"VIX" Bits

[Jerry Bruette]

Are the Rockler Insty Vix style bits any good? I'm looking for a set and need to order some other items from Rockler and thought I'd get a set of bits to get the free shipping.

[Stan Calow]

I have the set. Its fine. I got it from them mostly for the convenience of ordering along with other stuff I needed.

[Frederick Skelly]

I have a set of VIX. I cant remember whether I bought them from Lee Valley or Rockler. But Im always glad to have them when I need them.

[glenn bradley]

I’ve been running my rockler set for almost 15 years. The drill bits have been replaced or sharpened of course but the mechanism still work fine.

[Jerry Bruette]

Thanks for the replies fellas. The order will go today.

[Tony Bilello]

I am not a proponent of the box stores, but I usually bought mine from Lowes. I'm sure that Rockler Vex bits are also very good.
There really is nothing to them just the body, spring and a drill bit. Not much can go wrong. While you are at it, get a set of them so you have various diameters.
You will love them and wont ever want to get caught short without them.

[Lisa Starr]

Are the one from Rockler, LV etc true VIX Brand or just VIX style? I've had bad luck with some that are not made by VIX. FYI, you can order them by the piece from McMaster-Carr and they are the real mccoy.

[Frederick Skelly]

Are the one from Rockler, LV etc true VIX Brand or just VIX style? I've had bad luck with some that are not made by VIX. FYI, you can order them by the piece from McMaster-Carr and they are the real mccoy.

Lisa, I cant say for sure. I just compared the ones shown in the LV catalog with those in Mcmaster-Carr. They "look" the same, they seem to be spelled the same (vix-bit) for whatever that's worth and they are priced about the same. The LV catalog does not list them as "vix style", but rather as vix-bits. But only Rob Lee would know for sure...... Probably doesnt matter though - I havent found a sub-quality item yet in the LV catalog, even on small items like these.

EDIT: I just confirmed I bought mine at LV a couple years ago. They are marked "VIX" on the tool itself.

Fred

[Mike Henderson]

Are the one from Rockler, LV etc true VIX Brand or just VIX style? I've had bad luck with some that are not made by VIX. FYI, you can order them by the piece from McMaster-Carr and they are the real mccoy.

I have the Rockler set of Vix-type bits and they are not marked "Vix". I assume they are look-alikes.

They work okay but I since bought a set of real Vix bits. With all of them, the problem is that the swarf clogs up on the drill bit and then the sleeve will not go back down. I have to take something sharp and clean out the channels on the drill bit. Can really slow down the work.

Mike

[johnny means]

I've tried every set I could find from Borg cheapos to high dollar fancy schmacies, Ive never found any that work that well. They all clog and get stuck, and in every one the spring seems to be a weak point.

[johnny means]

I have the Rockler set of Vix-type bits and they are not marked "Vix". I assume they are look-alikes.

They work okay but I since bought a set of real Vix bits. With all of them, the problem is that the swarf clogs up on the drill bit and then the sleeve will not go back down. I have to take something sharp and clean out the channels on the drill bit. Can really slow down the work.

Mike

Mike
I've developed the habit of grabbing the sleeve with my fingers with the bit still spinning after every hole. It's a horrible habit, but it clears the bit out. I'd be willing to pay a hefty premium for a really good solution.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Loosen the sleeve ever so slightly. If it's just hand snug, a quick twist clears the swarf enough for the bit to retract on it's own & that clears the remaining swarf.

The better (more costly) the bit, the better the fit (between all the components) and the easier it is to use the aforementioned "twist" method - which works very well with my Rockler set of self centering bits & the one real Vix I had before it grew legs and walked away.
It doesn't work at all on the cheap Ryobi I picked up at the Orange Borg.

+1 - agreed - about the spring. If it were stronger, maybe they would work better.

[Curt Harms]

I have the Rockler set of Vix-type bits and they are not marked "Vix". I assume they are look-alikes.

They work okay but I since bought a set of real Vix bits. With all of them, the problem is that the swarf clogs up on the drill bit and then the sleeve will not go back down. I have to take something sharp and clean out the channels on the drill bit. Can really slow down the work.

Mike

I bought a no-name set from Penn State years ago and have the same problem with clogging. Moving the sleeve on the bit clears them. I don't use 'em enough to replace with a 'good' set but if starting from scratch yeah, get the 'real deal'.

[Tim Bueler]

I use VIX brand bits regularly and have a full set. They may or may not clog depending on type of wood and depth of drilling but I've found giving them a good dowsing of PTFE lube helps a lot for both sliding action and chip ejection.

[Jim Becker]

They all clog and get stuck, and in every one the spring seems to be a weak point.
This was more or less my own experience. I have no idea "where" I bought mine many years ago, but I also cannot remember the last time I chose to use them, either, because of the clogging. I think that the idea is sound, but not having debris get caught in them is a challenge.

[Jon Nuckles]

I’ve only used the true Vix bit and agree that clogging and sticking slows down the work when you have a bunch of holes to drill. I wish there were an alternative for drilling centered holes for hinges, but I haven’t found it. Probably just the nature of the beast.

[Peter Kuhlman]

The smallest one I have found uses a 5/64” bit but has too large of a “nose” to fit small screw holes. This is called a VIX #3. Still looking for one that will center on smaller openings. I was mounting some brass weather instruments and really needed a smaller nosed centering bit. I have the real VIX bits as well as some Lee Valley and Rockler. In hardwoods they work fine with minimal clogging issues. Soft pine definitely is more of an issue with sticking.

[Rick Potter]

I have two sets. Vix and Snappy (from Rockler?). The real Vix have a much heavier spring in them.

I think the big difference is the drill bits themselves. The Vix have brad point bits with larger channels in the twist part and seem to self clean better than the Snappy which seem to have normal HSS bits. I do not know if the new ones are the same, mine are all at least ten years old.

They both will get clogged when used on pine and the other sappy woods, but on hardwoods, the Vix are noticeably better in my experience.

I clean mine during use by just drilling a 5/32 hole in a scrap of hardwood, and plunge the bit into that every couple holes. Sometimes running it backwards while doing this helps too. With pine, not so much. I think I will try spraying the bit as mentioned above also.