Drill bit set - buy once - which brand?

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I am looking to buy a 29 piece set of good drill bits (1/16" to 1/2"). I prefer the tri-flat shanks. I see Huot is USA made, but is the cobalt set any good? They seem to be inexpensive. I have searched and read the HSS vs coated vs cobalt threads. I know I want cobalt. I just don't know what brand is the best deal. Is the $75 set as good as the Irwin $140 set for doing mostly mild steel and stainless steel every once in a while?I was wondering what you guys thought about the following sets:29 pc M42 SOLID COBALT DRILL BIT SET 135° Tip NEW USA (tri-flat shanks)http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/29-pc...motiveQ5fTools$7529 Piece Cobalt M-45 Metal Index Drill Bit Set (Part Number: HAN3018002B)http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/29-Pi...motiveQ5fTools$138Irwin Hanson 3018002 29 Pc Cobalt Drill Bit Set M35http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Irwin...motiveQ5fTools$85
Reply:For what it's worth, I have a couple of sets of 29 piece ti nitride coated drill bits from harbor freight.  When needed, I sharpen them in a Drill Doctor.  I have also purchased ti nitride coated bits (smaller sizes) in the 10 pack in case I break one.  Always comes in handy!The 29 piece set is currently on sale for 19.99 but can be had for 16.00 with a 20% coupon.  IMO they are well worth $16.00.  Take the rest of what you were going to spend and get a Drill Doctor (or similar).  Replacing a broken cobalt drill bit is "spendy"!P.S.  I've never owned a set of cobalt drill bits.  I've heard they "hold an edge" well, but I've never been able to make the commitment to spend $75.00 - $140.00 for drill bits.
Reply:My only problem with the above statement is that the HF ones dull so fast you end up sharpening as much as drilling.  It does suck to buy expensive ones, but if you dont break them they will last for a much longer time.  Personally, I'd go for the $75 one.Millermatic 135Syncrowave 250
Reply:Thank you for the replies. For years I used a friend's drill set and they work great. I am going to look at the brand this evening. He has a drill sharpener that I use on them sometimes. It is not a drill Dr. It is an older sharpener and does a good job.Recently I bought a 115 pc set from HF for $30 when I ordered some other tools. I tried one bit out last night on some 3/16" mild steel making a new frame for a another tool. After drilling 8 holes the outer edges were chipped. It happened on the fourth hole and I could tell by the slight squeal it started to make. I think the HF is a decent set for around the house stuff, but I need a set where I can drill longer between sharpening when I am building stuff in the garage. My gut instinct is to go with the Cobalt USA made set for $75. I like the tri-cut shank when using with my hand held drill. I am also getting a drill sharpener no matter which drill set I get.
Reply:I think I have it narrowed down to what I will need. I figure I might as well get a spare sharpening wheel. Is the standard wheel the one that can be used on cobalt bits or is there  a better one?After checking what type of bits I have been happily using for years I will decide if I need the cobalt or not. I saw one bit shatter before so I have a feeling they are some sort of cobalt.Yeah, the better Irwin set is about $30 more. I look at it this way.........a weeks worth of eating peanut butter & jelly for lunch is all that it will cost and save me in sharpening time. Irwin says the more expensive set is 8% cobalt and the other is 5%.M-45 cobalt 29 piece set ($108) Irwin / Hanson / Vise Grip (HAN3018002B)Item Number: HAN3018002B Drill Doctor (DD 750X) ($133)Item Number: DD 750XStandard Diamond Sharpening Wheel   ($21)Drill Doctor (DD DA31320GF)Item Number: DD DA31320GFLast edited by weld; 07-14-2010 at 02:28 PM.
Reply:M-42 is a standard AISI tool steel, I think the M-45 notation is somebody puffing smoke...If you are buying a drill doctor just get the cheap black oxide drills, if you want better you can find Black&Decker bright drill indexes for $30-35 at the big box stores (these are M2 HSS made by Cleveland drill USA). Or just get the real thing with Cleveland stamped on the bit for triple the money.Matt
Reply:I agree about the M-45 description being incorrect.I would like to get a 29 piece set. What do you think about this set? It is not the bright set though. Would it be made by Cleveland also?http://www.blackanddecker.com/Produc...ProductID=606029-Piece General Purpose Drill Bit SetModel # 15575
Reply:Buy cheap and buy more of them.  Drills are an expendable idem.
Reply:I just buy good quality HSS bits, drill thru anything I ever need to, including hard metals and SS.   Just watch the speed, use plenty of coolant, and sharpen as needed.   Occasionally, I get a Titanium bit from the hardware store, a certain specific size for tapping threads maybe, but my understanding is the first time you sharpen them, you take whatever titanium there is off the cutting edges, it's not special steel or anything.I don't have a special drill-sharpener, either, I just do them free-hand on a bench grinder.Good quality bits would include Viking and  Hanson, a couple other names I don't recall right off the top of my head.    One brand in particular to stay away from, is Vermont American.
Reply:The sharpener I always used was made by Black&Decker and it worked great.This is what it looks like:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=263602_263622In terms of 29 pc sets. The Black&Decker set is about $35 shipped and the Irwin cobalt 8% is about $105 shipped.
Reply:Originally Posted by jsfabI just buy good quality HSS bits, drill thru anything I ever need to, including hard metals and SS.   Just watch the speed, use plenty of coolant, and sharpen as needed.   Occasionally, I get a Titanium bit from the hardware store, a certain specific size for tapping threads maybe, but my understanding is the first time you sharpen them, you take whatever titanium there is off the cutting edges, it's not special steel or anything/
Reply:Not really sure if this fits what you are looking for, but if anyone is really looking for a set of bits that are really tough and will last a long time, get a set off cryo bits from Parts Master. I was retrofitting a stainless steel conveyor once that required drilling a lot of 1/8" holes. We were breaking regular and cobalt bits faster than we could buy them. Bought a few Cyro bits and were able to drill all day long with the same bit without breaking or resharpening it.
Reply:can someone please tell me what a drill sharpener is? i thought the only way to sharpen a bit was with a bench grinder and a good eye
Reply:Posted by joedirt1966It is true that sharpening a ti nitride bit takes off the coating. The remaining exposed steel is high M2 high speed steel (according to the specifications).Sharpening a black oxide coated high speed drill bit also results in removal of the outer finish exposing the same M2 high speed steel as on ti nitride coated bits.Ti Nitride coating is more durable than black oxide. Drilling through thick metal will eventually chew them both up.On the contrary, Cobalt drill bits do not require the ti nitride or black oxide coating and thus no coating is removed after sharpening. After sharpening, you have a new sharp cobalt bit as it was before you ever used it (albeit very slightly shorter).
Reply:Black oxide is a corrosion preventitive and will aid with lubrication. Ti nitride is for higher temp and wear resistance and is best suited for CNC production.  Choice of drill bits will depend on how much drilling and what kind of material you are drilling.  If you drill mild steel and aluminum the HSS is just fine.  If you plan on drilling harder materials then you need a better quality drill.  As an earlier post mentioned there are different percentages of cobalt and those differences can make a big difference in cutting and wear resistance.Russell
Reply:I looked at the drill I have been using forever. One set is a 29 pc. Hanson HSS set. The other is a 29 pc. PAI Industries (made in USA) set with tri-cut shanks. Both work great and I have been happy with them. Based on this I am going to give the Black&Decker HSS set a try first and get the Drill Dr.I tried sharpening both a Hanson bit and Harbor Freight bit. The Hanson bit was much harder than the HF bit. I could sharpen the HF bit much faster without bogging the sharpening wheel down.Thank you all for the help.
Reply:Whatever they're made of I like the bits with the split point that don't walk all over when you start the hole. Don't have to center punch before drilling. And for things that do need better location accuracy, need a center drill in a drill press or mill anyway. AlA man is judged by what's between his legs...always ride a good horseMiller DialArc HFLincoln Classic 300DThermal Arc 181iPowermax 45Scotchman Ironworker(2) BridgeportsOkomota Surface GrinderAutoCAD 2010
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749Sure.....Until one busts off or dulls instantly, work hardening the inside of a blind hole of a one off project you're building or repairing & there's no way of getting it out without a lot of effort or a tap burner.
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749Cobalt is great in some regards, being it has a little more resilience to wear on harder steels & ones that tend to work harden quickly. I have purchased them for jobs where I want the best possible results & only have one shot to get it right. It's worth a few extra bucks for something like that. Sometimes, the cost doesn't justify the means tho.Good luck with your projects
Reply:Originally Posted by weldI agree about the M-45 description being incorrect.I would like to get a 29 piece set. What do you think about this set? It is not the bright set though. Would it be made by Cleveland also?http://www.blackanddecker.com/Produc...ProductID=606029-Piece General Purpose Drill Bit SetModel # 15575
Reply:Originally Posted by weldEvery once in a while I get some scrap metal cut off of paving equipment. It is work hardened due to being heated and cooled many times through out the day. I use the stuff for building carts, wood splitter add-ons, and other non-precise stuff. I tried drilling in just once. It just dulled a bit instantly. From there on out I make all the holes in it with the plasma cutter. It will destroy the cutter tips but they are only like $0.20 for the china torch. If I really have to I then clean up the hole with a carbide burr, but that is pretty rare.The new sharpener will be fun to experiment with to see if it out sharpens the Black & Decker sharpener. I am guessing it will since the B&D requires more user input to set up and operate.
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireIt's pretty similar (same window box). About being made by Cleveland, it's possible. Some years back I mentioned to my tool guy that I had bought a B&D set for home that looked every bit as good as my shop drills for 1/3 the price. He commented that they were Cleveland and then said "if you buy 50,000 at a time you'd get a better price too". Smart A$$..Matt
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireI posted before reading all the comments.It's also a good possibility the scraps you had were T-1 or even worse, AR. T-1 is tough AR is just a pain in the...I think you'll be happy with them.7A749, I'm sure with ya in the cheap tool stuck in the expensive part. I use a number of drills and coatings but the old M2 HSS by a good maker just seems tougher, I can't ever remember having one shatter. I used to have a souvenier of a small one that bound up and removed the twist near the shank for about 1/2" or so.Matt
Reply:Lawson - Regency 29 pc 1/2 and down in 64ths....Let me first state that I don't work with metal for a living.  I bought a set of Lawson drill bits (regency - 29 pc mechanics length) about a year ago.  It costed a fortune. Maybe 160 bucks.  Let me say at this point that I'm just joe sixpack.  I live check to check and, like most of the middle class working americans, I don't have much money to throw around.  I've never contemplated buying another welder....couldn't afford to.  That being said, a decent set of bits is something I've long wanted.  My dad had crappy black and decker bits that he always meant to sharpen but never did, boxes of mismatched knock off brand bits broken, bent, always rusty, never sharp but always CRAP.  I put a coffee can in my shop and dropped spare change and an occasional bill into it when I could.  I emptied the jar when christmas came more than once but eventually I found I'd saved several hundred dollars.  I thought, "Self, what have I always wanted that I really couldn't afford"  No, not another pistol, no more beer, no fishing equipment, no hunting gear....I thought about it for a LONG time.  Then I went for it.  I bought this drill bit set and never once doubted my decision.  Oil metal liberally, wipe clean before drilling wood, never sharpened them because I havn't needed to.  They are top notch quality.  You only want to buy one more set of drill bits?  Lawson.Last edited by halfmoa; 07-17-2010 at 12:46 AM.
Reply:My buddy swears by these http://www.rodmanandcoinc.com/rodman.../homepage.html . He even says they have a lifetime waranty. I personally have not verified that, but he says they are the best bits he ever used. Maybe give them a call and see about their warranty. If it is life time, buy two sets and your covered, unless you break more than one size bit at a time."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"I look at the HF drill bits this weekend. I took a couple of the new unused bits and put them on the B&D drill sharpener to see where it would cut them. The sharpener removed material off of the heel. It held the same angle as they came out of the box, but the heel was taken down significantly. After sharpening they cut better and seemed to hold an edge fine. They are still nothing I would want to use on a project I have a lot of time into and requires a difficult hole to drill. They did drill some 3/8" holes in a 1/8" thick mild steel piece fine and held a decent edge.I will try sharpening them in the DD 750X once it arrives to see how it reshapes the new HF bits.
Reply:Originally Posted by Stick-manMy buddy swears by these http://www.rodmanandcoinc.com/rodman.../homepage.html . He even says they have a lifetime waranty. I personally have not verified that, but he says they are the best bits he ever used. Maybe give them a call and see about their warranty. If it is life time, buy two sets and your covered, unless you break more than one size bit at a time.
Reply:The DD 750X arrived, but the B&D bits are still in transit. I started sharpening the HF bits. What a night & day difference. They drill smoother and hold an edge longer. I didn't realize the DD does split point and masonary bits. It is worth every penny. I did all the HF bits split point. That is something I couldn't do with the B&D sharpener. Overall, it is a little slower but with some practice it goes at a decent pace. The point is very symmetric and cuts smooth. The other nice feature is being able to set the relief angle. The HF bits were all 118*, but not symmetric. I had to set the depth rather deep to cut them straight.
Reply:The HarborFreight HSS bits cut decent now with a 118* tip and split point. The B&D bits cut nice out of the box. I only sharpened one to see how differently the DD 750X put an edge on. They were very close. The B&D have a raised edge all along the outer flute just like the good sets of drill bits I have used in the past. What is the raised edge there for?The best part is I was talking to a friend and they have a bunch of old dull bits in a box. I am going to sharpen them for him. The DD 750X is worth it in my opinion. It will pay for itself in no time.
Reply:The raised edge of the land is called the margin. The land is cut back to reduce the chance of galling and chip welding to the land.Matt
Reply:I bought a  set of Irvin max drill bits a few years ago I think thats the name anyway. they were 119.00 wHen I bought them, they had a double web or cutting edge something like that. they drilled incredibly fast I used them for about 3 years drilling with a milwaulkee holeshooter. I drilled double framed trucks and lots of other rough repairs. I had at least 60 to 70 holes on everyone of the major sizes. and only broke one bit and that was  I slipped  and fell when I hit a rust pocket and it locked up, a great set of bits. they got dull and I couldnt re-sharpen them so I bought a another set of the exact same bits. that second set I broke 3 bits in the first two days . obviously the heat treater had screwed up but the supplier wouldnt warranty them. now I use harbor freight bits and the equivalent and sharpen them. they dont work as good but they are a lot less money and I know I buying ****. so it doesnt piss me off like buying a quality brand and realizing they are **** after the fact.Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
Reply:I have had the same thing happen to me with other items. Thankfully there is the web so I can find out great info like the B&D 29pc bit set for $35 shipped to your door.The HF will be the back up set and for stuff around the house. It is the 115 pc set because I figured I might need the small stuff for cleaning mower, snow-thrower, etc carbs. I think that set was around $30 too.In the end, the best thing I got is the DD 750X. Really happy with it.
Reply:Weld you've just sold a Drill Doctor.    I hadn't considered one until now.  Looks like the extra for the DD750X will pay for itself with a couple of larger drills.  I use a 47/64 for larger wheel studs and at 25 bucks for a good quality drill it will pay for itself in just a few uses.Thanks for the report.
Reply:I found the Best Drill Bits at Drill Bit Warehouse http://www.drillbitwarehouse.com They manufacture a M42 Cobalt set that is amazing.
Reply:Originally Posted by stampcan someone please tell me what a drill sharpener is? i thought the only way to sharpen a bit was with a bench grinder and a good eye
Reply:Lowes sells this set of 100 bits for their Xmas come on black Friday sale for like $9 and change. I've bought 3 sets, just love them. Got a lot of the smaller ones that I either dull or break. All of these had been super, cut thru anything I asked in the home shop. Must have at the price. Might debate for $22 but under ten bucks is a keeper. Ain't broke one of them yet.http://www.lowes.com/pd_176028-353-4...+Friday+ValuesThey had some bigger sets, going to look into getting one of those maybe this Xmas if the price is right.
Reply:Drill Bit Warehouse.....solid cobalt42  (not cobalt plated). They will drill out air plasma cut holes without damage.....and can be resharpened. These are the best drills I have ever purchased.  A set from 1/16" to 1/2" in a case was about $130.....worth every penny.Jim Colt