Best Drill Bits?

[Carroll Courtney]

Reading post about drill bit sharpeners, I started thinking about the few drill bit sets that I have that are missing few drill bits. Originally I would run down to local Ace buy drill bit. But I’m older, I dislike crowds and traffic, hate setting in long line at cash register and at dang red light where individuals trying sell me flowers or trinkets. With me getting off subject for minute I like to know what is a good brand of drill bits to buy for replacement? I’m just every day Joe the homeowner that will drill through mild steel from 16ga up maybe 1/2 when making moble base for bandsaws etc. I know need 1/8 and up but as you know some sizes get used lot while others will get used very little. Even if 1/8 cost say 5.00 if it’s worth it I’m in, anything keep me out of massive crowds

[David M Peters]

I don't know if they're the "best" but I've been happy with Triumph drill bits, available from Lee Valley. I got a few of the hard-to-sharpen smaller sizes.

[Dave Sabo]

For drilling metal you want cobalt bits.

This test from a month ago suggests Bosch’s set is the best value:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p94UbNphysY

[George Yetka]

Buying individuals, at least in the big box stores is not cost effective. If you go looking for a 3/8" you can get a set of 29 for 3x the price of the 1 bit especially if you buy around black friday.

I built a cabinet for under/over the foot of my drill press and made a few drawers. One of the drawers has slots for 5-10 twist/brad bits each in 1/64 increments. After 10 years of field work and personal drill bit sets I emptied 6-7 sets into this drawer

[Frederick Skelly]

I have a set of Norseman that I like very much.

[Rob Luter]

For twist drills, I have a mix of TiN coated bits from the big box store and HSS versions from the industrial supply. The latter is what's used in the tool room/die shop at work. I use these on metal and for rough work in wood.

For precise holes in wood, I use brad point bits from Lee Valley. I bought a whole kit a few years ago. A little pricey, but they are exceptional.

07J0128-boxed-set-of-28-5-64-inch-to-1-2-inch-brass-plate-drills-f-12.jpg

[Richard Coers]

What kind of drill bits to drill what kind of material? Based on the limited amount of information, your question will solicit a lot of guessing what you really want. Every company in the world will ship to your home, and Ace will have a guy deliver right to your front door.

[Bill Dufour]

I have a few parabolic drill bits that have impressed me. I think any maker that goes to the trouble of making parabolic drills knows what they are doing. They are supposed to be sharpened different.
Bill D

[Michael Schuch]

I buy 10 packs of drill bits in common sizes that get used a lot (1/8, 1/4, 5/16, etc.). I really like these Cobalt bits, especially when it comes to drilling steel:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Bill Dufour]

I have an adapter so I can use threaded drills in a regular chuck not just a countersink cage or pancake drill. For drilling small holes under one inch deep or so it works great. I find no one makes low quality threaded drills. There is just no market for cheap ones that dull quickly.
Resharps get sold on the bay by the pound.
Bill D

[Andrew Seemann]

Norseman by Viking are by far the best that I have used, and they are not really expensive for what you get if you shop around. Heck, the side flutes on them are sharper than the tips of most drills.

There was a local industrial supply place that sold them in bulk for less than the imported bits at the big box stores. I bought something like a dozen of each size from 1/16" to around 1/4 inch and I haven't gone through a quarter of them. Unfortunately they shut down a few years back, but I did pick up a 105 bit set of fractional, letter and number for cost when they were closing up.

[Alex Shanku]

Chicago Latrobe and Drill Hog make up most of my metal and wood shop drills.

[Mike Henderson]

I have a set of Norseman that I like very much.

Me too.

Mike

[Tom M King]

My twist drill indexes started out full of Hanson bits 51 years ago, but they've all been replaced some many different times that I doubt there are many Hansons left in them now. I do have a bunch of the little paper envelopes of multiples of the very small ones left with some in them. I have no idea what's best. I just replace them when needed with what turns up when I look.

[Jamie Buxton]

I have a Norseman set, based on recommendations on this forum. They’re okay, they have one feature that makes me a little nuts. For bits 3/16” and larger, the shank is not round. Norseman grinds three flats on the shank so that the usual 3-jaw chuck can grip the shank tightly. However, when I put a bit in the drill, it is just as likely to grip the round part of the shank as it is to grab the flats. If it grabs the round part, a little drilling usually dislodges the bit, and it usually winds up on the floor. Grrr.