Drill Bits: Quality general purpose set?

[Allan Speers]

I need to get a new comprehensive set of bits. Regular bits, not forstner, for a hand drill. For both wood & metal.


Very confused by all the various coatings and such. Titanium, black oxide, moly, etc.

Can someone cut to the chase and recommend a quality, long-lasting set?

=================

update: I'm thinking about getting the Norseman black & Gold set. At 65 clams for 15 bits & around $100 for a full set, I figure they're probably pretty good.

But I also see Norseman in Cobalt HSS for a bit more, and also Chicago Latrobe Cobalt.

We're well north of $100 at this point, so I don't want to buy the wrong set. Still hoping for some opinions.

[Victor Robinson]

I can't say I've tried many brands, but when I was looking for general purpose twist bits (mostly for metal - for wood I tend to almost always use brad points) I went with Triumph based on recommendations and have been very pleased. There are Triumph sets available on Amazon and I believe Tom (Carbide Processors) also sells them. Price range is similar to what you are looking at, depending on how extensive of a set you want.

[Keith Weber]

I do a lot of metalworking, where the difference between quality and junk drill bits is easily noticed. I'm a huge fan of Cobalt drill bits. They're able to withstand more heat than regular HSS (High Speed Steel) bits. What's great about them is that the Cobalt is IN the metal, not added as a coating. The coatings are great -- up until the point that you need to sharpen them. Then the coating gets ground away and you are left with uncoated HSS on the ground end of your bit. Cobalt bits will retain the heat tolerance after sharpening.

Best bang for the buck for me has been "Precision Twist"-brand Cobalt bits. I've got them in Jobber (long) lengths, as well as Screw Machine (shorter) lengths. The Screw Machine length bits are my favorite on the milling machine with the smaller sizes because they're more rigid than Jobber length for a given drill size (solely because of the shorter length). Enco sells them, and if you time the flyer sales with their 15-25% off e-mail list codes, you can get them for very reasonable prices. They also come in Fractional (most common) , Letter, and Wire Sizes.

You also mentioned Chicago Latrobe. Very good drill bits as well, but they're hard to find at a discount.

With drill bits, you definitely get what you pay for. The Chinese don't make quality drill bits. Quality drill bits have a smooth, shiny finish, and they do not wobble when they spin. If they do, then it's time to upgrade your chuck, too.

[glenn bradley]

I have a cobalt set for the are metal drilling I do. They were on sale at Sears so no help with the maker but, the difference in carbon to HSS to cobalt is indeed easily noticed as Keith remarked. for "regular" twist drills I have a set of tin-coated Hitachi so again no help on maker but, the coated set has outlasted my carbon set which I hold in reserve. A Drill Doctor will pay for itself quite quickly if you use twist drill much. I held off getting one for a long time but, picked one up for a song on clearance. I haven't bought many twist drills since. That's just been my experience.

[John Schweikert]

I have the Norseman 29pc set, it's superb. I use the set regularly for both wood and metal (mild steel, aluminum). The set is worth it. Haven't broken any bits. They cut through steel easily. In wood, they leave very clean holes. Zero complaints. The set is about $10 more than when I bought mine a year or more ago. The set comes in an orange tube as an option now. The black tube I have can be challenge to read the bit sizes.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Some years back, I purchased this cobalt set from Sears

http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-29-pc-cobalt-drill-bit-set/p-00964086000P

I bought it on sale and it has worked well for me, which includes drilling metal and wood.

I also purchased a set of brad point bits from Lee Valley, also in 1/64th increments up to 1/2".

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=42247&cat=1,180,42240,45534,42240,45533,42240,45534,4224 0,45534,42240,45534,42240

Bits that i know that I will use very often, I have some carbide tipped bits

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=42352&cat=1,180,42240,45534,42240,45533,42240,45534,4224 0,45534,42240,45534,42240

[pat warner]

Cleveland, probably in the top 5, preferred x engineers.
However, nobody spends a lot of CNC time making a drill.
So they're not as good as they can be, but their steel is.
So, & with an expensive grinder, you can re-produce that 118° after you wear it out.
And make it better than new. Nuthin's easy anymore.

[Greg R Bradley]

I have far more background in drilling metals than wood. We used to keep dozens different kinds of drills for different metal drilling operations.

Most drills for metal have 135* points but most twist drills for wood have 118* points. Here is a chart from Triumph:
329200

I suggest two different sets.

Best thing you can do is email or call Carbide Processors.

[John K Jordan]

Allan, I am a card-carrying drill bit fanatic. I have dozens of different sets and collections and individual bits, for everything from tiny wire sizes to huge industrial bits, screw-machine length bits, metric, numbered sets, etc. I drill a lot of steel and other metals both for heavy farm use, precision milling, and for wood. My favorite sets are in 1/64" increments and cost well over $100 from a local industrial supplier.

My favorite small sets for general shop and farm use are these Bosch bits:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000TZZWE
I keep several sets on hand in different areas of the shop. They are incredibly tough. Handy case.

I have caught them on sale for under $20. When building my shop I drilled many holes in heavy steel angle iron as part of a threshold for the concrete floor in my vehicle bays - all of these were with a single larger bit and it cut the last hole as well as the first.

I very much prefer bits that have precision flats ground on the end that is grabbed by the chuck. This eliminates any slippage with heavy use.

For general wood use I also like the sets that have multiples of each size. These are cheaper, throw-away bits and won't hold up with wood use. It's nice to grab another one of the same size. These are also the bits I give away when a friend needs one!

JKJ

[Mike Henderson]

I have the Norseman set and they're good bits.

Mike

[John Ziebron]

I do a lot of metal working and have a fractional and numbered cobalt set that I bought from Wholesale Tool about 30 years ago. If you drill a lot of holes in metal cobalt is definitely the way to go. As with any harder metal, cobalt is a little more brittle than HSS and easier to break especially if using smaller sizes in a hand held drill. Fortunately, replacements for all good brand drills can be purchased separately. I have a 6 piece hex shank stubby brad point set that I use a lot, especially since they work in my cordless impact. I also have a full set of brad point drills that I bought some years ago when the Woodworking Show was in town but it turned out to be not such a good set. Many of the drills, mostly smaller sizes, are not true. I believe I bought them from Peachtree. I see most of the posts so far have discussed regular bits for steel, but I would appreciate it if someone could recommend a good set of brad point bits. I think Allan would like to know as well.

[Greg R Bradley]

.... I see most of the posts so far have discussed regular bits for steel, but I would appreciate it if someone could recommend a good set of brad point bits. I think Allan would like to know as well.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?192593-Best-brad-point-bits

[John Schweikert]

a good set of brad point bits.

Post #6 already listed an excellent set, Lee Valley brad points. I own it and have had success with it.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?239640-Drill-Bits-Quality-general-purpose-set&p=2515417#post2515417

[Ben Rivel]

I also bit the bullet and went with all Lee Valley bits for brad point, forstner and twist bits. So far I love em.

[Keith Outten]

TTP Hard Drills (http://ttp-hard-drills.net) recently sent me a set of their bits to try. I hope to write an article about these drill bits shortly.

Drilling a Bolt
https://youtu.be/dTGB9Od0ND0

Drilling Stainless Steel
https://youtu.be/tF9-lqBKBOQ

[Terry Hatfield]

I have the Norseman set and they're good bits.

Mike

+1 on the Norseman sets. I have had them for a couple of years and they are awesome. 135 degree points and are super tough. I've used the heck out of them in steel, aluminum, stainless, various plastics and woods. I found mine on Ebay for $59.00 a set. Don't see any that low now but several options in the $85 range. Well worth the money in my book.

[Jim Andrew]

I buy drill bits when they are on sale. The best ones I have found are the titanium coating Dewalt drill bits. Most small bits break after a certain number of holes, but I find the Dewalt titanium last much longer than others. Not bragging on their black coated bits, just the titanium ones.

[John Schweikert]

wow $264 for a 29pc set. That better be top notch.


TTP Hard Drills (http://ttp-hard-drills.net) recently sent me a set of their bits to try. I hope to write an article about these drill bits shortly.

[Rich Riddle]

My favorite small sets for general shop and farm use are these Bosch bits:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000TZZWE
I keep several sets on hand in different areas of the shop. They are incredibly tough. Handy case.

JKJ
Thanks for the link. Those look very tempting. I may not resist the force pulling toward them.

[Allan Speers]

I have far more background in drilling metals than wood. We used to keep dozens different kinds of drills for different metal drilling operations.

Most drills for metal have 135* points but most twist drills for wood have 118* points. Here is a chart from Triumph:
329200

I suggest two different sets.

Best thing you can do is email or call Carbide Processors.

Thanks, Greg. I never knew this.

- But I can't really afford two separate high-end sets right now. I only rarely drill ferrous metal, so if you were me & HAD to choose, which degree would you get right now? - And the same question for brad vs split point.
- I'll definitely call C.P. as I get all my saw blades from them & trust both their expertise & prices, but it's still good to get other opinions.

(As you can tell, I don't know NUTHIN' about birthin' no drill bits. :( )

I should have known it would get complicated pretty quickly! - Great info, though. :)

[Keith Outten]

wow $264 for a 29pc set. That better be top notch.

John,

Although these bits are a bit expensive I can tell you that they are incredibly sharp and look like the best quality drill bits I have ever seen. I can't wait to give them a few tests to see if my experience with them is anything like the videos on their web site.
.

[Greg R Bradley]

Thanks, Greg. I never knew this.

- But I can't really afford two separate high-end sets right now. I only rarely drill ferrous metal, so if you were me & HAD to choose, which degree would you get right now? - And the same question for brad vs split point.
- I'll definitely call C.P. as I get all my saw blades from them & trust both their expertise & prices, but it's still good to get other opinions.

(As you can tell, I don't know NUTHIN' about birthin' no drill bits. :( )

I should have known it would get complicated pretty quickly! - Great info, though. :)
Well I'm not going to be much help. In the machine shops, I knew what to buy because the master machinists told me what to buy. In the production woodworking shop, I knew what to buy because WL Fuller gave me the benefit of their expertise.
I was trying to put together a set of drill bits to do anything in one box so was trying to come up with as simple a kit as I could make. I came across that chart and it helped to explain why Truimph Thunderbits work so well in steel and not in wood. I bookmarked it and had it available quickly when I saw this post. I'm still looking for some answers also and may try some of the ones that say they work reasonably well in all materials. Right now, my drill set to do any job is way to heavy!

[Alan Lightstone]

I have the Norseman set and they're good bits.

+1. They are very good drill bits.

[Allan Speers]

wow $264 for a 29pc set. That better be top notch.

I'm starting to think that the 21 piece kit, at $148, might be worth it. As a hobbyist who drills metal maybe once a month, they would likely last me my lifetime, and it would save wear on the wood bits. Then the wood bits could be purchased at the lower angle.

Deep breath.... but how much do we spend on other tools?

[Greg R Bradley]

I'm starting to think that the 21 piece kit, at $148, might be worth it. As a hobbyist who drills metal maybe once a month, they would likely last me my lifetime, and it would save wear on the wood bits. Then the wood bits could be purchased at the lower angle.

Deep breath.... but how much do we spend on other tools?

The Triumph Thunderbits are good enough for far, far heavier use than that. You might want something better for production drilling but really I'm using them in a manufacturing company maintenance and you can see what the drills look like under that use:
329233
Good enough for regular use with a Milwaukee 1/4" 4000rpm corded drill that will run circles around any cordless. To be clear, we are using them in heavy enough use that we have a 4000rpm 1/4" drill for small bits and a 2500rpm 3/8"drill for larger bits. I bought these from Tom:
http://www.carbideprocessors.com/21pc-jobber-drill-set-1-16-3-8-by-64ths-thunderbit-premium-grade-hss-triumph-099861/

(http://www.carbideprocessors.com/21pc-jobber-drill-set-1-16-3-8-by-64ths-thunderbit-premium-grade-hss-triumph-099861/)

[David Kumm]

The Norseman are available at Fastenal and you can replace them individually there if you break one. Dave