Opinions of Cle-Line drill bits?

[dwasifar]

I see Lowe's is selling these USA-made Cle-Line drill bit sets:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CLE-LINE-High-Speed-Steel-Twist-Drill-Bit-Set/1000043335

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CLE-LINE-60-Piece-Cobalt-Twist-Drill-Bit-Set/999902205

I have no experience with this brand. Can any of you guys offer an opinion?

 

[cmandp]

Cle-Line are machine shop grade drill bits. They are good and a step above the Chinese stuff you buy at Home Depot/Lowes.

 

[Outahere]

Greenfield Industries has 4 drill bit product lines under their banner:

1. Chicago-Latrobe
2. Cleveland (aka Cleveland Twist Drill)
3. Cle-Line
4. Cle-Force

Based on what I have read online while shopping for drill sets, drill quality (and pricing) is ranked 1 to 4 as shown above.

....Chicago-Latrobe designs top-quality standard drills for specialty operations. They offer a wide range of industrial-quality general-purpose & special-purpose drills, reamers; round tools, tool sets, & accessories. Chicago-Latrobe industrial general HSS and cobalt drills and reamers are well-suited for aerospace, heavy equipment, and general engineering applications....

...Cleveland Twist Drill was founded in 1876 by Jacob D. Cox II, son of a Civil War general and former governor of Ohio. The company became a leader in the manufacture of superior-grade high-speed twist drills and pioneered the development of steels made of molybdenum as a substitute for tungsten. By 1936 it was the world’s largest maker of high-speed drills and reamers.....Cleveland Twist Drill tools are manufactured at product-specific plants across the globe in ISO 9000 registered facilities. On-site development engineers and technical specialists assure that each tool meets the highest performance standards in the industry....

...CLE-LINE® brand cutting tools, from Cleveland Twist Drill, have been manufactured for decades specifically to meet the demanding needs of the maintenance, repair and operating markets, as well as construction industries. A new, complete line of CLE-LINE tools including high-quality drills, taps, dies, burs and saw blades has been brought together to give you one complete resource for purchasing MRO cutting tools...

...Greenfield Industries introduced CLE-FORCE, a value line of high-speed steel drills and taps for the maintenance, construction, and industrial markets. The CLE-FORCE product line includes a wide range of products: general purpose and heavy-duty drills in a variety of lengths and styles........CLE-FORCE tools deliver outstanding quality at a value price. They are made from top grade materials in modern, technologically advanced factories. From mining the ore to smelting the steel, to manufacturing the blanks, to final fabrication, these tools undergo stringent quality testing at every step of production....

Chicago-Latrobe | IBT Industrial Solutions

Chicago-Latrobe designs top-quality standard drills for specialty operations. They offer a wide range of industrial-quality general-purpose &

www.ibtinc.com

 

[Pontiac787]

For what it’s worth, I recently purchased a set of CLE mechanics length drill bits and really wasn’t impressed for the price. I’m sure they cut fine but they were longer than I expected, lengths were somewhat inconsistent and, this is a minor gripe, there was no padding in the index to stop the bits from banging around during shipping. I returned them and got the equivalent set from Norseman. I think it was $5 more but the bits seemed like a step up in quality overall. They were shorter than the CLE, which was important to me since I wanted a mechanics length set and they did come with some bunched up paper in the index to protect the tips. I don’t know if makes a difference but someone took the time to do it, which tells me they strive to produce a quality product.

 

[Bob Joyce]

"...CLE-LINE® brand cutting tools, from Cleveland Twist Drill, have been manufactured for decades specifically to meet the demanding needs of the maintenance, repair and operating markets, as well as construction industries. A new, complete line of CLE-LINE tools including high-quality drills, taps, dies, burs and saw blades has been brought together to give you one complete resource for purchasing MRO cutting tools..."

These bits are branded as Skil at our local Lowe's

Went back to the store yesterday. The day I went there they were out of stock on the floor. Guy brought out
the Skil. Told him I didn't thing that was right but he insisted it was. I went back today and they had corrected the mistake. Had the right ones on display this time and I bought a set. They seem really nice. I guess I'll find out this weekend.

 

[neophyte]

For what it’s worth, I recently purchased a set of CLE mechanics length drill bits and really wasn’t impressed for the price. I’m sure they cut fine but they were longer than I expected, lengths were somewhat inconsistent and, this is a minor gripe, there was no padding in the index to stop the bits from banging around during shipping. I returned them and got the equivalent set from Norseman. I think it was $5 more but the bits seemed like a step up in quality overall. They were shorter than the CLE, which was important to me since I wanted a mechanics length set and they did come with some bunched up paper in the index to protect the tips. I don’t know if makes a difference but someone took the time to do it, which tells me they strive to produce a quality product.

Drill bits are mostly manufactured in standard lengths, likely with minir variations in total length depending on batch.
“Stub” or “Stub Point” is usually the shortest length,
Then “Mechanics Length” which are somewhat longer, but shorter than,
“Jobbers” which is the next length up,
Then there’s “Taper Length”, which is longer than Jobbers,
Then I believe comes “Aviation Length”, and
Then there are “Extra Long”.

I think those are the usual lengths listed with the typical names in the correct size order.
The drill bits you find at most home centers are usually Jobbers length( I think this is by far the most common length)
Mechanics length drill bits seem to also be routinely carried at mechanics suppliers( Some of the standard Norseman bit sets commonly found are Mechanics length)
Drill bits re also shorter or longer, depending on diameter( this varies per diameter size, but I think it is standardized), with slight differences in length, probably due to tip machining being a separate machining step.

Also, not padding the drill bits in the index, so they bump the tips is pretty standard from a number of manufacturers. Given the hardness difference between the drill bits and a metal or plastic drill index, I doubt it would cause any injury to the drill bit tips.

 

[Outahere]

Ordered my first set of Cle-Line jobber length 118deg drill bits, from Zoro. Got 10% off and free shipping. Will be using these on aluminum, wood and plastic.

Cle-Line C21117 29pc Bright Drill Set | Zoro.com

 

[Pontiac787]

Drill bits are mostly manufactured in standard lengths, likely with minir variations in total length depending on batch.
“Stub” or “Stub Point” is usually the shortest length,
Then “Mechanics Length” which are somewhat longer, but shorter than,
“Jobbers” which is the next length up,
Then there’s “Taper Length”, which is longer than Jobbers,
Then I believe comes “Aviation Length”, and
Then there are “Extra Long”.

I think those are the usual lengths listed with the typical names in the correct size order.
The drill bits you find at most home centers are usually Jobbers length( I think this is by far the most common length)
Mechanics length drill bits seem to also be routinely carried at mechanics suppliers( Some of the standard Norseman bit sets commonly found are Mechanics length)
Drill bits re also shorter or longer, depending on diameter( this varies per diameter size, but I think it is standardized), with slight differences in length, probably due to tip machining being a separate machining step.

Also, not padding the drill bits in the index, so they bump the tips is pretty standard from a number of manufacturers. Given the hardness difference between the drill bits and a metal or plastic drill index, I doubt it would cause any injury to the drill bit tips.

Agreed. All I was saying was that the Norseman Mechanic’s length, at least what I received, were shorter than the CLE. CLE we’re almost the same as Jobber length.