Annular Cutters: Milwaukee, Hougan Copperhead, Jestuous, Champion, Euroboor, DeWalt, Hermes, S&F, Unibor, Evolution, Steel Dragon, Slugger by Fein. Annular cutters provide a far superior finish compared to twist drill bits or hole saws. Annular cutters tested for cutting speed and durability on aluminum, mild, medium (4140), hard (spring steel) and very hard steel (AR500). For large hole sizes, annular cutters also drill much faster than using incremental twist drill size increases to achieve a hole of the same diameter. Compared to hole saw, a high quality annular cutter offers a higher quality outcome and finish. I purchased all of the annular cutters, the mag drill, and all supplies used for testing the cutters to ensure an unbiased review. So, thank you for supporting the channel.
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âž¡ Products Tested In This Video (in no particular order):
Champion:
Hougen Copperhead:
Euroboor (Drill America):
Hermes:
Evolution:
Jestuous:
Steel Dragon:
S&F:
DeWalt:
Unibor:
Slugger by Fein:
Milwaukee:
Drill Press Weldon Shank for Annular Cutters MT2 for 3/4″:
Drill Press Weldon Shank with Internal Coolant MT2 for 3/4″:
DeWalt Mag Drill:
Videography Equipment:
Sony DSC-RX10 III Cyber-shot Digital Still Camera:
Canon 70D Camera:
Azden Microphone:
Go Pro Bundle:
This video is only for entertainment purposes. If you rely on the information portrayed in this video, you assume the responsibility for the results. Project Farm LLC
We've tested hole saws as well as drill Bits but what about annular Cutters They're supposed to be far better than Both of those options especially for Larger holes let's get the testing Underway and see which brand is the best And the first test we'll see which Cutters make the quickest work of half Inch aluminum then we'll compare Performance on mild and medium hardness Metals finally we'll see which Cutters Can handle some very hard ar500 and Which ones go up in smoke at a price of 29 the least expensive annular cutter We'll be testing is made by Steel Dragon The size of the bits we'll be testing Are 15 16 inch and they all have a Three-quarter inch weld and shank Machine finished hole with no Needed when using lubricant the Steel Dragon is made of high-speed steel Cutting depth is two inches a steel Dragon does not come with a pilot pin The pilot pin has several functions Including keeping the Cutters centered Allowing coolant to flow to the Cutters Tip during Drilling and to eject the Slug after drilling made in China and a Steel dragon weighs right at 131 grams If you need to drill a large hole you Could use twist drills unfortunately This takes quite a while since you have To start off with a small drill and Gradually use a larger twist drill or
You might use a hole saw an annual Cutter is a lot like a hole saw but it's A lot more precise it leaves a cleaner Finish for most of the testing I'll be Using a one horsepower 15 inch drill Press since it offers a more controlled Feed mechanism than a MAG drill that I Recently purchased I've attached a wheel To the feet arm so that a constant Downward force can be applied since We're using a large cutter size I'll Slow the RPM down as much as possible to 250 RPM I'll use cutting oil during each Of the tests annular Cutters won't work In a regular Chuck but an annular cutter Arbor is pretty affordable I went ahead And purchased two different types of Arbors since I wasn't sure which one I Wanted to use one of them could be used With coolant and the other one I'll just Be using with cutting oil let's kick off Our first test with half inch aluminum I'll start off with 10 pounds on the Wheel with the leverage advantage that's Around 80 pounds of downward force on The annular cutter if the cutter becomes Stuck during the testing I'll release The cutter and gradually reapply the Weight and with 80 pounds of downward Force on the Cutters the Steel Dragon is Shredding the half inch aluminum and Doing a great job at chip removal 50 Seconds to make the cut at a price of 30 Is this Evolution Cyclone it includes
Both the cutter as well as the pilot pin It's made of Premium high speed steel Ever solution claims that their Cutters Last longer allowing for more holes per Dollar we're going to test that the Cutter has a one inch cutting depth the Evolution is made in China 97.96 grams For the evolution metal temperature does Impact cutting speed so I'll cool the Test pieces every time before moving on To the next brand just like the Steel Dragon the evolution is doing a great Job of chip removal and the evolution is Two seconds faster than the Steel Dragon To move into the lead at 48 seconds at a Price of 33 dollars is this uni board Brand the unibor comes with the pilot Pen made of M2 high-speed steel unique Geometry provides faster feeds less Friction and smooth whole finish is Designed for mild steel brass and Aluminum the unibor is made in UK 99.68 Grams for the unibor and the unabore Seems to be making a lot faster progress Than the steel dragon and the evolution And the more aggressive tooth pattern on The unabore made the fastest cut yet at 35 seconds at a price of 34. is this SNF Which includes the pilot pin SNF claims That their cutter is made of a super Tough high-speed steel it claims to be Designed for durability wear resistance High efficiency and Superior Service Life includes a one inch cutting depth
The SNF is made in China 100.22 grams For the SNF and the SNF is making about The same rate of progress as a steel Dragon in the evolution 49 seconds to Make the cut at a price of 42 dollars is This Hermes brand made of high-speed Steel two inch cutting depth Hermes Includes a pilot pin designed to leave a Smooth finish and excellent durability There's no information on the packaging Regarding where the Hermes brand is Manufactured 132.5 grams for the Hermes And the Hermes is making very fast Progress and is shredding the aluminum At 36 seconds that's only one second Slower than the unibor at a price of 43 Dollars is this DeWalt brand the DeWalt Does not include a pilot pin can be used To drill holes up to two inches deep Made of high-speed steel DeWalt claims That their angular cutter is fast Efficient and smooth cutting the DeWalt Brand is made in China 131.61 grams for the DeWalt and the DeWalt is also making very fast progress Just like the unibor and the Hermes 38 Seconds is good enough to move into the Third position behind the unabore at a Price of forty four dollars is this Euroboard brand unlike the other brands The urabor has carb by tips carbide tips Offer longer life and the ability to Drill through harder materials includes A pilot pen the urabor is made in
Holland 107.3 grams for the Euro bar and The eurobor has carbide teeth they may Not cut the fastest but they are Designed to last a long time and cut to Hard material 50.5 seconds to make the Cut at a price of 183 dollars for three Bets or 61 dollars each is this Champion Brand includes sizes 13 16 15 16 and 1 And 1 16. it also comes with a pilot pin Champion claims that their carbide tip Angular Cutters last two times longer They can cut through stainless steel and Ultra hard exotic Alloys we're going to Test that the cutting depth is one inch There's no information on the packaging Regarding where the champion Cutters are Made 84.34 grams for the champion just Like the euroboard the champion also has Carbide teeth and the champion is a Little bit faster than the urabor at 44 Seconds at a price of 237 dollars for 13 Cutters or 18 each is this gestuous Brand the kit also includes two pilot Pins the Jesus Cutters are made of High-speed steel designed for steel Plate aluminum brass cast iron and Stainless it claims to offer burfree Holes up to two inches in cutting depth The gestures is made in China 130.6 Grams for the gestuous and the gestures Is making about the same rate of Progress as the steel dragon in the Evolution and a gestuous is right at 46 Seconds
At a price of 269 dollars for five Cutters or fifty four dollars each is This shugen Copperhead brand includes Two pilot pins durable grade carbide Insert for extended life sizes 9 16 to 1 And 1 16 2 inch cutting depth dual Alternating tooth geometry for Aggressive cutting I'm not entirely sure But I'm pretty confident that the hugin Copperheads are made in USA 120.51 grams For the copperhead just like the yorbore And the champion the copperhead has Carbide teeth and they need a little bit More time to make the cut at 64 seconds At a price of 309 dollars for nine Cutters or thirty four dollars each is This Milwaukee brand sizes half inch to 1 and 1 16. 20 thinner wall construction For faster cutting Milwaukee claims that Their Cutters have a proprietary steel And three hardness zones The Cutting Depth is up to two inches the Milwaukee Cutters are made in Germany 123.54 grams for the Milwaukee and the Milwaukee's 20 thinner wall construction Made a huge difference 28.7 seconds is By far the fastest time yet at a price Of 362 dollars for 11 Cutters or 33 Dollars each is this Slugger that's made By fine all the Cutters made by fine Come with a protective coating made of M2 high-speed steel multiple cutting Edges that create accurate Burr free High quality holes it claims the drill
Holes three times faster than twist Drills sizes 7 16 to 1 and 1 16. the Fine brand is made in USA 97.9 grams for The fine and the Slugger is making Pretty quick work of the aluminum but Not quite as fast as the Milwaukee 39 Seconds is still a pretty fast time Compared to twist drills or hole saw Check out the incredibly smooth finish Made by the annular Cutters all the Brands did a terrific job as far as Smoothness and the evolution is 1 128 of An inch under size and a unibor is one 128 too large all the other brands are Right at 15 16 of an inch if you're Looking for an annular cutter for soft Metals the Milwaukee has a very Aggressive cutting design and made the Fastest cut in 28.7 seconds unibor Finished in second at 35 seconds Hermes 36 DeWalt 38 and Slugger 39 seconds Let's move on to 3 8 inch mild steel at 15 pounds in the feed wheel it's very Close to 110 pounds of downward force And The Cutting oil is doing a great job Of keeping the Steel Dragon cool and the Steel dragon made the cut in 31 seconds And it did experience a minor chip on One of the teeth and the evolution was Two seconds faster than the steel dragon In the first test and is six seconds Faster cutting through the mild steel at 25 seconds however the evolution did Experience a couple of chipped teeth and
The unabort made the second fastest cut In the last event and it's once again Very fast with the mild steel at 23.4 Seconds to move into the lead there Aren't any chipped teeth with a unabore But there is some wear and the SNF was About the same speed as a steel dragon And the evolution at 25.9 seconds the Cutters did experience some minor chips And some sharpness loss and the Hermes Was in the top five cutting through the Aluminum but the mild steel held it back A little bit at 28 seconds the armies Did lose some sharpness it has a couple Of chips and the DeWalt was in the top Five in the previous test but it lost a Step with the mild steel and the DeWalt Became stuck at breakthrough at 26.7 Seconds so minor wear and tear to the DeWalt and the carbide teeth on the Urobor have a much less aggressive tooth Geometry compared to the high speed Steel Cutters 29.3 seconds to make the Cut and the car by T still look look as Good as new and the champion made faster Progress than the eurobor with the Aluminum and is faster in the mild steel At 25.2 seconds and a champion still Looks as good as new and a gestuous Gained a step on the competition and Mild steel making the second fastest Time yet and only 23.7 seconds just some Very minor wear and tear to the gestuous And the copperhead made the slowest cut
In aluminum and it made the slowest cut In mild steel and 31.3 seconds however The copperhead's teeth held up very well And still look as good as new and the Milwaukee did a terrific job cutting Through aluminum but it lost a couple of Steps cutting through mild steel 28.8 Seconds unfortunately the Milwaukee Looks like it lost quite a bit of Sharpness and the Slugger made pretty Good speed cutting through the mild Steel and 25.8 seconds however the Slugger did experience a chip as well as Some sharpness loss once again all the Cutters left a very nice looking finish So much nicer finish compared to twist Drills or hole saws so the unibor came In first at 23.4 seconds but the Gestuous did almost as well at 23.7 Evolution 25 Champion 25.2 and Slugger 25.8 seconds let's move on to some Quarter inch 4140 which is quite a bit Harder than mild steel with harder steel We should add some weight so 17.5 pounds Of weight on the feed wheel is about 130 Pounds of downward Force after we cut Through 4140 and spring steel we'll come Back to the mild steel and see how much Wear and tear took place and a steel Dragon perform well cutting through the Quarter inch medium hardness steel and 14.85 seconds and the evolution is about A second faster than the Steel Dragon at 13.9 seconds to make the cut and the
Unibor continues to cut faster than the Steel dragon in the evolution making the Cut in 12.5 seconds and the SNF isn't Quite as fast as the unibore at 13.4 Seconds or about 1.5 seconds faster than The steel dragon and the Hermes moves Into a two-way tie with the SNF at 13.4 Seconds to move into second place behind The unabore and the DeWalt just made the Second fastest pass yet at 12.8 seconds Just behind the unibor and the carbide Tips on the euroboard destroyed the 4140 Steel and made the fastest time yet and Only 12.1 seconds to take the lead from The unibor and the carbide teeth on the Champion cut even faster than the urabor 11.1 seconds to take over first place And the high-speed steel Cutters on the Jestuous are beginning to lose a little Bit of speed compared to the top brands At 14.35 seconds and the carbide tooth Copperhead sunk his teeth into the 4140 But it isn't quite as fast as the Eurobor and the champion at 13.8 seconds Just like the gestures the high-speed Steel Milwaukee lost quite a bit of Speed making the cut in 13.8 seconds And the 4140 really took a toll on the Slugger causing it to lose a couple of Steps at 14.8 seconds and the Cutters Are still leaving a very clean finish And the Cutters with carbide teeth are Really beginning to shine with medium Hardness steel and the champion came out
On top at 11.1 seconds and the euroboard Finished in second at 12.1 the universe Has the high-speed steel teeth and it Finished in third at 12.5 and DeWalt 12.8 seconds spring steel is even harder Than 4140 so let's stay with 17.5 pounds On the feed wheel and see how long it Takes to cut through 7 16 spring steel And the steel dragon is really beginning To lose cutting speed as the spring Steel is inflicting damage to the high Speed Cutters 42.7 seconds to make the Cut even though at last speed I'm still Impressed with the quality and precision Of cut and there's quite a bit of Visible damage to the Cutters on the Steel dragon and the evolution is also Experiencing a performance loss cutting Through the spring steel but it's still Faster than the Steel Dragon at 38.2 Seconds and the Cutters appear to be in A little bit better shape than the steel Dragons up until now the unibor has been Faster than the steel dragon in the Evolution but the spring steel has taken A toll on the unabore 54.2 seconds or 12 Seconds slower than the steel dragon and The unabore has lost a lot of sharpness From cutting through the spring steel Just like the unibor the spring steel is Inflicting a lot of damage to the SNF Cutters 51.8 seconds to make the cut Quite a bit of visible wear and tear to The SNF and the Hermes held up well with
The 4140 and it made the fastest cut yet Through the spring steel and only 36.2 Seconds to take the lead from the Evolution however there is some visible Wear and tear to the Cutters just like With the unibor the spring steel is Really slowing down the DeWalt 53.1 Seconds is the second slowest time yet And there's quite a bit of visible wear And tear to the Cutters on the DeWalt And the euroboard is shredding the Springs deal quickly and the drill press Is struggling to make enough torque to Keep the euroboar going I had to release The bit several times which really Slowed the cut and the euroboard made The fastest cut yet in only 34 seconds And the Cutters are still very sharp Without any chips just like the eurobor The champion is shredding the spring Steel quickly and the drill press is Struggling to make enough torque to keep The champion going without a little help And a champion is even faster than the Urabor at 31 seconds very impressive and The Champions Cutters are still in great Shape just like the Steel Dragon the Gestu has lost quite a bit of cutting Speed on the spring steel at 40.5 Seconds and there's quite a bit of Visible wear to the Cutters just like The euroboard and a champion the drill Press doesn't make enough torque to keep The copperhead in action without some
Help and a copperhead ties the champion For first place at 31 seconds and the Cutters are still in very good condition And the spring steel is just way too Hard for the Cutters on the Milwaukee Unfortunately I had to stop the test and The Cutters on the Milwaukee are Completely wiped out from the spring Steel just like the uniboard the Slugger Lost a lot of cutting speed with the Spring steel finally making the cut in 54.5 seconds unfortunately the Cutters Are now in pretty poor condition so the Carbide tooth champion and the Copperhead Cutters tied for first at 31 Seconds the carbide 2 herobor was just About as fast as 34 seconds Hermes 36.2 And evolution 38.2 seconds since we're Using mild steel as our control let's Once again cut through the mild steel With the Cutters and see how much Performance loss occurs with 15 pounds Of downward force on the feed wheel in The first attempt the Steel Dragon cut Through the mild Steel in 31 seconds and It needed 35.3 seconds this time which Is a 13.9 percent loss in cutting speed And the evolution first cut through the Mild Steel in 25 seconds and it made the Cut this time at 30.1 seconds so that's About 20 percent longer this time Compared to the last and the unibor was The fastest cutter at 23.4 seconds with Mild steel and it needed 70 longer this
Time at almost 40 seconds the SNF Originally performed about the same as The evolution at 25.9 seconds and it Needs 34 percent longer to make the cut This time at 34.8 seconds any Hermes First cut through the mild Steel in 28 Seconds and it took over six seconds Longer this time at 34.3 and the DeWalt Was pretty fast through the mild Steel In the first attempt but it took 31 Percent longer to make the cut this time At 35 seconds and the urabor first cut Through the mild Steel in 29.3 seconds And it's almost as fast this time at 31.2 seconds very impressive that's only Six and a half percent slower than best Yet just like the eurobor the carbide Cutters on the champion are still very Sharp making the fastest cut yet in 27.6 Seconds or 2.4 seconds slower than the First attempt and the 4140 spring steel Really took a toll on the gestus 34.2 Seconds is 44.3 percent slower than the Baseline cut just like with the eurobor And a champion the Cutters on the Copperhead held up extremely well making The cut in 33.1 seconds or only 5.75 Slower than the Baseline unfortunately The Cutters of the Milwaukee are Finished and the Milwaukee can't make The cut and the Slugger made a pretty Quick Baseline cut at 25.8 seconds and It still made a pretty quick cut this Time at 32.8 seconds when it comes to
Annular Cutters durability is a huge Deal in the copperhead experienced the Least amount of performance loss at only 5.75 percent however the much more Affordable yerbore performed almost as Well at 6.48 and Champion 9.52 percent So the top three finishers have carbide Teeth this half inch AR 500 is designed To stop bullets and it's nearly Impossible to drill because it's so hard And work hardens quickly since the drill Press doesn't make enough torque let's Use this mag drill I'll be using coolant That's designed for use with annular Cutters to keep the metal from work Hardening I'll be applying as much much Force as the drill will allow I have to Admit I'm pretty surprised that the Steel Dragon is making such good Progress through the ar-500 and the Steel dragon finally gave up and is no Longer making progress after 40 seconds However it did make it about two-thirds Of the way through the ar-500 Unfortunately but not surprisingly the Cutters are now in pretty bad shape and The evolution has outperformed the Steel Dragon during most of the testing and It's performing very well on the ar-500 Just like the Steel Dragon the evolution Ran out of steam at around 40 seconds The hole drilled by the evolution is on The right and the evolution did make a Little bit more progress than the Steel
Dragon the Cutters are now in pretty bad Shape on half inch steel plate which is What we're using as our base support the Electromagnet on the drill has around 740 pounds of holding Force however that Wasn't enough to keep the unibor from Walking and the unibor is just too dull To take a bite out of the ar-500 and Pretty much just scratch the paint just Like the unibor the SNF is pretty much Used up and was about out of steam Before the test started however it did Make a little bit more progress than the Unibor the Cutters are in very bad shape Just like the steel dragon in the Evolution the hermit is off to a pretty Good start and the Hermes lasted around 40 seconds before progress suddenly came To a stop looking at cutting depth the Hermes finished in third place Behind The Steel Dragon and the evolution the Cutters have definitely seen better days Even with around 500 pounds of downward Force on the Cutters the duo couldn't Take a bite out of the ar-500 it made About the same amount of progress as the SNF and the Cutters are used up And the ar-500 is no longer laughing as A carbide teeth under your board begins Shredding the steel and a euroboard cut To the AR 530.1 seconds very impressive and a Carbide teeth on your bore are still in Very good condition with just a small
Amount of wear And the champion put the ar-500 on Notice immediately and went to work Ripping to the half-inch steel in only 24 seconds to take the lead from the Urabor very impressive and the Cutters On a champion are still in very good Shape with only minor wear and tear and It was pretty much over before it Started with the gestuous and the ar-500 Is just way too hard for the high-speed Steel Cutters what the Justice did leave Some claw marks it came at a pretty big Price as the ar-500 wiped out the Cutters And a copperhead sunk its fangs into the Ar-500 and Delta lethal strike and only 34.6 seconds or about 10 seconds slower Than the champion very clean hole in the Copperhead experienced only minor wear And tear to the Cutters and a Morkie is Used up but let's try it anyway other Than scratching the paint no harm to the Ar-500 in the Milwaukee Cutters are Finished and the Slugger took a final Swing at the ar-500 and it didn't go Well with the Cutters walking sideways And failing to make any progress other Than scratching the surface the ar-500 Held up just fine and the Cutters on the Slugger are wiped out for soft metals Like aluminum or mild steel the High-speed steel Cutters are just fine However for medium or hard Metals the
Performance and durability of the Carbide Cutters are simply amazing Champion definitely seems to make the Best cutter but it is very expensive for That reason I would likely go with the Eurobor if the price was right if I had To select a high-speed steel cutter for Aluminum or mild steel I would go with The evolution all the videos in this Channel including this one our viewers Suggested so if you have a video idea I Hope you'll take time to leave a comment Thanks so much for watching please take Care and look forward to next time