Champion CT5-11/16, OK Japanese grade hole..
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OK Japanese grade hole cutter
The Champion hole cutters are being made in Japan so they are Japanese in origin as well as at the “Japanese” quality level - which is considered the bottom tier for TCT hole cutters. Designed for light duty use in metal it is a big step up from a bi-metal hole saw though that is true for almost any hole cutter.
Cuts stainless steel sheet relatively well though important always with stainless to use an extremely low RPM, otherwise the stainless steel will temper and become harder as you try to cut it. By extremely low I mean 200 RPM at most and 100 RPM is better.
This particular hole cutter is meant for cutting sheet steel that is 3/16 inch or about 5mm thick. The pilot bit is removable but the diameter is not a common one nor is the length for pilot bits readily available in the USA so a good idea to exercise caution and not take a chance of breaking it.
Most TCT hole cutters like this come in a plastic storage case that includes a hex wrench for the set screw used to secure the pilot bit. Not so with the Champion hole cutters which come in a blister pack so you need to find a box to store the hole cutter and hex wrench when it is not in use.
Update (2/8/2012):
The featured review for this product, Champion CT5-11/16 Tungsten Carbide Tipped 11/16-Inch Hole Cutter 3/16-Inch Thin Metal Tools & Hardware, was written by B. Stenman.
The average rating for this item is out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.
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Posted on: June 24, 2010
Filed under: Reviews
Reviews (3)
B. Stenman
May 24th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
OK Japanese grade hole cutter
Rated 3 stars.
Peter Mitchell
June 3rd, 2010 at 8:39 am
high price for Japanese tool
We cut a lot of holes in stainless steel and had been using German made tungsten carbide hole cutters and hoped the ones from Champion would work as well as they were easier to order. When they arrived I saw that they are made in Japan and a much lighter duty design than the ones we were getting from Germany. Though the Champion Japanese TCT hole cutters are better than a high speed steel bi-metal hole saw (almost anything is) they do not compare with the ones from Europe or even the ones from China that are made to European standards.
I found out that the Chinese produce both “European” grades that are considered heavy duty and the “Japanese” grade that is normal or light duty. The cost of the European grade hole cutters from China is a lot less than the Japanese grade light duty hole cutters from Champion. There is a very visible difference in the construction of the light duty hole cutters like the ones from Champion and the heavy duty European grade hole cutters.
We used the Champion CT5 and CT7 hole saws until we could get new European grade ones to replace them. I do a calculation of dollars per hole to determine which hole cutter provides the best deal. On that basis the bi-metal and carbide hole saws come in dead last and these Champion hole cutters are in the middle of the pack.
Michael Winters
June 7th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
good light duty hole cutter for thin metal
From the price I expected a heavy duty hole cutter for metal but saw immediately that the Champion are really a light duty carbide hole cutter with very small carbide tips. It cuts a lot better than a bi-metal hole saw and costs less on a holes per dollar measurement but having used real heavy duty hole cutters from German the difference is substantial.
Hard to understand why no one is selling even a medium grade TCT hole cutter in the USA. The Champion CT5 is made in Japan and one would think that the quality would be high but it is not as good as the TCT hole cutters from Taiwan or China.
It cuts alright in steel sheet so long as it is 16 gauge or thinner. On stainless it will cut efficiently if the RPM is kept very low - like around 400 RPM or less for most sizes. Lubricant also minimizes the tempering nature of stainless steel and improves cutting performance markedly.
Unfortunate that the choices are between these Champion hole cutters and the ones from Ideal (which cost less but are of no better quality and harder to find to buy).
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