The paper deals with the issue of cutting edge preparation and tool treatment before the coating and their influence on the tool life of coated cutting tools. The aim was to examine the influence of cutting edge radius sizes on the tool life of cemented carbide turning inserts. Theoretical analysis was focussed on the issue of cutting edge microgeometry, discussing the classification and importance of cutting edge microgeometry. The most famous and used edge preparation methods are summarized in article along with the results of current research of famous tool companies and institutions. In this article, the tool lives of cemented carbide turning inserts which were prepared by several methods were compared. Cemented carbide turning inserts were deposited by AlCrSiN nanocomposite hard coating. Long-term tool live tests were carried out on DMG CTX alpha 500 turning centre. The tool wear of cemented carbide turning inserts was measured on Dino-Lite digital microscope during the turning. The tool lives of prepared cemented carbide turning inserts with required cutting edge radius and unprepared ones were compared. These results were investigated in the process of machining of austenitic stainless steel material X6CrNiTi18-10 by DIN EN (AISI 321), which shows higher strain hardening tendency.