The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of adhesive primers (APs) applied to Co-Cr and Ni-Cr metal alloys on the bond strength of resin cements to alloys.Eight cementing systems were evaluated, consisting of four resin cements (Bistite II DC, LinkMax, Panavia F 2.0, RelyX Unicem) with or without their respective APs (Metaltite, Metal Primer II, Alloy Primer, Ceramic Primer). The two types of dental alloys (Co-Cr, Ni-Cr) were cast in plate specimens (10 x 5 x 1 mm(3)) from resin patterns. After casting, the plates were sandblasted with aluminum oxide (100 microm) and randomly divided into eight groups (n = 6). Each surface to be bonded was treated with one of eight cementing systems. Three resin cement cylinders (0.5 mm high, 0.75 mm diameter) were built on each bonded metal alloy surface, using a Tygon tubing mold. After water storage for 24 hours, specimens were subjected to micro-shear testing. Data were statistically analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's studentized range test.The application of Metal Primer II resulted in a significantly higher bond strength for LinkMax resin cement when applied in both metal alloys. In general, the cementing systems had higher bond strengths in Co-Cr alloy than in Ni-Cr.The use of AP between alloy metal surfaces and resin cements did not increase the bond strength for most cementing systems evaluated.