Best twist drill brands?

[Sleazey]

Who makes good twist drill bits? Any brands particularly recommended, or, abhorred?

I've got a number of metric sized twist drill bits, but I need to start getting imperial sizes, especially the # and letter series.

AdvThanksance

 

[xo18thfa]

I have been very satisfied with the High Speed Steel, uncoated (bright) bits from McMaster Carr. I've had their #1 to #60 set for 5 years. The most common sizes like #50 for a 2 x 56 pilot hole is still original. They are a bit pricey, but well worth the investment.

Their taps are very good too.

Bob


Edit: They are Greenfield Industries brand

 

[Mainer]

Any of the name brands are good. Just about guaranteed: you get what you pay for.

 

[GWRdriver]

I'm not too much of a drill "brand" person, I've had perfectly good service from "no-name" US-made drills (from MSC), but over time I've had any number of twist drills, reamers, and end mills made by Cleveland and they always seemed to be top notch.

 

[Ken Bartlett]

I would not spend to much on name brand bits if you are only using them for your hobby. If you are in a production environment, where tool life/wear is a concern, then it is a requirement to get well made tooling. If you are only going to use your drills for one or a few holes every once in awhile, for the majority at least get an import set. Maybe spend a bit extra for those sizes you use more often, such as tap drills and such. Its a great way to get proficient at grinding your own bits, as the cheaper ones wear down. Anyway, that is just my opinion.

 

[Sleazey]

Thanks for the suggestion guys. Good information.

I asked because I bought a house brand metric import set from one of the big name suppliers. Some of the drills, particularly in the smaller sizes, were of extremely poor quality. A couple were actually bent, another had a subtle but definite corkscrew in it.

I hope to avoid any such when I buy an imperial drill bit set.

 

[Metal Butcher]

I have been using China brand drill bits that I bought as a 115 piece set. They came with a nice and handy metal storage index thats worth the price alone. Their available from just about every source for around $25 to $30. They seem to be very hard and hold up well enough in the lathe and mill. In a hand held drill they seem to break very easily. I guess they must leave them a little on the hard side of tempering. I also use USA brand name drill bits on occasion ( live in Cleveland and there's no shortage of brand new ones at garage and estate sales, I wonder why!). I really don't see any difference in their performance, but they sure look well made. I have heard it said that a badly sharpened one (China brand) will drill an oversize hole. I had this happen only once, and simply replaced it with another.

Since drilled holes are mainly a 'roughing operation', buying an expensive 115 pc USA set would not be a priority for me. Instead, I would buy some chucking reamers to properly size holes.

-MB

 

[tmuir]

I just buy cheap generic sets for most of my drilling, but do buy higher quality drill bits to use with my taps and keep them just for that. That way the size hole I want to drill for a tap I know I'm getting. Anything to make it less likely I'll break a tap I'm all for.

 

[Deanofid]

I somehow ended up with about seven different sets of drill bits. I'm helpless when I find a nice set on sale...

I guess it depends on what you consider value for your money. I have a number of drill sets and the quality definitely varies. One set is a no name China import, and it is without a doubt very, very poor. They go dull just taking them near a piece of steel.
On the other hand, I have a set of Ryobi brand that was made in China, and I would say they are fairly usable. I've seen the same exact set with the Milwaukee name on them. I've only seen them in fractional sizes.

I also have three fractional and one numbered set all made in the USA. There is no doubt whatsoever that they are better than either of the Chinese sets. They hold an edge much longer and drill straighter holes. None of the USA sets are a brand name. Just say "USA" on them.

I also have one set made in India. They won't drill any kind of metal. The cutting lips are so mis-ground that you can see it plainly with your eye.

I would suggest you buy bits made here. You will only have to buy them once. If that is out of the budget, I guess try an import with a known brand name.

Dean

 

[DickDastardly40]

I'm not sure if the Dormer brand is available in the USA; I have had good use out of my 1-6mm in 0.1 increment set. It was expensive but the bits are 4 facet split point ground so no especial worried about using a centre punch and they produce correct size holes.

I have several sets but the Dormer set is the one I go to first for the smaller sizes.

 

[stevehuckss396]

I asked because I bought a house brand metric import set from one of the big name suppliers. Some of the drills, particularly in the smaller sizes, were of extremely poor quality. A couple were actually bent, another had a subtle but definite corkscrew in it.

I think you just answered your own question. I bought sets that were $100 sets. Got them on sale for 65-80 a set 1-60, a-z, 1/16-1/2. They are all high speed, us made. There will come a time where you will have to drill a perfectly straight hole for the camshaft in your Whittle V8 and a poor, bent, elcheapo bit is not the tool you are going to want.

We all look at projects like G's V-twin and many others on this site. The quality of some of these projects is very high. We would all like to be able to do a quality job like they do. Then we walk into a tool store and buy the cheapest drills, reamers, and endmills we can find. By doing that we have just reduced our chances to almost nothing. This is not the place to try to save money.

 

[Richard1]

I have found Dormer to be very good, expensive but good. I also have a Chinese set and they are rubbish. The Chinese drills won't hold a cutting edge unless you are drilling soft stuff like Aluminium or Brass, the Dormer will drill much harder materials and they are consistently straight and to size. I also have a set of Freihl drills if you have the speed and power to drive them they will drill through anything but don't stall them or let them slip as they are very brittle.


Richard.

 

[gbritnell]

The biggest problem I find with import tooling is that it's so inconsistent, sometimes you get a good one, sometimes you don't. This goes for everything from chucks to drills. I buy quite a bit of tooling from MSC, McMaster and Travers tool. I always try to stipulate quality brands over the imports. I think the worst tooling is their threading dies, some cut, some don't. In all fairness though I have had some pretty shoddy name brand tools.
Rick, any drill that's not sharpened evenly will drill a larger hole. If you can picture the two cutting edges but one is longer than the other, meaning that even though they have the same angle one was ground down a little farther. Now you start drilling with it. The flute that's longer hits first and pushes the drill off center thus giving you a bigger hole. You can tell when you're drilling because the chips won't be coming out of the hole evenly.
George

 

[John Rudd]

Presto and Dormer for me, here in the UK...
Tried a set of el-cheapo Titanium plated drills that might as well have been made from chocolate....(mebbe the shiny Titanium covering was hiding chocolate? )

 

[GWRdriver]

I also have one set made in India. They won't drill any kind of metal. . . . . . I would suggest you buy bits made here. You will only have to buy them once. If that is out of the budget, I guess try an import with a known brand name. - Dean

I'm on a budget, like many (most?) of us, but there are some lessons that some people have to be learn the hard way, and I learned a couple of mine the hard way and drill bits was one of them. This is one on my all-time favorite quotes and it applies perfectly here:

"It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money, that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the job it was bought to do.
The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot, it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.
There is nothing in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper and he who considers price only is that man's lawful prey." - John Ruskin

 

[itowbig]

well im very new to this hobby and i really dont like spending money for tools thats out of my reach BUT-------
but i have to say buy the best and im a person that dont have much money but i have an elcheapo set and i really really dont like them at all . so as soon as i can get some money saved im going to buy a good set of bits. so my say is buy the good ones.

 

[Twmaster]

Cutting tools are one area I do not cheap out in. I'd rather pay a bit more and get quality tools the first time rather than buy them twice.

Like Dean and others here I have found imported tools to be of inconsistent quality. I too have used import drill bits that would not even scratch a chunk of 1018. I've also somehow wound up with some import bits that cut very well. My next set of bits will be a good brand of 'screw machine' bits.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Aldo Gucci. "The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory."

 

[kvom]

I think the worst tooling is their threading dies

Definitely agree on this one. Get good quality US HSS dies if you want good threads.

 

[Ed T]

The best auction score I ever had was a complete set of number, letter, and fractional drill bits in the nice little drawer sets with every drawer "full". Paid about $200 for the whole mess and I don't think I've needed to buy a drill in that size range for ten years. A great luxury I think. That said I find that there are some sizes of bits that I use a lot and some that I seldom if ever use. So perhaps a good middle ground would be to get a modestly priced "import set" and buy multiples of the sizes you really use a lot from a top tier manufacturer from the many suggested above. It's unlikely that you'll use the $8 "X" drill even if you have it so the cost effective ("cheap" is such an ugly word) one can keep that spot warm in your index. If you look at what you do and what you plan to do, you will probably find that a rather limited group of sizes will do the lions share of the work, but for that rainy Sunday when you just gotta have the "X" drill; you'll have it. Hopefully, it won't untwist like a cheapy I once had (it was Japanese if that gives you an idea of how long ago it was).

 

[Hal]

Norseman out of St Paul MN are quality bits.
They also offer some of their drill bits with 3 flats on the shank for a non slip grip in the drill chuck.

Hal