Drill Bit Advice

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  Daniel Plainview on 16/12/2016 - 13:13

  +4

  They'll be very entry level junk - now don't get me wrong they might be perfectly fine for 90% of us and I have somekits of the same quality but they're crap and cut far more slowly and also break very easily.

  I was lucky enough to snag a set of Sutton bits during Masters sale and can';t belive how much quicker they cut than the generic crap I've been using.

  If you haven't got a BIG set - it might be worth getting these as can be handy and sure they won't last a lifetime but thats ok - otherwise perhaps just go for a couple of the smaller generic sets via Bunnings.

  • 

    ESEMCE on 16/12/2016 - 13:27

    +1

    This.. They last longer cause they're harder, therefore are sharper for longer, therefore less wear
    Plus you save time and get cleaner holes.

  • 

    BertieBrown on 16/12/2016 - 13:27

    Lucky :) I was trying to snag a set of Sutton Silver Bullet Cobalt from Masters but alas either I was too late or they never sold them.

  • 

    mskeggs on 16/12/2016 - 13:39

    +2

    Agree. I got a big set thrown in with a cheap drill. Useful for the once in a while need for a size 8 hex bit or whatever.
    For actually drilling holes, buy a set of brand name (Sutton/Frost/Irwin are all reputable) set of 10 or so in different sizes. Biggest size of 10mm or 12mm. I also have 3 or 4 masonry bits for drilling brick and concrete.

    Below 3mm, I find the brand name tends to break as often as the cheapies, and I buy packs of 10 no name 2mm & 2.5mm bits from ebay for $2.

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  aussieprepper on 16/12/2016 - 13:28

  +2

  Yea try the Frost by Suttons they are great and the basics sets can be bought for about $30 at bunnings. These will fit most purposes. If you want to drill brick or concrete i would look at getting a masonry set.
  https://www.bunnings.com.au/frost-19-piece-metric-high-speed…

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  Tiller76 on 16/12/2016 - 13:41

  Thanks for the advice all.

  • 

    Daniel Plainview on 16/12/2016 - 13:49

    FWIW do yourself a favour and get the imperial sized set instead. Exact same price but 2 extra bits, only difference everything is in imperial sizes.
    https://www.bunnings.com.au/frost-21-piece-imperial-drill-bi…

    I did the same with the Sutton one I got, came with 4 or so extra bits - I wrote on a piece of paper all the imperial to metric sizes and stuck it in the case - every bit as good IMHO unless you just must have exact to the mm sized bits (which isn't most folks).

    The sales guy said its a bit of an inside industry joke that you get more bits just for being too lazy to convert to metric.

    • 

      aussieprepper on 23/12/2016 - 11:00

      It's a bit different then that we have different standard here. So we may want to drill a 1mm hole but the imperial drill bits maybe be a tad different in diameter like 1.25mm.

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  idjces on 16/12/2016 - 16:30

  Might be worth getting Cobalt material drillbits, I have a habit of breaking a lot of the regular HSS ones (though i'm sure I could improve that with proper prep).

  I just ordered this set of 21 cobalt bits, $50USD with $10 shipping but you can save $10 via offers currently on ozbargain.
  https://www.amazon.com/Bovidix-1912103621-Cobalt-Drill-21-Pi…

  They haven't arrived yet so I can't comment on how well they perform.

  • 

    ESEMCE on 19/12/2016 - 08:47

    Depends what you';re drilling…
    Wood shouldn't really matter.
    Mild steel, shouldn't really matter but Stainless, definitely get Cobalt!
    I've got a fantastic set of DeWalt Cobalt bits that come with a "built in" pilot bit point. (the first 2mm of the bit is a pilot hole diameter, then the bit widen's out to the full size.

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  Euphemistic on 17/12/2016 - 07:00

  I bought a cheap set from Aldi. Mainly because it had all the sizes I could use. I knew they would be limited in quality and they are. The timber bits are fine. The small bits break really easily and the metal bits struggle past the first hole. I spent about 10mins trying to cut a hole in a metal beam using several bits of increasing size. Knowing I had more to do I went and bought a decent bit and cut through in about 30seconds.

  The cheap kit is still handy, but I'm gradually replacing bits as I need them with proper ones.