Tools tipped with tungsten carbide have the following advantages:
1. They can be produced at a nominal cost by any good machinist;
2. They can be autoclaved thus ensuring quicker and more through sterilization;
3. They retain their cutting edge for years without being sharpened;
4. They can be sharpened on an inexpensive readily obtainable, silicon-carbide grinding wheel; they need no honing.
However, they do have the disadvantage of chipping easily if they are ground to fine-feather edge. If they are properly ground, the tools will not chip unless they are dropped or are grossly mishandled.