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Best drill bit

Featured Replies

I have been buying HF drill bits (general purpose) and lately even when sharpened in Drill Doctor are not that great. What is a good brand set to buy that will do wood and metal? Do not do a lot of metal but do not want to change bits in the middle of one hole.

My metal drilling set is the 29 piece Dewalt cobalt set. Stock #DD4069. They're ok for wood but, no brad points. 

I have a couple of older sets of the H-F which were pretty decent. Most of my sets are made-up from orphans purchased at close-outs, flea markets and yard sales.  The remainder were purchased one-offs to replace a broken or burnt bit. Not sure of the quality anymore, but I've had good luck with Vermont American. If you can find a Century dealer, they make really good bits. Many of my one-offs are Century.

 

Don't threaten to put me on a  cross but I got some Ironton bits from Northern that to my surprise have done rather well.  The kit even had extras of common sizes.  Got them on sale for $10 last summer, bought 5 sets.  Used at work and have yet to break one, or have to sharpen them.

Edited by Woodbutcherbynight

6 hours ago, Gerald said:

What is a good brand set to buy that will do wood and metal?

if you want to move to the head of the class for USA made - Fuller Tools, Norseman, and Montana,....

Good places to shop for more USA made - Alfa Tools, and Travers ....

HF is not your friend here... 

 

did I mention I had a lot of VOE w/ these companies...

 

P1010431.JPG.6a34779901e9428df24fdd48933a7bde.JPG P1010432E.jpg.280ff123db03c7ceb92a8d3bb3d52f19.jpg

Edited by Stick486

  • Popular Post
6 minutes ago, Stick486 said:

HF is not your friend here...

They send me coupons, and give me free stuff.  Pretty good friend to me.  Beats family, you get what a tie or some cologne?. :throbbinghead:

Just now, Woodbutcherbynight said:

you get what a tie or some cologne?. 

I get ignored...

10 minutes ago, Stick486 said:

I get ignored...

I'm with ya on that Stick.   

  • Author

Thanks for the ideas .Have to look harder at the ones Stick suggested

1 hour ago, Dadio said:

Go Harbor Freight !!!!

you know there is a very short list as to where they can go...

On 1/17/2019 at 11:04 PM, Stick486 said:

you know there is a very short list as to where they can go...

By the recent map looks lkike they have gone everywhere, even to the moon.

Herb

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Author
  • Popular Post

@Stick486 I got a set of 21 bits in the Alfa brand and if they are as good as they look will be great.

  • Popular Post

I have thousands of drill bits. For years I would go to Boeing Surplus,(not there anymore), and buy them for $.50/ lbs. They had these huge steel tubs on the floor crammed full of misc. drill bits. I would take my drill gauges down, fraction,#, and letter, and sit and pick and measure drill bits then take them up and they would weigh them.

If I wanted special sizes they had a tool room in the back you could get them ,the prices were very low.

These are the best bits money can buy and they were all sharp. Many had a #40 pilot built right into the end of the bit. That was more or less standard for them.

I also have a few indexed sets I squired over the years.

Herb

2 hours ago, Gerald said:

@Stick486 I got a set of 21 bits in the Alfa brand and if they are as good as they look will be great.

US or import???

I heard once that some drill bit mfr only hardened a couple of sizes of bits and let the rest go.  "Most people only use the 1/8, 1/4, and 7/16 so that's all we harden."

  • Author
20 hours ago, Stick486 said:

US or import???

USA Blitz

20 minutes ago, Gerald said:

USA Blitz

I've used them...

pretty decent blades...

  • 1 year later...

I specialize in junkyard bits... I'll never need to buy a bit...

 

All bits small.jpg

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