Recommend Drill Bits

I liked Snap on.

@jim sutter posted:

I liked Snap on.

I'll second this recommendation. Snap On may be a bit higher priced, but you certainly get what you pay for in top quality, especially their Cobalt set of bits (they will drill through just about anything).

Best if you source from an industrial supplier as you will likely get American or European made drills. Avoid Asian bits as the material and size can be all over the map. Look for HSS, high speed steel. Coated is optional for the materials you cutting.

I like McMaster Carr but there are many others. The problem with home and hardware store drills is not knowing the origin in most cases.

Pete

@Hot Water posted:

I'll second this recommendation. Snap On may be a bit higher priced, but you certainly get what you pay for in top quality, especially their Cobalt set of bits (they will drill through just about anything).

Snap On don’t make their own bits, ….they use Hanson as their vendor for drill bits, taps & dies …..this is within the last 20 some odd years, ….Hanson mfr’s for Snap on, with the Snap on logo on the bit, or tap,..etc….Hanson is available to GP at many retailers….but yes, I’d third this brand,…Matco, and Cornwell both use Hanson as a vendor…

Pat

stick with German-Swiss-Japan or USA made

I use Harbor freight drill bits on all the train table wood and on softer items. I tend to put side pressure on the drill bits when using a hand drill and snap a few. You can buy a 5 pack of whatever size you need for about $3. I have a set of numbered and lettered for precision jobs

I have purchased surplus cobalt drill bits made for the US Air Force from armysurpluswarehouse.com. They sell 10 packs of bits for 4.99; however there selection is limited to 3/16, 5/16,sizes 40,30,27,21,19 and 17. I thought they were a bargain.

I have been a machinist for 31 years and the I always buy cobalt drills for the shop. They are a little bit more expensive than high speed but you are able to cut most ordinary metals including stainless steel. We never buy high speed drills. I buy them from MSC Industrial but I am sure  that you can find cobalt at a local hardware store. Definitely stay away from bargain drills sets. You might as well stand in the parking lot of the store and throw your money into the wind.

Thank you everyone I appreciate the shared knowledge

Happy Holidays

Steven Taylor

Check out wire size equivalent drill bits too if you need a tight fit. 30 is slightly smaller than 5/32 and 40 is a hair smaller than 1/8 etc etc. They get pretty tiny.

IMO, it really depends on how someone plans to use them.

No argument with the recommendations above from people who do machine work - when precision is needed, good tools are called for.

The OP mentioned drilling into soft metal and wood using a hand-held power drill.  Perhaps I'm mistaken, but this sounds like situations where extreme precision is not required.  For that kind of work, I prefer inexpensive bits that are purchased in bulk at the home center - when one snaps or gets dull, toss it and grab another.  (I used to resharpen bits - it's time consuming to set up and takes a lot of repetition to get good at it.)

I have no reservations buying bit sets from Dewalt, Kobalt, Ryobi, etc. for most woodworking and general use. I have a different set of brad point bits for precision woodwork when called for. If I were doing metal work I would have yet another set of bits for that purpose.

Most hardware stores would have small metal drill index boxes  (Example:  small to 1/4")  I have two of these index boxes, stored, in the battery drill case.  (2 Bits of each drill size, replaced, ( one bit at at time),  from the single bit display, at the  hardware store.   Same applies to the big box stores.  Bit's larger than 1/4" can be sharpened (carefully) with a bench grinder. IMO. Mike CT.