Drill bits - the good from the bad?

[whm_fab]

These days with the amount of Asian rubbish on the market, is the brand name now the only way to tell what drill bits you are getting?



Right now I can buy a set of Cobalt HSS drill bits from a tool supplier for £485



I can also but a bigger set of Cobalt HSS drill bits on ebay for £9.95 with free post



The look the same weight the same feel the same – how can you know what you’re getting before you try to drill into stainless and the bit goes up in smoke?

 

[Richard.]

I guess it's a case of suck it and see and at 10 quid it's not a huge loss if they prove to be as soft as chocolate. I too bought a cheap set of taskmaster ones which I still have and don't use for SS as I'll kill them but on steel they are ok. I have a box of Presto's which I would say are middle of the road and drill through stainless just fine if they are kept sharp and used with fluid. I also have a selection of Dormers which are my premium ones if there is any doubt. These I don't use for everything and they stay razor sharp as my go to bits for thicker ss. I haven't found or used a cheap one that's up for lots of Ss cutting.

 

[blenkie1]

What size bits are you after? Recently got some cobalt drills made by Presto for around £80. 1-13mm

 

[whm_fab]

I’m not after anything in particular, just a good set that I can rely on.

I’ve hundreds of odd sets with bits missing from cobalt ones to TiN for drilling stainless etc, but at the same time many are missing or have broken.

Its been bugging me for a while in the workshop when im looking for a really good bit to drill a hole in SS and find I don’t have one in that size etc.

So I want to but a set I can put away and only use when nothing else will do on SS or Ti.



My issue is how can someone market something as cobalt HSS for 9.99? surely there is not a hint of cobalt anywhere near those bits!

At least with normal tools, its quite easy to see and feel the quality, but with drill bits they have managed to mask the tat from the good stuff really well. Its very hard to tell a rubbish drill bit with a crappy gold coating on it from a £50 drill bit these days.



Ive a few TiN sandvik drill bits I bought at an engineering show jumble stand, and I guard it with my life. I have never seen anything eat SS like this, and it still looks brand new.

 

[daleyd]

Brand name or personal recommendations is the only way I would have thought.

 

[I'm getting on a bit]

Dormer is a name you can trust I also buy heller they are excellent as well.

You just need HSS there are differing grades

When you look at the cheap drills they are not fully ground and that gives the game away for their poor quality

 

[NickyEng]

Dormer, that's all I use and buy

 

[Shox Dr]

Machine mart sell a 1-10mm set for around 19-30quid. Ive had some for a longtime, good quality.



For some reason 1-13mm sets are always very costly, but then you are getting 6 large drils, that set you back ay least a tenner a piece, so maybe not such a bad price

 

[whm_fab]

Thanks Folks, this looks like a good set in that case?



http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=281901492417&alt=web



I drill a lot of 10.5mm holes so I think il go for a 1-10mm set and but a couple of 10.5 separately

Need to find a good hiding place for them

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

Thanks Folks, this looks like a good set in that case?



http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=281901492417&alt=web

I would think thats not a bad deal at all

 

[mike os]

good price but they are not cobalt

 

[I'm getting on a bit]

Thanks Folks, this looks like a good set in that case?



http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=281901492417&alt=web



I drill a lot of 10.5mm holes so I think il go for a 1-10mm set and but a couple of 10.5 separately

Why not buy a single heller drill bit you can then compare the quality with the dormer bits

 

[whm_fab]

good price but they are not cobalt

yes i know!

Why not buy a single heller drill bit you can then compare the quality with the dormer bits

good idea actually il do that thanks!

 

[123hotchef]

I use dorma too but I brought a set from lidl a while back and they were great too so I went back and brought another couple of sets 0.5mm up to 10mm in .5mm inciments

 

[I'm getting on a bit]

good price but they are not cobalt

There is no such thing as a cobalt drill.

I did mention earlier that there are various types of HSS of which cobalt can be an ingredient.

You can read all about it here follow the link and select TYPES https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_steel

 

[daleyd]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Metabo-Prom...d=1454074023&sr=1-1&keywords=cobalt+drill+set

Metabo are a good (Excellent) manufacturer of power tools, couldn't imagine them putting their name to any old junk.

 

[Richard.]

If your gonna spend £50 presto take some beating in that bracket.

 

[ronan]

I've been buying sherwood drills for a while now and find them good and not too expensive.

 

[Richard.]

Thanks Folks, this looks like a good set in that case?



http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=281901492417&alt=web



I drill a lot of 10.5mm holes so I think il go for a 1-10mm set and but a couple of 10.5 separately

Need to find a good hiding place for them

That's pretty good price actually. The a002's are a good high speed drill bit

 

[winchman]

To be honest I buy mine at the car boot but I only buy Dormer or Presto, sharpen them then I have a storage box that holds about 20 of each size its been very handy over the years.
I once had to buy one new so I paid £8 for a Dormer one, cant fault it