On Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:21:26 -0500, Paul K. Dickman wrote:

"Pete C." wrote in message
...

Karl Townsend wrote:

On Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:59:19 -0600, "Pete C."
wrote:


Physically they are a comparable size and material quantity as a
similar tap or similarly sized end mill, only the geometry of them is
really different. Since all these tools are presumably produced on
the same multi axis CNC grinders, why the cost difference? Is it just
because they are newer technology?

Your underlying assumption that sales price is related to production
cost is incorrect. Fortunately many machinists put expensive company
tooling in their pocket and sell on eBay.

Karl

Actually my underlying assumption is/was that the production cost was
about the same for all three and that the selling price of the thread
mills was jacked up because they're new-ish and trendy.

It's supply and demand.
They probably sell a million taps for every thread mill, the competition
is plentiful, and most of the R&D was done in the 19th century. That
keeps the price of taps down to not a lot more than the cost of
material, while the price of thread mills is whatever the free market
will bear.

Which, in turn, means that when the Chinese or Indians figure out how to
make them, the price should go down.

--
My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook.
My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook.
Why am I not happy that they have found common ground?

Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Software
http://www.wescottdesign.com