Buy Files by the Box: A Good Deal
There's nothing like a nice new sharp file. For that matter, there's nothing like an old dull dead one. Some time ago I discovered the advantage of buying files by the box. If you get them through a regular tool supplier, they may cost about half as much as they do one at a time in the hardware store. I always buy only the "mill bastard" which is by far the most popular shape and cut. They cost a lot less than the others, so I can afford the full box. I get them in six, eight, and ten inch lengths. Work comes out better if you replace the dull file rather than push it harder because you don't happen to have a better one.