Replacing Cheap Drill Bits over Time

dufflover on 31/07/2019 - 08:41

TLDR version: for those DIYers who had that plan to wait for a good drill bit set, or buying/replacing bits over time, how has your plan actually gone?

Like other OzB posts over the years, I'm the occasional DIY-er/home maintainer who needs a basic set of drill and driver bits, but deliberately avoided the super cheap butter sets like those big Ryobi packs. I'm actually trying to get by with one that came free with my tool bag lol …
Well yesterday I gave into a local Aldi clearance price and bought a set of "Ferrex" brad point drill bits, and a set of their spade bits too. What tipped me over was the range of sizes it covered, with a case, as I was frequently needing bits not in my freebie Ryobi set (e.g. over 8mm) and solve my immediate frustrations of not having the right bit often.

I've read about the plan where people start with a set of basic bits, and replace them with a good one as they break. But I wonder how well that plan works out? For example, say a couple of dollars for a decent replacement bit, have you ended up spending more overall than the cost of just a single good set to begin with? Or you've done it so infrequently you're way ahead?

Home & Garden Drill Bit

Comments

  • Fergy1987 on 31/07/2019 - 08:52
    +2

    I just bought some Sutton drill bits and haven't had to replace any yet. Then again I don't use them very often. But they've worked for me. The Ryobi drill bits I had rusted.

    I also have the Aldi drill bits, but I've never used them, it was an impulse buy which I guess i'll use as a backup

    • ESEMCE on 31/07/2019 - 09:29

      Ditto…
      The difference between Cheap Drill Bits and a Set of Sutton HSS is far too small to justify buying replacements at $5+ per bit.
      Plus you don't have to live drilling with cheap bits initially.
      I've bought a replacement set of the smaller sizes that have broken over the years, otherwise no problem.

  • Davo1111 on 31/07/2019 - 08:58
    +1

    I dont replace them for the sake of it, unless i actually need the replacement.

    For the common size 3.5mm I bought a 10 pack. Far more likely to lose them before i break them

  • HeWhoKnows on 31/07/2019 - 09:20
    +1

    I find the cheap thin sizes break easily so replacing individually with single buy better ones.

    Otherwise all good as long as you dont punish your drill bits.

    You can get cheap drill bit sharpeners as well to prolong the life of your drill bits.

  • [Deactivated] on 31/07/2019 - 09:27

    I have Sutton SAE in Cobalt which I put together slowly and purchased bits as needed.

    I have a Milwaukee metric in Cobalt I bought in a set.

    Can't tell the difference tbh but a heck a lot cheaper to buy as a whole set.

    Ps. Buy a drill gauge. saves a crap load of time and guesswork.

    • ESEMCE on 31/07/2019 - 09:33
      +2

      Drill some Stainless Steel, then you can definitely tell the difference!
      Not only do you punch through much faster, but also the bit is still useable.

      • [Deactivated] on 31/07/2019 - 09:59

        I can tell the difference between the Cobalt, HSS and CS, just not the difference between the Milwaukee and Sutton.

        • dufflover on 31/07/2019 - 10:40

          HSS gets thrown around a lot even in the cheaper price end. So how do you tell it's decent then?
          For instance just going off Bunnings a lot of branded HSS bit sets are around the $30 mark, when you can start buying Irwin, AEG, Sutton, Frost, etc. But then even Ryobi are there too, e.g.:
          https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-19-piece-metric-high-speed…

          So what price point are we talking where they are decent drill bits?

          Dewalt Colbalt is at that price point for example: ($32)
          https://www.bunnings.com.au/dewalt-14-piece-imperial-cobalt-…

          (it's not metric, but my poor drilling technique means it's never exact anyway …)

          • [Deactivated] on 31/07/2019 - 11:03
            +1

            @dufflover: My Sutton Cobalt "set" is about 23 pieces. Roughly retails for about ~250ish so does the Milwaukee so I reckon they're comparable tier products.

            HSS is relatively soft so it dulls quickly. CS actually gets sharper and stays sharper longer but it doesn't take much to wreck the whole thing because it is essentially re-heat treating at a relatively low temperature. If you see the slightest bit of smoke from a CS drill operation, you can chuck the bit in the bin.

            Within the Cobalt > HSS > CS price hierarchy, there is a lot of variance. A good quality CS is still better than HSS for certain applications. If you're a noob, just stick with a mid-range HSS set as they take the most abuse and can be resharpened easily.

            Cobalt is a pain to resharpen.

            CS must not be heated.

  • Bargaitbuggs on 31/07/2019 - 09:51
    +1

    So what destroys high speed steel is heat.
    Lubricant will keep it cool saliva works :)
    With the little drill bits and breaking it's best to use minimum force as possible as they flex and snap let the drill bits done the work.
    Do some research about how a drill bit works and then you can easily identify which drill bit will drill good by just looking at the cutting edge.
    If your a real ozb you will learn how to resharpen them but anything under 10mm will be quite difficult

    .

    • ESEMCE on 31/07/2019 - 11:53
      +1

      A little tub of water and just dipping the bit to cool it occasionally also a great tip I picked up.
      The water evaporates and cools the bit for a short period too.

  • slow on 31/07/2019 - 10:03

    For small sizes i buy cheap kits like these and chuck them out when they blunt or break. They work fine

    https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-99-piece-titanium-coa…

    I have a couple of good ones, but only where I really need them (eg 6mm masonary)

  • [Deactivated] on 31/07/2019 - 10:04

    Just read that you're using Brad points and spades.

    Make sure your Brad points are dead perpendicular to the workpiece. They're not meant to be used off angle. It will skew and build up heat very quickly.

    I avoid spade bits. I just have a few common sizes for door assembly. They are tearout monsters.

    • dufflover on 31/07/2019 - 10:28

      If they had "regular" bits in stock I probably would've ended up buying that too, but alas they didn't (maybe for the better haha).
      I did shell out, relatively speaking, for a pack of Sutton masonary bits when it was clear the freebie Ryobi ones were not getting a simple job done.
      https://www.bunnings.com.au/sutton-tools-6-piece-masonry-dri…
      Pity it didn't come with a nice case.

      I bought the brads because I could tell the limited size range of Ryobi ones were starting to go blunt too. And my kit only came with two spade sizes. But I don't expect to use them much.

      But thanks for the tip about the angle.

  • DJR9000 on 31/07/2019 - 12:04

    Bought a cheap drill sharpener , so my cheapies can just get run through that now to keep them sharp.

    Anything that I need to drill properly though gets a proper drill bit. Sutton hss aren't that expensive , just don't abuse them and they'll last forever with a small sharpening now and then

    • [Deactivated] on 31/07/2019 - 12:11

      Which sharpener do you use? How effective is it and do you get unbalanced drilling afterwards?
      I was looking at an Ozito one at Bunnings, it seems to be a somewhat 'mass' manufactured and simply 'branded' by anyone sort of machine…

      • DJR9000 on 31/07/2019 - 12:16

        It's an ozito one I got on special for 25 I think. The multiple purpose one. It takes a bit of effort to line up the angles correctly but I'm only using cheap bits until I get the hang of it properly. Seems ok but there's a definite skill to it. As it's pretty manual it is only as unbalanced as you make it.

        Haven't ventured into sharpening knives with it yet, I've got whetstones for that, my chef knives are sharpened to 3000 grit when then no longer cut tomato skins without squashing the tomato flesh.
        I guess with drill bits the thing to see is if you drill pine and the sawdust comes out as dust and not chips it's probably blunt. Much the same with chainsaws

        • [Deactivated] on 31/07/2019 - 12:21

          Good thing is the Oz' one is pretty cheap. Haven't been seeing them around so much at Bunnings lately though so wonder if there is a supply issue or something. I get you on the 'manual' side/skill of using it. Often these… dare I say cheaper fixes' must have someone do who uses has some level of skills with angles/pressure and such even with the 'guides' provided on the machinery.

          Cheers.

          • DJR9000 on 31/07/2019 - 12:25

            @[Deactivated]: Probably were a clearance item which explains why I got it so cheap.

            • [Deactivated] on 31/07/2019 - 12:32

              @DJR9000: At $25.00 sounds like it. Even if it only sharpens up bits to say around 80-90% of effectiveness when new, good shopping IMO.

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