Good, or at least decent drill bits

dhermesc

Well-known Member
Where do you go for good drill bits? Years ago I bought a set of fairly sizable set of cheap Cummins Tools drill bits made in China. By accident I am sure they have been the best set of drill bits I've ever owned. Since then I have bought and been given several small sets and individual Dewalt, Caftsman, and Irwin drill bits at various stores as I needed them. All have been cheap POS and none as good as the Cummins tools set I bought. My teenage sons have pretty much ruined the most of my drill bits (why would you use oil while drilling?) and I need another good set (that I will hide) and what would people suggest?
 
I bought the 115 piece cobalt set from Harbor Freight. Handles about everything up to 1/2", fractional, numbered, and lettered. So far I'm happy.
 
Interesting, I must have bought the same set from Cummins, and that has been my experience too. If my crystal ball had been any good I would have picked up a couple more.
 
"(why would you use oil while drilling?)" quote

Ever hear of cutting fluid ? It helps bits last longer and run cooler.
 
best bits I have are the harbor freight 115 piece kit,im not in the shop now but I think they were cobalt,thier most expensive set tho ,if I remember correct they were close to 100 bucks,i love them so much I bought another set
 
No mater what the set is I keep my Drill Doctor close by and keep them sharp. I find that even though a drill that has been used several times and is cutting OK, will cut much better when touched up with my Drill Doctor.
 

I buy whatever cobalt is available at the store, and sharpen as needed with my drill doctor.
 
I used to work with a old guy that taught me how to hand sharpen drill bits, also taught me to warm up a gallon of paint on a hot plate to help it flow.
 
" "(why would you use oil while drilling?)" quote
Ever hear of cutting fluid ? It helps bits last longer and run cooler."

He's talking about his kids not himself. He know what cutting oil is!!!!
 
Stop at your local Fastenall store. The bits they have are real US made bits and a complete set of 29 bits is around $129.00. Very good bits. NOW you need to hide them. The other thing is as you drill you want to use straigh antifreeze. A couple of drops at a time. You WILL be amazed how well it works. Trust me.
 
Spindle speed is a bit killer when it is too fast. I mostly use plain water in a squirt bottle for keeping bits cool and cutting. Years ago there was a product named, "Rapid Tap" that was very good for machining then the EPA made them change the formula and it wasn't worth a darn. I still have a half gallon or so of the original, hope the EPA doesn't make me throw it out.

Another very good machining fluid though they don't sell it for that is the Liquid Wrench II in a mostly turquoise colored can. It is fantastic to release surface tension when using a cutoff tool on a lathe.

Most of my drill bits are from Henry Hansen Co. I have a special super set at the shop that cost 250 dollars, 1/16th to 1/2 and I'm sorry but can't think of the brand. I bought them for jobs that ruins other bits, mainly drilling broken manifold bolts.
 
I bought the complete set of letter, number, and fractional from Hansen. That was 40 years ago and still have 95% of them.
 
I have found it best to keep my drill bits separated by usage. The very best of bits are short lived in "junk" work. For general use in handheld equipment or the drill press I find the Black Gold bits from Champion to give the best bang for the buck. They are economically priced on ebay but be careful that you get the real deal made by Champion as there are plenty of imposters. For use in the machine tools I use Cleveland Twist Drill. I also have a big can of bits for junk work and the boys were taught at a young age that when they need to drill a hole the bit came from the can,,
 
I like the ones I get through Lawson.

As for cheaper bits, a couple of years ago I bought a little briefcase looking thing from Menards that had a selection of multiples of several sizes of bit up to half. For Christmas the kid bought me an index from Black and Decker. The cheapies from Menards are a far better bit than the Band D's.
 
dhermsesc,

I bought bits from american made sales from 2 brothers in Minnesota. Warrantied for life, break one, send them the stub, and either they sharpen it or replace it.

If you dull one, send it to them and they will sharpen it.

I did not want to wait for the turn-around time, so I bought 2 identical sets. Not cheap, but worth every penny to me.

D.
 
Cobalt are all we ever used those Cobalt Double Margin bits at the yard make very clean holes I always drilled the pilot size first although you don't have to if the finish hole size isn't critical like they are on an aircraft.
Byron
 
(quoted from post at 23:01:29 02/16/17) I agree, Showcrop, once a guy has used cobalt bits HSS bits are pretty lame!

The trouble with cobalt bits, atleast when running in a cnc, I'd that one flute will break/chip. Then I'll drill the hole oversize. Not a problem to much if you're going something that's not critical. I nearly scrapped a $30,000 piece of material at work once because the drill chipped, but was still drilling and I couldn't tell until I measured afterwards. The first few holes were fine, but after that the last half dozen or more holes were .348, and it was a tap drill for a 3/8 16. I managed to save my butt by suggesting to my supervisor that I use a form tap instead. I opened them up just a hair more and it worked like a charm.

Donovan from Wisconsin
 
In your case Don I would drill a pilot hole then I would use a piloted reamer for the final hole size on a project like that. I'm sure you probably know that but you may have wanted to save time by drilling once.
Byron
 
Most of the cheap ones were never worth a **** in the first place (sharp or dull). The Cummins tools bits only about half are still there, between breaking them and the kids (one child in particular) losing them there isn't enough left after 17 years for a decent set - especially when its the most "popular" sizes that have suffered the most damage and loss.
 
Agreed. I bought them because they looked like they might be decent and were extremely cheap. Had I known what I was getting I would have bought a couple sets also. I do know you can't find them anymore.
 
I didn't read all of your responses but I have found the ones I get at Fastenal as good as any available at present. I think they are USA made and have held up well. My dad was a toolmaker of the WWII era and find his tools are far superior to anything that can be obtained almost anywhere at present but his supply of drill bits is getting short, Hal.
 

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