I'm tired of crappy drill bits. What set should I buy?

I'm tired of having horrible harbor freight drill bits.

What set is worth the money?

Is there a cheap solution for sharpening them? I tried the bench grinder thing and I find it to be near impossible.

All drill bits will dull, some faster than others. HSS ( high speed steel[I think]) are the standard. Anything less than that is built for wood. There are a million different super (advertised) bits out there, some that are actually better, some that are gimmicks.

Either buy a drill doctor, or get someone to teach you how to sharpen a bit. Its the only way to go.

Lately, I'm using lots of 3/16 bits to drill rivet holes....using so many of them, in fact, that I've had an epiphany:

Drill bits are like sand paper. Nobody mourns the loss of sand paper when they use it.

I was drilling out a broken bolt yesterday with some old, dull drill bits from my tool box and got nowhere but frustrated in 30 minutes. Fed up, I drove two blocks to Lowes, bought a set of titanium coated bits and went home. That broken bolt was drilled out in less than 1 minute.

JoeyM is right, just buy better than decent drill bits periodically and throw the old ones away when they start to dull.

I've had good luck with Bosch and Milwaukee bits. Watch the speed going into metal and most bits will last longer. If you are drilling a bunch, some ATF makes for decent cutting oil.

I'm lucky to get a couple holes with the HF ones before they dull out. I do OK with their step bits, but eventually wear them out too.

Cobalt impregnated bits seem to last longer, but they still dull over time too.

It seems to be common practice to go overboard on speed and feed with drill bits and call them crap when dull quickly. Another one is skipping the pilot hole phase(s) and going right to the full size hole. I'm guilty of both more often than I care to admit.

Use a cooling compound to keep them sharper longer

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MONROE-COOL-TOOL-Cutting-Tapping-Fluid-Container-Size-Gallon-MFR-03-102-/320874653939?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab59ea8f3

Back to the drill Doctor. I probably have hundreds of drill bits laying around. I just can not bring my self to toss them as I can sharpen them. I use it do it with a bench grinder I had. It had a cores and a fine stone on it. However my shop was broken into and that was one of the items that was stolen.

SO. I have been looking at the drill doctor but they are not exactly a cheep disposable tool. Anyone have one / use one? Are they worth it?

I must have gotten the "good" box of HF bits, IIRC $7.99 with coupon, because I still have all of them working just fine. But then again, I try to provide some kind of lubrication and cooling to the bit whenever possible.

Maybe we could turn this into a "learn me proper drill bit use and maintenance" thread.

I'm realizing now that I have more than enough quality bits in the house, they have just never been cared for.

Norseman bits.

And go buy yourself a bottle of "rapid tap"

Shawn

Trans_Maro wrote: Norseman bits. And go buy yourself a bottle of "rapid tap" Shawn

This

Snap On makes nice bits geared toward the automotive lifestyle. Of course, they cost Snap On prices too.

All you guys need to take a basic machine shop night class. The first things you will learn are how to use a file, a hacksaw, and all about sharpening drill bits. Seriously. Nobody- and I mean nobody- that hasn't been trained does those things properly. Once you have learned how to sharpen a drill bit, you will never forget.

I still have my original set of bits from about 1985, other than the ones I've lost, or the small ones that break off. And that is in a 4 man working shop.

I've got some titanium coated drill bits I've been using for 5 years or so that have held a pretty good edge. In general the ones coated in heavy metals like cobalt go a lot further than some cheap steel ones.

What I have learned from drilling out hundreds of titanium screws is that a lubricant helps to maintain the edge of a drill bit even on the cheap ones. I would break 4 or 5 bits drilling out screws sometimes. I finally got our stock room to get me some Boelube. Afterwards the cheap bits would last 4 or 5 screws. Boelube is about 3 bucks for 1.5oz of the solid tube (the one you want so you can just dip your bit in it). That and it's non toxic unlike the smoke generated from using AeroKroil (yes I have read the label).

Also, if you are drilling out phillips screws don't make the mistake a lot of people do. You want to drill out the cross before drilling into the body of the screw. Most people will stick that #30 drill bit on the cross of the quarter inch screw and on the first rotation break off the cutting edges of the bit.

I have multiples in my most commonly used sizes from Precision Twist Drill from Amazon. I take care of them with cutting oil and only use them for steel or aluminum on my drill press or lathe.

I also have a few "sets" of the $7.99 grab bag from Harbor Freight. These disposable bits are used for wood and other more reckless projects.

Finally, I have a set of Cobalt bits for hard to drill metals like stainless.

In reply to Taiden:

You can order some very good quality bits to put holes in just about any material from MSC www1.mscdirect.com, but you just have to be willing to pay for them. We just ordered some 3/16" solid carbide Guhring bits for work. They were $60/ea.

It amazes me how many trades people don't know how to properly use drills, saw blades and hole saws... they go thru em like popcorn.

Proper speed plus cooling will last a long time