Abstract Texturing on tools is thought to improve cutting performance by increasing tool life and reducing process forces by reducing friction between the tool and the chip, and in between the tool and the machined surface. This paper tests this hypothesis for finish turning of a hardened bearing steel using twelve differently textured PcBN tools. Of the twelve textured tools, five have textures on their rake face, three have them on the flank face below the nose, three more have textures on the flank face below the secondary cutting edge, and one has textures on the chamfer of the cutting edge. Textures of varying orientation, size, and spacing were fabricated using a laser and a focused ion beam. Cutting experiments were conducted dry at a fixed speed and feed and with chamfered low-CBN content tools. Experiments reveal that cutting performance characterized by tool life, process forces, and workpiece surface quality is relatively independent of the texture shape, size, orientation, spacing, and location. Significant crater wear was observed for cutting with all tools. Textures in the vicinity of the crater hastened wear, whereas textures away from the crater did not significantly influence cutting performance. Measured chip morphologies and their saw-tooth like characteristics were observed to be independent of texture type, as was the amount of chip adhesion on the tool’s surface. Our analysis suggests that finish turning of the hardened bearing steel of interest using textured PcBN tools might not be the panacea to improving cutting performance. Though our results contribute to a nuanced understanding of how textures influence cutting performance, since our observations run contrary to expectations, further investigations are warranted to understand the role of changing cutting conditions, tool geometry, grade of the PcBN tool, and method of making the texture.