Do I need expensive drill bits?

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,

I don't do that much drilling, and I don't do any drilling of metal, just wood, so do I need to pay a lot for so-called "quality" drill bits, and if so, why? I have a benchtop drill press and the usual assortment of cordless and corded hand drills. Most of the drill bits that I have are from HF. They seem fine to me, but maybe there's something that I'm missing.

Comments?
Louis

[tyler mckenzie]

If they work for you why change? Drill bit tear out freaks me out, so i only buy the best, Lee Valley lipped brad points.

[Bruce Page]

I guess it depends on what you do. Brad point bits are the best way to go when drilling wood, IMO.
I have the Lee Valley set also.

[Will Overton]

With cheaper brad point bits, the point isn't always centered. That kinda hurts accuracy. I use Forrest City brad points. They are made in the USA. The company is owned by William and Bobbie Whiteside, of router bit fame. :)

[Darnell Hagen]

+1 for Lee Valley brad points. They cut a clean unsupported exit hole, if you're careful you can catch the little thin doughnut made by the centre and scoring spurs.

Put it this way, buy one and try it. Then you'll know.

[Alan Schwabacher]

If you use twist bits, cheaper ones can be OK if they are straight. But brad points are nice because you can position the hole more accurately, and the entry is cleaner. Cheap brad points frequently have their points uncentered, which totally removes any advantage of a brad point bit.

You can get beautiful results with twist bits in wood, but it's a 3-step process. First, use a punch to locate the hole, and drill with small diameter bit. Next, use a bit slightly smaller than the desired hole to drill, and the small hole will direct the bit to the right spot without wandering. Last, shave off only a little material with the proper sized bit. Compare the resulting hole with one drilled in one shot, both for cleanliness and accurate positioning.

Of course you don't always need holes this clean, round, carefully positioned and accurately sized. But a good sharp brad point should do it in a single step.

[Terry Welty]

I've got these from Rockler... really nice bits... they were on sale for $29.99...

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10627

[Peter Quinn]

Depends entirely on what you are doing. If you are drilling lots of holes, a good HSS bit will have more legs than a cheaper carbon steel bit. If you are drilling holes in places that will be highly visible in fine work then some quality bits might be just the thing. If you are drilling a few blind holes for shop related projects, maybe a higher priced set is in fact a waste of your money. Only you can answer this question for you.

I can tell you that like any cutting tool, with drill bits you get what you pay for in terms of quality. Unlike most cutting tools often any old bit that will make a hole will do, but sometimes not.

[Van Huskey]

If it ain't broke don't fix it. That said if it is for drilling or boring wood I only buy Colt.

[Don Alexander]

the first hole you drill with a quality bit will answer the question for you :)

you will wonder how you ever drilled anything with cheapo bits or you will wonder why anyone would spend the extra money on the better bits

either way you will have your answer :)

[Kevin Gregoire]

I've got these from Rockler... really nice bits... they were on sale for $29.99...

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10627

i got the same set as terry when they were on sale and i love them. great price and they seem like great quality and i love the storage box.

i also have a nice set of forstener bits too for drilling some bigger holes, but i have been using my set of metal bits that i sharpened myself before leaving my last job and they have been working great but i need to completely switch to the brad points.

[Chip Lindley]

I'm with Don! A nice set of HSS bradpoint bits will last you indefinately! Cheapo carbon steel bits dull quickly. (even in wood) If you can swear you will never do any metal drilling in your lifetime, a bradpoint set is all you need. But, then there are always the Forstners....

[Frank Drew]

I bought some cheapass brad point bits once that would not cut, they simply would not penetrate the wood (and no, I wasn't running in reverse). Totally useless.

[Ray McCullie]

Only point I would bring out here is how often do they break? I mean I have a DeWalt drill and use DeWalt bits, mostly. I've had a few break or bend on me over the years and even the driver bits break. They aren't cheap but they aren't pricey either. So the real question is, how often do you want to replace them?

Here's an idea, buy one "good" bit and one "cheap" bit, drill some test holes, side by side. Then you'll find out if the price is worth it or not.

[Louis Brandt]

Well, I understand that you get what you pay for, but how much do you really have to pay to get a good set of quality brad point bits? I just checked the Lee Valley website for a set of brad point bits, and they show a 28 piece set for $175. Harbor Freight sells a set of 29 brad point bits for $7.99. I guess that my question is, do you get that much more for $175?

[Gary Herrmann]

Buy the HF set. Then buy one LV bit and compare the bit and the quality of the cut. Then you'll know the answer.

[Chip Lindley]

No need to spend $175! I found an HSS 25pc. set--1/8" to 1/2" by 1/64" increments at MLCS, for $44.95. But, a 25-pc set is probably overkill. Most of those bits will never be used in *just woodworking*.

[Phil Thien]

No need to spend $175! I found an HSS 25pc. set--1/8" to 1/2" by 1/64" increments at MLCS, for $44.95. But, a 25-pc set is probably overkill. Most of those bits will never be used in *just woodworking*.

I can't live w/o brad-point bits in increments of 64th an inch. The 25/29 piece sets are required gear in my shop.

[Louis Brandt]

No need to spend $175! I found an HSS 25pc. set--1/8" to 1/2" by 1/64" increments at MLCS, for $44.95. But, a 25-pc set is probably overkill. Most of those bits will never be used in *just woodworking*.

So are you saying that the quality of the MLCS set for $44.95 is probably about equal to the quality of the Lee Valley set for $175 (clean cuts, good centering of brad point, long lasting, etc.)?

[Van Huskey]

Personally, I would not spend Lee Valley money or brad points, save the money and spend it on forstner bits, you can get very close to the best quality in brad points without breaking the bank, forstners I have found make a lot more difference when you start talking about forstners like Famag and Colt make and I may be the odd duck but I use forstners in places and ways that are a lot more critical than my brad points. I even have all the small forstners and use them when ever possible.

[Don Alexander]

Ray ;

:) pretty much what i was trying to convey tactfully hehe :)

[Don Alexander]

just remember that forstners require more drill press than bradpoints particualrly when you get into the larger forstners

maybe "more" isn't the right term but you will definitely appreciate them more with a 12 speed drill press than you willwith a 5 speed :)

[Stephen Cherry]

And the answer is, as for all tool purchases:

Yes, you need them.

[Ray McCullie]

Yeah that's a good point, brad point bits won't burn as easily as forstners will. With a forstner, you need a slow speed but a brad point can be used like a twist bit.

I think $175 is a bit over the top, unless you plan to will them to an heir. Try a set form someone descent. The main thing about HF stuff, at least what some claim, is it's dull. A dull bit is useless. On the other hand, their bit sets often seem to be the same as Steelex but don't really have much experience with that brand. I think I got a hole cutter made by them, not sure I'm brave enough to go try it again, my 5 speed can't go slow enough to stop it from burning.

[Fred Perreault]

The quality and accuracy of manufacture is certainly important, but keep in mind that they will get dull from use, and some of the less expensive bits/tools/chisels come poorly sharpened from the factory. Buy/try a more expensive bit or 2, and see how they stack up.

[Thomas Williams]

As with all tools, buy the best YOU can afford. I purchased one of the 25 or 29 piece sets from an on line router bit company that were on sale from 44.95 to 29.95. Several are not usable and others are barely usable, and a few are good. Some of the problems were brad points not centered, spurs not the same length or broken and some bits bowed over the length. I should have sent them back. They are, in my shop, utility use only. I have purchased some of the German made bits from Woodcraft for precise work on projects that seem to fit my needs.

[Phil Thien]

I own four different sets of brad-point bits.

Here is my mini-review:

(1) Rockler 7-piece set. Started with this maybe 15+ years ago. Made in Germany. Not HSS. They have seen a lot of use and have worked great.

(2) USA made set purchased some years ago from Woodworker's Supply. By 64th's but not every size included with set (they excluded sizes they thought weren't needed, how they decided I don't know...it was 12+ years ago and I was just happy to find brad point bits in more than seven sizes). I'm not sure who made these bits. They are "lipped" as I do get the donuts. They require more feed pressure than other bits, but drill nice clean holes.

(3) 29-piece Rockler HSS set. Having all bits in 64th inch increments is sometimes necessary. A couple of the bits weren't true. I got another set, a couple of those bits weren't true. I made the best set I could, and returned the other set. If they could get the quality control up, these bits would be winners.

(4) Harbor Freight set. They were like $9 or $10 at the time, how could I go wrong (:rolleyes:)? They're not HSS, but neither were the bits I started with (Rockler). They're actually very true. Sharp, too. Not a bad set at all.

The U.S.-made lipped bits drill very clean entry holes, the other bits can tear-out a little on the entry. Slowing feed during initial entry can help quite a bit. Just takes patience.

I've thought of purchasing the LV bits. That should fix me for life.