Quality drill bits for metal.

   / Quality drill bits for metal. #21  
I agree with MossRoad. Learn how to sharpen a bit and most any brand of bit will cut just fine. Then the difference between bits is really in the metallurgy used to make the bit, and the speed and cooling that you use to determine how long they will stay sharp. There is an art to sharpening a bit, but it pretty easy to learn really isn't that difficult to do. I have a jig to sharpen bits but I usually just do it by hand.
 
   / Quality drill bits for metal. #22  
Cheap bits cut better and last longer in a drill press than quility bits in a hand held drill. Quility bits will last a life time when used with oil and exclusivly in a press. Even quility bits are at risk of overheating if improperly used. Once overheated,it will no longer stay sharp. Buy a press before investing in expensive bits.
 
   / Quality drill bits for metal. #23  
There is much difference in HHS alloy quality and its ability to stay sharp longer. Cheap bits are good for throwing into the recycling bin whereas good ones you can be resharpen and resharpen. All my kerf bits are kobalt because I can't resharpen them.
 
   / Quality drill bits for metal. #24  
Learn to sharpen your bits and buy better quality cutting tools if you are serious about making holes in metal. Big box stores do not sell better quality anything. Go to an industrial hardware or cutting tool supplier for your jobber drills.

Try drilling out a broken bolt with a cheap drill bit if you want to learn the meaning of regret. Penny wise and pound foolish.
 
   / Quality drill bits for metal. #25  
   / Quality drill bits for metal. #26  
Hertel production grade drill bits. Mic drop.
Very pricy, but simply amazing to use.
They used to make Supertanium bits, not sure if that name is still used, but we used them at the machine shop here at work and they were fan-fricken-tastic. But even the black colored Hertel production grade are mind blowing.
 
   / Quality drill bits for metal. #27  
I still have many Dormer bits that have stood the tests of time and always grab them when I see some at yard sales.
 
   / Quality drill bits for metal. #28  
Cleveland Twist or Hertel for me and knowing the correct method and being adept at off hand sharpening is a big plus. As a rule, I'll 'touch up my drills after use, before they go back into the drill index and when the get too short, I replace them. I never even consider 'Chineseum' drill bits at all.
 
   / Quality drill bits for metal. #29  
I've had good luck with these. Champion Drill Bits

Another trick I learned when drilling on flat stock. Lay a large flat washer down over the spot you're going to drill and fill the center with oil. It acts as a dam and contains the oil while you drill.
 
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   / Quality drill bits for metal. #30  
Learn how to sharpen drill bits correctly and learn how to relieve the heel for easier cutting. Offhand sharpening is an acquired skill and it only comes with lots of practice. Get yourself a drill point gage as well. Even the cheapo Chineseum ones will drill fine in mild steel if sharpened correctly and the heels relived correctly.

My favorite set of drills are actually the solid tungsten carbide die reclaim drills but they are way too expensive for home shop use. I can drill glass with them and the only 'lubricant' required is water.

I use a Darex sharpener for the tiny ones that are hard to see when offhand sharpening. Not the box store one but the professional one that costs over a grand new.
 
 
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