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Double Bass Herdim endpin reamer vs. cheaper altermatives

james condino

james condino

Spruce dork
Commercial User
Sep 30, 2007
5,444
13,485
asheville, nc
www.condino.com
#1
I really, really, really need a new endpin reamer for the workbench, but the price of the nice Herdim model is pretty steep, around $400 or more, especially if you go for the giant cello-bass model ($600+!!!). Can anyone comment on the functional difference between the Herdim straight vs. spiral cut model? Also, what about the $135 US made model that Howard Core sells vs. the flood of sub $100 models from China that are all over Epay?

j.
 
#2
I can't comment on the quality of the other brands, but I can comment on the spiral cut reamers. They cut faster and can adjust a crooked a hole more easily. Because of this, it can be easy to make a straight hole crooked accidentally with one. I generally prefer using the spiral cut one over the straight reamer we have, but you do need to be more careful with it. I use a cheap cello reamer for doing laborie endpins. The reamer works fine, but for how little I use it, it's already showing signs of dulling. My guess is that will be the big difference with the cheaper ones is how quickly they wear out.
 
#4
I bought a spiral cut bass endpin reamer from a Chinese seller on Ebay for less than $100 delivered. I put a much longer handle on it and it works very nicely BUT - it isn't quite big enough at the fat end to make a hole that fits my favourite Met Music endpin sockets... GRRR! :(
 
#5
Jake deVilliers said:
I bought a spiral cut bass endpin reamer from a Chinese seller on Ebay for less than $100 delivered. I put a much longer handle on it and it works very nicely BUT - it isn't quite big enough at the fat end to make a hole that fits my favourite Met Music endpin sockets... GRRR! :(
Click to expand...

I, too, have a favorite Met Music endpin ($20, takes a 5/8ths rod which can be switched out with different wood dowels) and my nice set of three reamers that I previously mentioned aren't big enough at the wide end either. Since you brought it up... How do you ( or anyone else) deal with this?
 
#6
360guy said:
I, too, have a favorite Met Music endpin ($20, takes a 5/8ths rod which can be switched out with different wood dowels) and my nice set of three reamers that I previously mentioned aren't big enough at the wide end either. Since you brought it up... How do you ( or anyone else) deal with this?
Click to expand...

That's easy - I borrow the Herdim reamer from the store! ;)
 
#7
james condino said:
I really, really, really need a new endpin reamer for the workbench, but the price of the nice Herdim model is pretty steep, around $400 or more, especially if you go for the giant cello-bass model ($600+!!!). Can anyone comment on the functional difference between the Herdim straight vs. spiral cut model? Also, what about the $135 US made model that Howard Core sells vs. the flood of sub $100 models from China that are all over Epay?

j.
Click to expand...

Since this will be a professional's tool, go with the best you can afford. These days I see many, many cellos and basses with endblocks made out of Grade C- spruce with heavy grains that cause the straight reamer to chatter. The spiral reamer is by far the smoothest, but as someone else pointed out, it is also easier to misalign the hole with one of these. I still use my old straight reamer to correct holes that are aimed in the wrong direction. I can coax new life out of the straight reamer with slipstones, but not the spiral reamer, so I treat it like it was made of glass. If your reamers are really old, you might find that the newest models are a little longer and also that they overlap, making it easy to transition from a cello endpin reamer to a bass reamer when you need to.
 
#8
Jake deVilliers said:
I bought a spiral cut bass endpin reamer from a Chinese seller on Ebay for less than $100 delivered. I put a much longer handle on it and it works very nicely BUT - it isn't quite big enough at the fat end to make a hole that fits my favourite Met Music endpin sockets... GRRR! :(
Click to expand...

If you have a lathe, you can set it up so you can cut an endpin down while still maintaining the same taper. Whenever possible, I try to do this when I install an endpin so that in the future, the hole doesn't have to be bushed when a new one is needed.
 
#9
James,i bought a couple of them from e-Bay Chinese shops and both work perfectly. Though ia am not a professional luthier i had many chances to use them, either restoring some instruments or with some basses bought unvarnished from the maker. So far they perform well. I tried also a spiral German made reamer, which cuts wood like butter but the prohibitive cost (210 euros) turned me away.
 
#10
I bought a chinese spiral one too, it is perfectly big enough for the big Metropolitan endpins. It had a pretty maple handle on it, but I took this off and now use the tool in my powerful battery drill like a huge drill bit. Given that I use this tool for enlarging or correcting existing endpin holes, the relatively short handle is fine, I have plenty of control as long as the torque is there.

It squeaks and squeals like a stuck pig though ...

And one day I will buy a better one.

For enlarging the very small endpin holes found on CCBs and Kays, I use a modified spade bit with a dowel guide, then finish with the spiral reamer.
 
#15
I borrowed a straight cut, lower priced model, with three cutting edges and the solid round on one side from another luthier today to give it a little test run on a new hole in a recently installed spruce block replacement. It chattered, it didn't make even cuts on all three blades at the same time, it was about 1/4" too short, and it took almost 45 minuted of forearm wracking to make the cut....but in the end, it did make a pretty solid cut with no movement in the fit and I found that the straight cut with the solid half allowed me to make fairly easy adjustments to the angle and alignment. After I ran out of length, I was able to complete the last 1/4" by wrapping the tool with adhesive backed sandpaper for a couple of wraps and it worked quite well. I tried it with unbacked sandpaper first, and it just turned the paper into a mess and didn't do much good. I finished the job by using a hard maple dowel that I made on the lathe with the correct taper that was again wrapped with adhesive backed sandpaper. Not exactly a smooth high finesse job that I would want to do every day. It also took a lot of time and would wipe out my elbow if I had to do it daily. With a good sharp reamer that worked well, it should have been a five minute job. An hour a session adds up to a lot of bench time.

As a quick tip, a friend of mine suggested that if I ran into too much chatter to lightly wet the surface of the area I was reaming. This worked VERY well and allowed any of the irregular or chatter surfaces to be cut away and corrected everything into a clean cut within a couple of turns.

I'm still very curious about the $135 US model that Howard core sells. Has anyone had much luck taking one to a machine shop and getting the lower priced ones cleaned up and sharpened properly?

I'd still like the $600+ Herdim, but that hurts the wallet for such a specialty tool that only cuts a fresh new block hole a couple of times a year....

Thanks for everyone's input. The answer seems to be uniform- everyone wishes they had the nice model, and the agreement seems to be that it works quite well, but nobody wants to splurge for it....

j.
 
#16
Usually if a reamer is chattering then it's dull (or you're running it too fast in a machine). Peghole reamers are a different story but for endpin reamers it seems like straight flutes almost always work just fine.

I don't think the $600 cello/bass endpin reamer is necessary because you can simply run an Irwin type step drill into a smaller hole until the reamer starts( i.e Kay bass) or start with a cello endpin reamer. I suggest the Metropolitan reamer. You won't have to worry about bad geometry or lousy steel - the grinding shop they use is in the U.S. and they do a great job. It's big enough for the 32 mm Ulsa Massiv endpin plug. Plus you're supporting a company that supports research and development in luthier tools.
 
#18
Ha, found it!
 

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