Project Farm: Best "cheap" drill bits
- Thread starter M6erfan
- Start date
Saw this earlier...would have been nice to see Irwin or Norseman or similar in the mix to see how much better a higher end bit would do. Would also have been nice to see how they do after 10 or 100 holes each, I'd expect most bits to do half decent out of the box but will it last after doing dozens of holes.
Parrothead
Well-known member
Interesting, thanks for sharing. I liked the test because it’s what 95% of the population will actually buy.
General Geoff
Well-known member
the test does highlight just how important sufficient pressure and correct speed are when drilling through hardened steel.
I didn't like how he tested when drilling the spring steel (not that I could have done a better test overall). I don't like to criticize but I think he should have started out with the increased weight when drilling the spring steel.
For most of those bits, the lack of tool pressure could have caused rubbing dulling the bit and/or work hardening of the spring steel. Maybe not so much the latter cause it looks like he stopped them pretty quick.
I wish he would have included HF cobalt bits too.
For most of those bits, the lack of tool pressure could have caused rubbing dulling the bit and/or work hardening of the spring steel. Maybe not so much the latter cause it looks like he stopped them pretty quick.
I wish he would have included HF cobalt bits too.
dnschmidt
Well-known member
Why not test Norseman, Triumph and Chicago-Latrobe. I expected the DeWalt, since I believe these come from Germany to do well. The rest I consider to be be junk anyway. He needs to stop shopping at Home Depot and Menards and start shopping at MSC and McMaster-Carr. That's were the good stuff comes from. It's like when he tested cutting wheels and didn't include Walter, Pferd, Metabo, SAIT or Weiler. That's who I buy my cutting wheels from not Home Depot.
d.mcfarland
Well-known member
This.
driz
Well-known member
Agreed. That’s the big take away here. The bits overall aren’t all that different in everyday circumstances.
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True and I like that the guy uses his own money and isn't a shill. It still would have been nice to have one premium bit just for comparison. He could have just bought the 1/2", no need to spend $150 on a whole set.
99% of the viewers also shop at home depot...so why should he spend more money and cater to us who are in the minority? I'd have liked to have seen one higher end bit, but in general his videos work for the bulk of the population.
Astro_Pneumatic_Tools
Well-known member
A lot of the testing details and procedure are different, but the method he's using is pretty close to how drill bit R&D works.
You can design a "perfect" drill bit in CAD then it drills every material perfectly except for one for some reason. So you have to make tweaks and compare to other drill bits using a similar method he does, just with more math involved to figure out feeds and speeds.
You can design a "perfect" drill bit in CAD then it drills every material perfectly except for one for some reason. So you have to make tweaks and compare to other drill bits using a similar method he does, just with more math involved to figure out feeds and speeds.
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
Most anything will cut when given proper speed/feed and cutting oil. Nice consistent test though; good presentation, no nonsense. I have had good results with dewalt bits. Something to take home is that speeds/feeds aren't written in stone. What the chip/swarf looks like tells you if speed/feed needs adjusted.
To me the best test of a bit is how it handles improper use. Drilling at a crappy angle, too fast with wobbly down force. Sometimes that is the best conditions one can get in the real world.
To me the best test of a bit is how it handles improper use. Drilling at a crappy angle, too fast with wobbly down force. Sometimes that is the best conditions one can get in the real world.
Why not ask him? He gets most of his ideas from his YouTube viewers. This is what his audience wanted, homeowner grade drill bit test.
Agreed. Most of his viewers are interested in the homeowner grade stuff, however, they may be interested in seeing one good brand side by side with the big box items for comparison. Maybe the difference is worth it to them, maybe it's not.
driz
Well-known member
With that in mind you have to consider this compared to all others doing these things. He does seem to answer an extremely large number of comments and questions in the comment section. With that in mind you might just give him a shot.
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BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
The focus of His video was to compare sets of drill bits that sell for under $40. If someone wishes to give an inexpensive set of drill bits as a Christmas gift; the DeWalt set would be a good choice. In many cases, they would be more than adequate.
I bought 4 of these Dewalt Germany sets (wish I could have bought more) from Amazon for $16.00 a set in 2018 and have no complaints (yet). I have been using them and saving my "good" small bits. 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015J5HU4Y/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They were as low as $15.00 back then.
https://camelcamelcamel.com/DEWALT-Cobalt-Drill-14-Piece-DWA1240/product/B015J5HU4Y
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015J5HU4Y/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They were as low as $15.00 back then.
https://camelcamelcamel.com/DEWALT-Cobalt-Drill-14-Piece-DWA1240/product/B015J5HU4Y