Best brad point bits?

[Carol Johnston]

I've recently been hired to make a product for a company which will require drilling about 2500 1/2 inch x 1 1/2" deep holes on my drill press. I've experimented with different drill bits and my brad point bit seems to work the best, although it's not a great bit. I'm sure this bit probably won't last throughout the project. Any thoughts on the best brad point bit I can buy that will last the longest? Also, does anyone have a tip on sharpening brad point bits?

Thanks for any help I can get.

[Carl Beckett]

Im assuming this is wood.

I have had good experience with the black and decker 'bullet' bits (with Ti N coating). I know you can buy singles in 1/2"

[Cary Falk]

There was a thread less than a week ago about this. Lee Valley gets high marks. I thank they will also sharpen them for you.

[Carol Johnston]

Thanks. I'll check it out.

[Greg R Bradley]

Your going to buy one size and drill a bunch of holes. I would contact W.L. Fuller and tell them exactly what you want to do and rely on them giving you the best tool for the job. www.wlfuller.com
(http://wlfuller.com)
I'm sure Lee Valley is good, but you might as well get the best item for the job.

[glenn bradley]

Lee Valley gets high marks. I thank they will also sharpen them for you.

Negative. I inquired about sharpening and was told that they do not provide this service.

[Jim Neeley]

You asked who makes the best; here's my $0.02... Please note that the best is not the cheapest.

Lee Valley (Veritas) offers the following:

"These are the best brad-point drills we have ever offered for sale.

Starting with a top-of-the-line American-made twist drill, we reshape and sharpen the tips on a state-of-the-art Swiss CNC grinder. Made from high-speed steel, the bits are not subject to burning, and stay sharp about 10 times as long as carbon steel bits.

The polished flutes give superior chip clearance, and the sharply defined lips have a slight negative rake angle on the lip tips to score the hole perimeter for clean entry and smooth sidewalls. Equally important, these bits are extremely accurate in diameter."

I own their boxed set of 12 for my egg beater and can tell you it's the real deal.

Jim

[Carol Johnston]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Black and Decker: I'm not too impressed with their bits. Lee Valley and wlfuller: I'll check with them and tell them what I'm needing and get their suggestions. On wlfuller website they sell separate bits for "hardwood" and "softwood". On this project I'll use poplar--I know it's considered a hardwood, but it's much softer than oak, maple, etc. Maybe I'll get one from Lee Valley and one from wlfuller and see which one holds up--2500 holes will put them to the test.

[Curt Harms]

Your going to buy one size and drill a bunch of holes. I would contact W.L. Fuller and tell them exactly what you want to do and rely on them giving you the best tool for the job. www.wlfuller.com
(http://wlfuller.com)
I'm sure Lee Valley is good, but you might as well get the best item for the job.

W.L. Fuller seems like more of a supplier to industrial users rather than a "but mine are $.50 cheaper!" supplier so yeah.

[David Kuzdrall]

I have the top end HSS brad points from Lee Valley and can say that they are excellent. Are they the best? I don't know since I have not tested all the other options on the market but can't imagine that it gets much better. Super sharp and super clean holes are the norm.

[Jamie Buxton]

I'd use carbide-tipped brad points. I got some quite a while ago, and haven't been able to dull them. I don't remember where I got them.

[ian maybury]

Not sure about availability in the US (it's unlikely they are not) - but Famag HSS G (or probably the Colt HSS equivalent) are not cheap, but work so well.

I've a set of the Famags bought in Germany http://www.fine-tools.com/holzspiralbohrer.html Here's the high end Colts, but I've not used them: http://www.fine-tools.com/first-clean-exit-drills.html

They cut so cleanly in e.g. ply - hole entries are perfectly clean and crisp - and they drill with hardly any effort. That's compared to even the typical decent commercial quality bits you see about. You only have to pick one up to know they are very different - they 'ring' when tapped, they have a titanium nitride or similar coating, and the finish is exquisite.

Care is needed handling them, the very finely ground edges are so sharp that it's very easy to get nicked.

Carbide tipped brad points would almost certainly last longer, but I don't know how cleanly they cut or where you should go for them.

ian

[scott vroom]

What Greg said.



Your going to buy one size and drill a bunch of holes. I would contact W.L. Fuller and tell them exactly what you want to do and rely on them giving you the best tool for the job. www.wlfuller.com
(http://wlfuller.com)
I'm sure Lee Valley is good, but you might as well get the best item for the job.

[Gary Herrmann]

The best Lee Valley bits are made by Fuller. Check past threads.

[Jim Neeley]

+1 on Gary's post.. Made by fuller, with the brad pt CNC cut by LV/Veritas

[Greg R Bradley]

You can check the past threads for that rumor, which is now repeated as a truth, but I doubt it very much - I have both.

Lee Valley says they buy American made twist drills and put a brad point on them. They look like Vermont American brand to me, which used to be closer in quality to WL Fuller but have gone downhill a bit since Bosch bought them. Morris is also close to WL Fuller but they are a bit more oriented toward drilling machinery in a production setting than regular drill bits. I have no doubt that the Lee Valley bits would be considered fabulous for most serious hobby woodworkers and most professionals BUT the OP said he wants the best solution to drill 2500 holes of one size.

Also, WL Fuller makes a wide variety of drills, which is why I suggested contacting them for their recommendation for the exact drill they suggest for your material and specific job. They are one of the few companies that will still do that for small orders.

Famag HSS G are just as good but seem hard to get in the US and pricey. First choice if you want a brad point without the big outside lip. Also fabulous are the Festool Centrotec bits, which are worth buying if you have a Festool drill. They pretty much only sell small sizes in the US but that is an easy way to buy ONE drill bit and see how a good drill bit works for you. The Festool bits are noticeably better than the Famag Colt bits and probably equal to the WL Fuller.

I think you have to choose the right tool for the job. Recently that has meant a single 1.5" Forstner bit for $160 and a 10 pack of 1/8" bits from HF for $1.25. Carbide is great for a few jobs but the wrong choice for most wood drilling.

I suggest you call WL Fuller or email nick@wlfuller.com, where you will get a reply from someone that actually personally grinds some of the bits.

[Keith Hankins]

I've got both Fische and Colt both fantastic with a slight edge to the colt.

[Rob Lee]

The best Lee Valley bits are made by Fuller. Check past threads.

Hi,

We don't buy anything from Fuller....

Cheers,

Rob

[Rob Lee]

+1 on Gary's post.. Made by fuller, with the brad pt CNC cut by LV/Veritas

Ummm... No.

Not Vermont American either.... try "Precision", also known by brand name "Triumph".


Rob

[Gary Herrmann]

Well, thanks Rob. I guess that's an example of something you read on the web and take for truth.

Great bits, btw.

[Harvey Miller]

Lee Valley sells a carbide-tipped brad point which they claim is 'for production work' and "Guaranteed to be within 0.001" at $29.

I haven't used them, but with Lee Valley's return policy, you could return them if they're not suitable.

[Oscar Mueller]

I just bought some Montana brad point bits and they cut a nice perfect hole in epoxied teak and holly. They are made in the States. They say that they will cut 10x faster and last longer than the competition. I think I paid about $6.00 for a 3/8 bit.

[Kevin Presutti]

I just looked up those Montana bits as I have never heard of them, Made in the USA, but oscar I think you got clipped unless they have another grade of bit http://www.amazon.com/Montana-Brand-Brad-Point-Drill/dp/B002HO38DI/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1349960889&sr=1-1 . I do like the fact the are made here will probably buy this set and try them.

[Mark Denovich]

Festool bits are just as amazing as they are amazingly expensive. Colt "Twinland" brad point bits are cheap and work very well. (Available via Amazon). I have a few Fische bits that are also excellent. I bought a set of cheap carbide tipped brad points... They are merely ok. I save them for drilling something that's likely to be abrasive.

[Carl Beckett]

If I remember right from my days as a machinist (and I very well may not) - high speed steel can be sharpened to a more acute angle than carbide. So for softer materials (like plastics, aluminum, WOOD), a steel bit may be preferred over carbide.

But carbide can last longer.... so may do better towards the latter part of the project.

(just pointing out that carbide is not 'always' the best solution)

btw - I saw the Fuller bits in a recent McFeely's catalog.

[Greg R Bradley]

Carl,

You do remember correctly. That is one of the reasons in a previous post that I said carbide is almost always the wrong choice for wood or plastic. Many types of HSS and carbide complicates things further.

Another post touched on the production issue where they said LV makes carbide bits for "production" work where you would have power feed, the ideal surface speed, etc. Carbide gets "sharper" at a high speed which is why router bits are generally carbide. They are also very rigid and short. Even then they try to chatter. Router bits, saw blades, drill bits cut very differently at the tool/material interface. For example, I set up a carbide forstener bit to drill oak and plastic because it is semi-automated and the last hole needs to be the same diameter and depth as the first to fit a bearing for the display.

[Sam Murdoch]

A little bit off the specific topic but as regards buying made in the USA drill bits does anyone have experience with this company -https://www.americanmadedrillbits.com/?

Called McMaster-Carr and Fuller today to ask about some 135° split point bits and they BOTH told me that the bits they sell are made in the US. Additionally I was told that these style bits as sold by Fuller bits ARE NOT made by Fuller. The McMaster Carr bits were 1/2 price compared to the same style from Fuller (in a 29 piece 64th increments set). Both companies provide exceptional customer service and product warranties and that's the reason to buy from them, but I wonder what makes the Fuller bits worth twice as much as those sold by McMaster-Carr. Bottom line is. I'll spend twice as much to get twice as much tool but how does one really know the relative value? Both companies could very well be selling the exact drill bit. Is there a direct source for an exceptional bit directly from the manufacturer?

[Adrian Anguiano]

I used a 26mm aka 1.02" bit from colt this past week, and it cut like butter :)

[Rick Lizek]

www.morriswoodtool.com. Brad point style 20CT are carbide tipped. CT will last 10 times longer than HSS. Watch your rpms and feed speed. Too fast will shorten the life of any tool. They actually make some of Fullers tooling. Believe it or not Fuller hand grinds their dovetail points. Send carbide bits to a commercial sharpener. Been buying from Morris and Fuller for 40 years.

[Jim Neeley]

I've got a little real-world feedback on the Veritas / Lee Valley brad point bits, from a test I ran last night.

I put a 1/8" bit in my eggbeater drill (Goodell-Pratt 5.5) and counted the revolutions to drill through a 3/4" piece of soft pine. After 4 revolutions of the bit (1-1/3 of the handle) it popped through.. and with me working at bench-height from a seated position (very little downward force).

I've never seen a bit cut so fast, and very clean. I'd purchased their 5/32"-1/4" set for my eggbeater but now have their larger set on my wish list. That's *MY* mileage.. YMMV.

[Robert Rada]

Ummm... No.

Not Vermont American either.... try "Precision", also known by brand name "Triumph".


Rob

I know what you were talking about in 2012. But what are you talking about in 2014/2015? :D

[Hilton Ralphs]

I know what you were talking about in 2012. But what are you talking about in 2014/2015? :D

I think the real question is "What are you​ talking about?"

[Jack Lemley]

I bought the LV set of 1/2" brad points on down to tiny in 1/64 increments and I would do it again. Very good bits though the metal case is a pain.

Jack