Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations

   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #1  

newbury

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In https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/382798-good-drill-bits.html the focus was for drilling SS.
I'm looking for buying decent single size, like 1/8, 1/4, etc. in quantities of a dozen for less than a $1@. Drilling pilot holes in wood and sheet metal.

There's like 12 PCS, 1/4", HSS Black and Gold Coated Twist Drill Bits, Metal drill, ideal for drilling on mild steel, copper, Aluminum, Zinc alloy etc. Pack in Plastic Bag - - Amazon.com , but I don't trust the reviews, and I found a site SDS Masonry Drills | Drill America that sells their own brand but shipping is about the cost of the bits unless I can find $100 worth to buy. I can't tell the quality of their bits and don't want to buy $100 worth of poor bits.

/edit - And I should have put bulk in the title, I don't want to buy an entire "set" when I really only need 3 sizes.
 
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   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #2  
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #3  
You won't get much of a drill bit for a dollar or less. Just search Ebay or Amazon and choose what fits in your price range, I suspect they will all be about the same quality.
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #4  
To go a bit further, try buying one or two cobalt drill bits in the $5 to $10 range. I suspect you will find one of those will outlast 12 of the $1 or less bits.

I buy quite a few bits for the company I work at. The bits we get will range from $10 to $45 each. We learned a long time ago that cheap tooling gets very expensive.
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #5  
They are all good IF you know how to sharpen the dull ones.:D
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #6  
It's what I should do (and I have a drill DR. I don't use).

Get a fine stone on your bench grinder, a good light, pair of reading glasses and learn how to sharpen them. Takes but a minute.
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #7  
I have had good luck with the following brands, they are all USA made:
Chicago Latrobe
Cle-Line
Cleveland
Montana Twist Drill
Norseman
Triumph
Viking

I was also pleasantly surprised by the durability of a MasterForce colbalt bit I bought at Menards for an odd job.
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #8  
I have had good luck with Dewalt Cobalt steel bits. I drill i-beams and angle iron all the time for work. Cobalt bits are the only way to go if you will be drilling metals.
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #9  
I usually find that buying a set is much cheaper than buying a few loose bits. Home Depot always seems to have decent Dewalt & Milwaukee sets on sale
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #10  
I usually find that buying a set is much cheaper than buying a few loose bits. Home Depot always seems to have decent Dewalt & Milwaukee sets on sale

M42 cobalt steel bits are the best, but I very much doubt that Home Depot sells that quality.
 

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