Champion CT5-5 Tungsten, 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 (2/9/2012):
The featured review for this product, Champion CT5-5 Tungsten Carbide Tipped 5-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 2, 2010
Filed under: Reviews
Reviews (3)
B. Stenman
April 20th, 2010 at 1:09 am
OK Japanese grade hole cutter
Rated 3 stars.
AutoGatePros
April 26th, 2010 at 4:12 am
Great Hole Saw - Paid for itself with 1st Use
I bought this little drill 1-3/4 "holes 3 / 16 in. mild steel. The last time we needed to 1-3/4 inches, I sent the work to a manufacturer who has a magnetic drill for the job. It cost me about $ 75.00 for 4 holes drilled. Now I can make these large holes myself and I save $ 75.00 each time. The few large works, even with a cordless drill. Just keep cool with a cutting fluid. Jim - AutoGatePros
Peter Mitchell
May 7th, 2010 at 11:43 pm
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.
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