who makes decent drill bits?

[Dwayne Payne]

I am guilty of bying the cheap, tin coated, brad point bits from a chinesse/tiwanesse company. I now consider what I did a 19.95, plus s&h mistake/lesson. Some of them work great while others are bent and have never been used. So my question is, who makes a decent set of bits? All I want to do is drill holes in wood...this should be easy..right?

Dwayne

[Brian Hale]

Get the Lipped brad point drills from Lee Valley.

Brian :)

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I like the HHS bits you can get from any good industrial supply.

[Jim Becker]

Compromise...pay attention to the sizes you use the most from your "cheapie" set(s) and buy good quality replacements for them from an industrial supplier, or for brad-points, any of the better woodworking suppliers. For all the smaller sizes, I also prefer quick-mountable (1/4" hex) types so I don't have to reconfigure my drill/driver when I bounce between drilling and driving, as it were...

[Mark Rios]

Compromise...pay attention to the sizes you use the most from your "cheapie" set(s) and buy good quality replacements for them from an industrial supplier, or for brad-points, any of the better woodworking suppliers. For all the smaller sizes, I also prefer quick-mountable (1/4" hex) types so I don't have to reconfigure my drill/driver when I bounce between drilling and driving, as it were...


I thought drilling and driving was illegal in PA?

[Scott Steeves]

Get the Lipped brad point drills from Lee Valley.
Another vote for these drills. Sweet drills.

[JayStPeter]

I agree with Jim. A couple years ago I bought a mid price set that came in a case I liked. Sizes that I use often have been replaced with bits I pick up at a local welding supply joint. I don't even know what brand they are, but they are very good and expensive. I do use small sizes a lot, so I buy the four smallest sizes in 5-packs. Even though I have a Drill Dr., they are just too easy to break.
Back when I raced motorcycles, I safety wired a bunch of bikes for myself and friends. Talk about breaking a lot of small bits. Craftsman actually makes some pretty darn good bits. But, the industrial supply bits are in another league. I will avoid B&D/Dewalt bits for life (both drill and driver bits).

Jay

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Please add those Hitachi bits to your list to avoid. I bought a set from Rockler and broke the 1/8" bit the first time I used it. Doing nothing unusual, BTW. Rockler was good enough to send a replacement bit right away. Anyway, to make a short story short, the replacement broke the first time I used it. Needless to say, the whole set's going back. I'm going to check out those Lee Valley drills.

[Phil Maddox]

I have the bits called "Vortex D" and they are excellent. I needed a bit that would leave a clean exit hole and these fit the bill perfectly. They are great bits but pricey.

I here great things about the Lee Valley bits and they were the choice in a magazine some time ago as the best AND the best value.

Good luck.

[Jim Becker]

I thought drilling and driving was illegal in PA?
LOL!!! I forgot...haven't been allowed to drink "adult beverages" since we brought the girls home, so drilling is the only thing left...err... :eek:

[Mike Henderson]

I think it was FWW that did a review on drill bits and rated the LV bits the highest. I don't own any so I can't give you a first hand opinion.

Mike

[Alan Turner]

I like the LV bits, lipped, in HSS. Clean cuts and long lasting.

[Dwayne Payne]

Thanks for all of the responses. I am going to look at the Lee Valley bits now.

[Gary Herrmann]

LOL!!! I forgot...haven't been allowed to drink "adult beverages" since we brought the girls home, so drilling is the only thing left...err... :eek:

Jim, every dad needs to have a beverage occasionally. The neighbors came over, and that dad brought me a 25 oz Fosters and handed it to me while I was in the pool. I opened it, took a swig and then turned back to the melee in the water.

A few minutes later I noticed that my beverage was floating in the pool. My 5 yr old gleefully told me he was able to hit the can with a ball from across the pool. I never should have taught him about aiming when you throw...

The situation was not made any easier by the wives cackling hysterically. So I'm allowed, but I don't finish as many as I'd like...

<EDIT>(Edit) Ooh, 500th post. At this rate, just another 12 - 18 months to hit 1000...

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Here is the article Mike is referring to:

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011180050.pdf

[Ben Grunow]

I have both forstner and twist bits in titanium nitride (that's what they say anyway- maybe just yellow paint) from HF and they are fine for around the shop especially considering the price. I would just replace any worn or broken wiht quality items purchased locally. The complete sets were less than $50!? Ithink this makes even more sense when you consider how much you actually use some sizes (read "never").

BTW I have drilled holes in 1/4" steel plate with these bits with no problem, just go slow so they don't overheat.

[Matt Meiser]

LOL!!! I forgot...haven't been allowed to drink "adult beverages" since we brought the girls home, so drilling is the only thing left...err... :eek:

That's what bedtime is for. Or just call red wine "grape juice that's only for grownups" and margaritas "orange juice that's only for for grownups." Of course your girls are a little older than my daughter and might figure it out. :D

For bits, I'm mostly using cheap ones with good luck. 1/8" bits are brittle and I just buy a few packs of them at a time. I recently got a set of Hickory brad points that I'm happy with, especially for the price. But remember, friends don't let friends drink and drill. My forstner bits came from Harbor Freight and work well too. I've never had better ones, but really don't see the need. I do have a COMPLETE set of regular bits my dad got me. It has fractional sizes from very tiny to 1/2, letter sizes and number sizes. I only use that set for "good" stuff and have another set for "regular" use.

[Michael Gibbons]

I watched an in-store demonstration video at Woodcraft of the new bits they are carrying called "Colt" I would have bought them but they didn't have the 7 piece set in stock, and besides I had spent my entire birthday gift budget on other things. The video was impressive.


Mike

[tim rowledge]

Add another vote for the LV bits. Had a set for several years and aside from one going missing (cheek! I think they should replace it for me :-) ) they've been perfect

[Frank Fusco]

My set of HF brad point bits are sharp, straight and entirely satisfactory. They measure to correct diameters. And the entire 30 bit set costs about the same as one bit from most of the catalog houses. Personally, I am of the opinion that many of the expensive bits we see advertised are the same thing with a different price tag. Same for a lot of router bits.

[glenn bradley]

What style of bit? FWW liked Lee Valley's brad points:

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuidePDF.aspx?id=24964

I have a "cheapie" set of Chinese Forstners I bought on sale at Woodcraft 'cause I was away from the shop. They work as well as my Freud bits(?!?) but, this is a freak occurance. My other cheap bits got the job done and then I generally toss them so they don't in-breed with my good bits by mistake.

Jim makes sense; watch for the types and sizes you use most and get 'good ones' of those if you don't want to pop for a whole set of LV, Freud or Bosch, etc. I have a boat load of drill types and sizes but probably use 20% of them 80% of the time, eh?

[Frank Pellow]

Get the Lipped brad point drills from Lee Valley.

Brian :)


Another vote for these drills. Sweet drills.


Add another vote for the LV bits. Had a set for several years and aside from one going missing (cheek! I think they should replace it for me :-) ) they've been perfect

I am yet another satisfied user of Lee Valley drill bits. I have several of their drill bit sets of different types and a few of their individual bits and they are all good!

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Just wanted to say you guys were right. Got the Lee Valley bits last week and they are great. Thanks for the tip.