Phillips head bits

[skelrad]

Maybe a strange question, but is there something in particular to look for when buying phillips head bits for a drill? I'm having trouble finding a brand that doesn't get ground down just by looking at a screw wrong. I had a bunch of bits years ago that stood up to anything I could throw at them, but over time those have disappeared one by one with every move I've made. Anybody had especially good luck with one brand over another? Or am I just expecting too much out of a product that is essentially disposable?

I just went through a couple of bits while hanging cabinets this week. Now, I'll admit that at the awkward angles I was in, I didn't exactly do a solid job of keeping bits and screws perfectly aligned, and the cabinet screw head grooves were super shallow. But still, the bits just turned to scrap way too quickly.

I think the bits I have right now were some that a neighbor gave me when he moved, and he was crazy cheap, so he probably got them at HF or something. Once I wear through these (which apparently won't take long), what's the best brand to go for?

 

[kwhitelaw]

I always try for a ACR bit if I can. Snap-on typically, though I'm sure they are rebranded and someone can come in and name a cheaper option that also will work

 

[SCTony]

These LINK are the best I have found (for a decent price).

 

[devoncoolman]

I used to use the milwaulkie ice bits they held up well. Now i use snap-on and irwin impact grade bits. Seem to be holding up so far. Cheap bits wont go far if anywhere at all. I tossed all my cheap bits they were useless and caused more damage then anything.

 

[Provincial]

I like the SnapOn bits, but can't always get them. I use Milwaukee bits pretty often as a result, but they don't hold up quite as well. The SO bits are more brittle, so they don't play well with the impact.

 

[MBeaty]

McMaster Carr sells very nice insert bits. A few weeks back when I bought from them, they were Zephyr brand bits, which I believe is the OEM for Snap On. The price was quite good as well.

 

[Joe B.]

I used to use the milwaulkie ice bits they held up well. Now i use snap-on and irwin impact grade bits. Seem to be holding up so far. Cheap bits wont go far if anywhere at all. I tossed all my cheap bits they were useless and caused more damage then anything.

Milwaulkie? I used to use Vermont American Ice Bits and I thought they were great. I have some Hitachi ones that came from Sears that are holding up well now.

 

[nicksnothereman]

Maybe a strange question, but is there something in particular to look for when buying phillips head bits for a drill? I'm having trouble finding a brand that doesn't get ground down just by looking at a screw wrong. I had a bunch of bits years ago that stood up to anything I could throw at them, but over time those have disappeared one by one with every move I've made. Anybody had especially good luck with one brand over another? Or am I just expecting too much out of a product that is essentially disposable?

I just went through a couple of bits while hanging cabinets this week. Now, I'll admit that at the awkward angles I was in, I didn't exactly do a solid job of keeping bits and screws perfectly aligned, and the cabinet screw head grooves were super shallow. But still, the bits just turned to scrap way too quickly.

I think the bits I have right now were some that a neighbor gave me when he moved, and he was crazy cheap, so he probably got them at HF or something. Once I wear through these (which apparently won't take long), what's the best brand to go for?

It's hit or miss. You'll eventually end up with a set of acceptable quality for a price you can stomach. I use a lot of home depot "HDX" stuff because I got the sets reeeeeeeeaaaaal cheap. I'm going through them, they aren't great but they are serviceable.

Depends on the duty but dewalt would be the brand I would go to if you don't care about price (not that they're that expensive but more expensive than the disposable stuff).

I view bits as pretty much disposable. If I can find a bunch on clearance I just buy them. I have a whole damn set of black & decker bits I bought for like 5 bucks I won't use until godzilla rises from the ocean in 2032.

 

[neophyte]

Maybe a strange question, but is there something in particular to look for when buying phillips head bits for a drill? I'm having trouble finding a brand that doesn't get ground down just by looking at a screw wrong. I had a bunch of bits years ago that stood up to anything I could throw at them, but over time those have disappeared one by one with every move I've made. Anybody had especially good luck with one brand over another? Or am I just expecting too much out of a product that is essentially disposable?

I just went through a couple of bits while hanging cabinets this week. Now, I'll admit that at the awkward angles I was in, I didn't exactly do a solid job of keeping bits and screws perfectly aligned, and the cabinet screw head grooves were super shallow. But still, the bits just turned to scrap way too quickly.

I think the bits I have right now were some that a neighbor gave me when he moved, and he was crazy cheap, so he probably got them at HF or something. Once I wear through these (which apparently won't take long), what's the best brand to go for?

If the cabinet screws seemed to shallow for the bits you were using, the screws may not have been "Phillips" screws. A lot of cabinet hardware is manufactured in Europe, or is at least manufactured by European companies. Phillips head screws are the common type of crosshead screw found in the USA and North America. In Europe Pozidriv/Supadriv are the standard crosshead screw. The screws look similar but have different geometry. If you try to use a Phillips bit in a Pozidriv screw, the bit is far more likely to cam out of the screw, and then damage the bit. Japanese companies use JIS crosshead screws that can cause similar problems. Some companies use a modified crosshead bit design to prevent the problems. I'm not certain but the JIS or japanese bits may be the least likely to cam out of all three screw types.

For USA made screw bits Apex or Zephyr may be the better brands. Both manufacture their bits or Aerospace use. they also both manufacture Pozidriv bits.

Wiha, Wera, Witte, and Athlet, are four German companies known for the quality of their screwdrivers and bits. Wiha and Wera also offer bits coated with diamond and carbide grit designed to reduce cam-out. The four companies also specialize in manufacturing screwdrivers.

PB Swiss/Baumann also has a good reputation for their bits.

 

[CWP1616L]

I use either APEX bits or Zephyr bits. Snap-on bits are made by Zephyr.

 

[doan]

I recently bought the Makita gold bits, they seem very tough.

 

[skulldrinker]

I use old Dayton bits from Grainger on projects but not daily. They are 30 years old. Decking, studs, .... with driver and Milwaukee screwgun. I can't remember stripping one out. I just lose them.

 

[donthelegend]

I need to get some Apex or Zephyr bits next, but so far, Bosch Titanium bits are the best I have used that are available locally. I don't think they'll hold up to impact use, but for a regular drill they work great. The grab really well and I've yet to have an issue with them camming out/stripping a screw.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_300550-353-...rentURL=?Ntt=bosch+screwdriver+bit&facetInfo=

 

[uart]

In Europe Pozidriv/Supadriv are the standard crosshead screw. The screws look similar but have different geometry.

I agree with neophyte. Definitely make sure that you weren't accidentally using a phillips bit on a posidriv screw. Doing it the other way (posidriv bit on phillips screw) is actually much worse, but either way is not good.

 

[uart]

It's good to see a topic on durability of hex bits, I've also had mixed results with various bits over time.

Can I ask those have have found what they consider to be highly durable bits, what type of steel were they reported to be made of?

I have some bits that are marked "CrV" (chrome-vanadium) and others that are labelled as "S2 Tool Steel". The S2 ones were fairly inexpensive, but tbh they seem quite good. From what I can gather "S2" is a "shock resistant" alloy, and it's basically a manganese-moly steel.

Can anyone comment on the best type of steel to look for when buying bits?

 

[jjjrmx5]

Wiha.
Since a disposable "wear" item a lot of scrutiny goes into what gets bought along with cost.

Used daily by a team of 75 floor mfgr. employees that disassemble and reassemble components daily. Lots of military and gov't contract work.

If used in hand drivers they can go a year but usually less due to the possibility of stripping a fastener.

Cordless tools takes thier toll so less bit life when using them but no high torque a'la deck building applications. But then you should be pre-drilling if you are not in a hurry or a hack.
Stripping screws or fasteners is a big no-no so care is taken during use.
That adds to life.

If buying in bulk, engineering and purchasing here have not found a better value to tool life bit than Wiha.
And we get samples in from other mfgrs all the time.

 

[neophyte]

I recently bought the Makita gold bits, they seem very tough.

I was wondering about the Makita Gold Impact bits. I saw them at Home Depot and they looked like they might be decent. The bits are manufactured in China but they're manufactured from "Tatara" steel alloy. Actual Tatara steel is traditional hand produced steel used for making traditional Japanese swords, so the likelyhood is the steel is some specialty alloy produced by the Yasugi division of Hitachi.

 

[Scout Driver]

For wood screws, I switched to using torx screws. The bits fit the screws much better than any phillips screw and bit setup.

I know this doesn't exactly answer your question, but I wanted to show you an option that worked well for me.

Scott

 

[4x4_G30_Sportvan]

Also I recommend using an impact driver instead of regular drill. It is incredible how much better it works, & I almost never strip phillips heads or the bits now.

I use Craftsman Nextec RA impact driver. Excellent!

 

[Farmall450]

Also I recommend using an impact driver instead of regular drill. It is incredible how much better it works, & I almost never strip phillips heads or the bits now.

I use Craftsman Nextec RA impact driver. Excellent!

I agree, for some reason it just does! I use a dewalt...

 

[skelrad]

I agree with neophyte. Definitely make sure that you weren't accidentally using a phillips bit on a posidriv screw. Doing it the other way (posidriv bit on phillips screw) is actually much worse, but either way is not good.

Good information from everybody. Thanks! The thought about posidriv screws was a good one. I had to go take a second look, because even though I sure didn't think I had made that mistake, I wouldn't put it past me! The screws are definitely phillips - I compared them with some other posidriv screws I have. I'm wondering if it was just kind of a bad batch of screws though. I took a good look, and some of the heads are nice and clean, but most are really "soft" looking and muddled. I still think my bits are junk, but maybe in this case some of the blame has to be with the screws. Oh, and I do use a small impact driver, which helps a ton in hard to reach places

 

[sweetcretin]

I'll just leave this here...

 

[skelrad]

I'll just leave this here...

Interesting. Good info.

 

[The Frisco Kid]

Makita & Milwaukee impact bits are on my next to try list. Waiting to see if either go on mega sale before Christmas!


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