Before this purchase I forgot what premium cutters are. I usually get by with inexpensive, smaller profile cutters. Their hardness and cutting precision work flawlessly and are mostly reusable. But when it comes to high performance cutters that are either large mass or large diameter like this Freud cutter - a big gun - hardness/cut is not as important as BALANCE. It's a huge bit, and any cheaper bit would rattle right out of the router table and shake screws, but not this pristine Freud bit. When turned on, I could stand a quarter on edge on the countertop - not the slightest vibration, and hence silence. Not to mention that one pass on each side was all it took for a custom made 5/4 white oak crown - it came out completely finished with no cracks. With large bits, precise balancing is best!