories are being sold directly by Walmart, and now Diablo?
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I’m having a difficult time find comparison pricing at my usual go-tool tool retailers, but a quick Google search shows a common price of $90 and up at the other sellers that carry this set.
Here’s what this Diablo router bit set, model DR89100, comes with:
- 1/4″ up-spiral bit
- 1/2″ flush trim bit
- 3/4″ mortising bit
- 1-1/4″ rabbeting bit
- 1-1/2″ rounding over bit
- Storage case
From the product imagery and model numbers, it looks like 4 of the bits have 1/4″ shanks, and 1 has a 1/2″ shank.
~$60 for 5 Diablo (or Freud) router bits is a very good deal, coming out to be ~$12 apiece, and that doesn’t even take into account the value of what looks to be a wood case. This is down from $18 per router bit if you consider the $90 set pricing at other retailers.
Sale Price: $59.34 w/ free shipping
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Following is a screenshot of the listing, showing that it’s sold and shipped by Walmart. Browsing around a bit more, Walmart looks to be selling a broad selection of Diablo power tool accessories, and so this isn’t just a one-off listing.
Diablo (and Freud) make very good router bits. I tend to buy other brands these days, namely Whiteside and Southeast Tool, but Diablo’s router bits are good quality and readily available.
You can get more bang for your buck with other brands, but Diablo router bit sets tend to focus on quality over quantity.
If you’re looking for 1/2″ shank router bits but aren’t sure about which sizes or styles you might need, consider this set by MLCS Woodworking:
This MLCS set comes with 15 carbide-tipped router bits and a convenient wood storage box.
Price: $44.69
Julian Tracy
Good chance they’re just garden variety Red-painted made in China bits; so not that great a deal really. Might as well get a Bosch set, or Hickory Woodworking or Ryobi bits.
I had 3 amazing router bit deals I’ve run into in the past years… Found someone selling an entire PorterCable router bit tool box, like a Lista or Stanley Vidmar for $550 loaded with about $5K worth of router bits; all USA brand new in wax. Sold off about $1500 worth, kept a ton of bits and kept the tool cabinet for about 5-8 years. Sold off the tool cab for $550 after that.
Then Amazon had some crazy deals at some point. Once they had Milwaukee router bits on clearance for 90% off. Turned it they were unpainted made in Italy Freud rebrands. Bought about $300 worth, so that was about $3K worth.
Another time, they had a Woodline 88pc 1/2” bit asst in a wood case for $87. Literally under a $1 a bit for a full line setup; larger profiles, round overs, dado, etc….. And Woodline was one of the good independent bit companies.
Between those deals and estate sales – I’ll probably never buy a router bit again LOL.
Stuart
There is ZERO CHANCE these are “garden variety red-painted made in China router bits.”
All of my Freud or Diablo router bits were made in Italy. Freud/Diablo are high-quality router bits.
Bosch has a 4pc set for $70. https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-RBS004-4-Piece-Starter-Shank/dp/B00N8QM6QO/?tag=toolguyd-20
Plus, Freud/Diablo is owned by the same company, and so there’s a good chance that Bosch router bits come from the same assembly line.
It’s good that you scored once-in-a-lifetime deals, but that doesn’t help anyone else looking for lower pricing on router bits right not.
My best router bit deal was a 13pc Freud set from Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Freud-91-100-13-Piece-Hi-Density-Carbide/dp/B0000225YX/?tag=toolguyd-20 when it was on sale for $126 in September 2007. It also came with a free Dremel engraver that I don’t think I ever used.
James
Bosch router bits are made in Taiwan. They are probably made in the same factory as Vermont American. The Freud/Diablo tooling I would assume is made in the original facility’s in Italy. I think they are one of the few company’s that actually make thier carbide.
Might be a good article for you to do some time. I think most carbide is from Sandvik in Sweden, Dinmar Group (Amana in the US), Freud, and China. The China carbide scares me and don’t mess with it.
For carbides I use
Router: Whiteside or Amana (sometimes CMT).
Shaper: Dimensions in Tooling
Blades: W.D. Quinn
CNC: Misenheimer mainly, and a few Amana.
DAVID
I have a bunch of Diablo 1/2″ bits and have been pleased. I built my Red Oak kitchen cabinets with only Diablo router bits, and they cut clean and haven’t chipped or shown any wear. FWIW, many were made in Italy.
DAVID
Whoops! Sorry, my bits are Freud, not Diablo. Same color, different company.
Stuart
Diablo is a Freud company. When it comes to router bits, I can’t tell the two brands apart.
DAVID
Same here, apparently.
Rod Wolfy
I think it’s more point-of-sale. I found Diablo at HD, but Freud is at the higher end woodworking stores (Woodcraft, Highland Hardware, etc).
DAVID
Rocker, in my case.
Charles
Diablo is considered, and in my experience is, Freuds “2d quality” line. I find them generally solid, but not what I’d buy when I really cared.
As opposed to Avanti, their 3rd quality line, which is junk
Stuart
Freud is generally the fine woodworking brand, and Diablo the construction accessories brand. Avanti is generally considered to be the “value” line these days.
Andrew
My experiences with MLCS has been so good I suggest anybody shop there. They are a really good company who deserves our business.
MoogleMan3
Same, but their router bits do not stay sharp for very long. Their eagle america bits are a different story; most of them are made by whiteside.
fred
MLCS has a brand they call Katana that they promote as their premium line.
My preference for bits are USA-Made Whiteside especially for bits that I use a lot. But I’ve had no problem with made in Italy bits by Freud. I did have an issue with a CMT (also made in Italy) rabbeting bit that seemed to get dull quickly. I’ve also had good luck with Amana (made in Israel) and Southern Tool (USA made) trim bits.
Clay
Is at $90 now.
ToolTrader
Those are third party listings and not being sold directly by Bosch/Freud/Diablo or even WalMart for that matter. Walmart.com has third party sellers just like Amazon and Ebay and take a cut of what’s sold on the site.
Stuart
See the screenshot: “Sold and Shipped by Walmart.”
Craig
I just bought a few sets from Sommerfeld tools. Bits are clearly made overseas (Asia?) but seem to be pretty good quality so far. They offer a pretty complete line focused mainly on cabinet making. I also like Bosch and Freud bits. I try to steer clear of no name generic brands. Given a choice when looking for a new router bit, I prefer to check to see if Whiteside offers what I’m looking for first. They are made in the USA and are good quality.
fred
Here’s what I know about the COO of the router Bits that I have – which of course is subject to change – as companies often move production around :
Amana – Israel and USA
Bosch – Israel, USA and China
CMT – Italy
Eagle America – USA
Freud – Italy
Infinity Cutting Tools – Unspecfied and USA
Katana (a MLCS brand) – Taiwan
Kempston – Taiwan
Lee Valley – Taiwan
Magnate – Unspecified
Milwaukee – Italy
MLCS – China
Oldham – USA
Onsrud – USA
Peachtree Woodworking – Taiwan
Porter Cable – Taiwan and USA
Price Cutter (Eagle America) – China, Taiwan and USA
Rockler – Taiwan
Ryobi – China
Southeast Tool – USA
Stone Mountain – China
Tideway – China
Trend Routing – Israel and Unspecified
Whiteside – USA
Woodline – USA
Woodtek – Taiwan
Yonico – Unspecified
Alex
why a diff shank size for the all the bits? usually they will stay with one shank size for a kit
James C
Yeah that’s kinda goofy. If I have a 1/2″ router then I’d rather buy all 1/2″ bits if I can help it (less chatter, better cooling, etc). If I have a 1/4″ router then that 1/2″ bit is essentially a paperweight. If I already have both size routers then it’s very unlikely this combo is going to be what I need. It’s just a weird set.
fred
Many larger corded routers for the US market still come with both 1/4 and 1/2 inch collets . The selection of 1/2 inch shank only for the rabbeting bit – but 1/4 inch for the roundover and other bits does seem odd. Maybe it was an issue of price. But a rabbeting bit does tend to get used hogging out material – so maybe a beefier shank for it factored into its selection.
Don Julio
I picked up this DR89100 set today at Ace for $89.99 less a 20% Ace Rewards coupon, so $71.99 plus tax. All of the shanks are 1/4” and the-pictures on the packaging reflect that, unlike the Walmart set pictured in the original post.
There were two dust covered sets in the store and the salesman who unlocked the peg hook for me said I was I was the first to buy one since they were brought in for a 2019 reset.
So apparently there are two versions of the Diablo DR89100 router bit set out there, one with all 1/4” shanks, and one with the odd 1/2” shank. Hmmm…