A micro end mill includes a shank made of a first material and a cutting tip made of a second, different material that is bonded to the shank. The first material can be, for example, carbide or high speed steel (HSS), and the second material can be, for example, cubic boron nitride (CBN), polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN), ceramic or polycrystalline diamond (PCD). The micro end mill is manufactured by producing a billet made of Superhard material using laser radiation, bonding the billet to a shank of the end mill, and removing material from the billet using laser radiation to produce a cutting tip made of the Superhard material. The laser radiation may comprise a laser beam encased in a water jet or a laser beam with a non-Gaussian intensity profile.