Driil Doctor...is it worth purchasing?

[Joe Kieve]

Lowes has the Drill Doctor model DDXPK (3/32" to 1/2") on sale for $79 at my local store. Ad says it can sharpen carbide and I have several solid carbide bits that are in bad shape. To those of you who own a Drill Doctor, are they worth it?

Thanks in advance for your comments or suggestions.

joe

[Mike Lassiter]

I have one (somewhere) that I got years ago. I think it will sharpen up to 3/4". Not sure about the model but I would recommend it. I got it years ago while working at a Mack Truck dealership. We had to drill out some broken studs or bolts fairly often that were hard on even the best drill bits. Carbide bits would last longer, but broke easily due to being brittle. Hand drilling required and if the bit got a good bite it would jerk the drill and break the bit. Cheaper to sharpen good bits than keep buying broken ones. I repaired some bigger ones used on the shop drill press that looked like a dog had been chewing on them, but it took awhile. It's been used for a few years now, but I do recall touching up a couple of solid carbide one. Not broken but dull. Heat cycles on exhaust manifold bolts and studs made then extremely hard and some where a chore even for carbide bits.

[John McClanahan]

I have one and I really like it.


John

[Brian Elfert]

I bought one and just could not get the hang of using it. I sharpened split point bits which the Drill Doctor I had could do. I was drilling through aluminum that had been marked with a punch at each drill location. The sharpened bits would skip right out of the punched holes while the bits I did not sharpen did not do that. I finally just bought a dozen or so bits from McMaster-Carr instead of sharpening them.

I eventually sold the nearly new Drill Doctor through Craigslist.

[Dom Garafalo]

I have an older model that can sharpen up to 3/4" bits and once you learn how to use it, it works quite well. I'd recommend one.

[glenn bradley]

Picked one up on sale. I don't use twist drills much for woodworking but, I use them enough that the Drill Doctor has paid for itself at least once.

[Joe Kieve]

Thanks guys for your comments. There seem to be more pros than cons, so I think I'll pick one up while they're on sale, $20 off.

[John Conklin]

I've got one too and like it. Only problem I've had is that I don't use it often enough to remember how to use it and have to relearn it each time. It has saved me a couple times when the stores were closed or when it was really inconvenient.

[Marty Gulseth]

What John said - +1

Regards,

Marty

[Ole Anderson]

Yes, if you use twist drills a lot. By the way, wood and twist drills aren't a good combination unless tear out isn't an issue for you.

[Tai Fu]

Not worth it. If you know how you can sharpen drill bits with a bench grinder. Basically just grind the cutting face of the bit and turn the bit as you grind it. Do it for both sides and the bit is sharp.

[Keith Weber]

I think that they're definitely worth it. They sharpen the bit properly, because it forces the path of the bit over the grinder. Pretty simple to use, and gives consistent results. I see a lot of guys sharpening by hand, but often they're just spinning the bit up against a grinding wheel, and thinking that they're doing it correctly. I'm not saying that everybody is that way, but I'd bet that the "average" hand-sharpener could do a better sharpening with a Drill Doctor.

[David Ragan]

I have one cause it is a cool concept.

Used it a couple of times.

Use brad point bits now.

Should probably sell it-but likely wont

[David Linnabary]

I think that they're definitely worth it. They sharpen the bit properly, because it forces the path of the bit over the grinder. Pretty simple to use, and gives consistent results. I see a lot of guys sharpening by hand, but often they're just spinning the bit up against a grinding wheel, and thinking that they're doing it correctly. I'm not saying that everybody is that way, but I'd bet that the "average" hand-sharpener could do a better sharpening with a Drill Doctor.

I agree with Keith, it's a fairly complex movement to do by hand, you need to roll the grind away from the cutting edge while turning the bit at the same time. My problem was that once I got the hang of the roll, I was grinding the point off center and had to readjust. The thing it that it takes some practice to do well. The drill doctor is just too simple. One thing I discovered when I first got mine was that I headed straight for that pile of hand me down bits that were really awful and badly abused that had been pretty hot. Sure enough, a quick pass and they looked great and cut much better but weren't really holding an edge all that well off the first regrind. What I realized was that some of those tips had been so hot and become so work hardened that I really needed to reset the bit in the holder and taking another pass or even two in order to get into fresh less brittle steel.

Now with the drill doctor, if I sense a bit getting even the slightest dull, I'm much more apt to stop and touch it up which just makes the work go that much quicker.

David

[John McClanahan]

Not worth it. If you know how you can sharpen drill bits with a bench grinder. Basically just grind the cutting face of the bit and turn the bit as you grind it. Do it for both sides and the bit is sharp.

The Drill Doctor is one of those love it or hate it tools. I was searching on a metalworking forum once and found a warning from the moderator that prohibited discussions involving the Drill Doctor.:eek:

When I was younger and had good eyes, I could sharpen a drill bit at a bench grinder. Now I have a hard time with smaller bits, the ones I use most.

The Drill Doctor looks like just another cheap plastic imation tool. In reality, the plastic is of good quality, and the chuck rocks as you rotate it, giving the correct grind angle on the bit.


John

[Ellery Becnel]

I have one. On sale @ Lowe's. Only used it a few times. That's only because I had a dull bit that needed sharpening. It does a very good job. Not for production work.
I still have to read the instructions. I keep saying to myself that one day I will go through ALL of my bits and sharpen them. The problem is, I have plenty of bits! It
Works. I am a machinist, I can barely sharpen a drill bit by hand. Some guys can do it easily, not me.

Ellery Becnel

[Jerome Stanek]

I have one and used to use it all the time when I was doing production work. It takes a little getting used to it but once you learn how to set it it works very well. the bits come out as good or better than new.

[Dick Brown]

Bought the 3/4 model, sharpened all my bits, all my buddies bits and loved it. Put in the drawer and haven't used it in several years. I do a lot of metal work and bits only need sharpened when they quit cutting while using them. (Never seem to get dull in the rack) When they need a sharpening, rather than put them away dull or drag out the D. D. I just go to the disc sander and have a sharp bit in seconds free hand. Grinding wheel works good also. Some use the face of the wheel and others use the side of the wheel. (That should get some no-no responses) Takes a little practice but works great. Look on YouTube for demo's. Takes a little practice but worth it. If you put two 6 point nuts together, flat to flat, the V makes a good cutting angle gauge. (120 degree but close enough to the 118 degree you are striving for on most twist drills.

[Brian Henderson]

I thought about buying one once, used someone else's, but since they don't work on brad-point bits, which is mostly what I use, it seemed pointless. Pun not intended.

[Shawn Pixley]

I have one that was given to me. I don't think it is very usefull to me.

[John Coloccia]

The model to get is the 750X. I find it extremely useful for metal work, and if used properly will essentially create a factory edge, even on broken bits. It has limited use for woodworking as you should really be mostly using brad points and Forstners where you can. The low end model has limited use in metal as you can't adjust the angle.

[Bill Ryall]

I have a 750. I don't use it a lot, but it is one of those tools that I'm glad is in the shop. It has certainly paid for itself in refurbished bits and saved time. I do a lot of metalwork, so it is nice to touch up bits quickly and accurately.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I own older model that does up thru 3/4" bits. Paid for it the first week I owned it, sharpening both my bits and our son's (he is a mechanic.) Went to pawn shop, and bought a can full of bits for a couple bucks and sharpened them. Since then, I am still using bits from original purchase / sharpening, seldom sharpening of some bits. It owes me NOTHING, as I got my money's worth first month I owned it.

[John Coloccia]

saved time.

That's pretty much it for me. I can't tell you how many times I've just wanted to get through a project, and then either dulled or broke a bit. A couple of minutes on the DD, and I'm back up and running like nothing happened.