Blum drawer slides - self centering drill bit necessary?

[city17]

I've ordered Movento Tip on drawer slides and some 3.5mm screws for mounting, but I was wondering how necessary a self-centering drill bit is.

The official one by Blum is about €30, which seems like a lot for something I might only use once. There are some other sets available on Banggood and Amazon, but they all have quite poor reviews. Those would have the advantage of having different sizes so I can use them on other hinges etc.

Any recommendations for (affordable) self-centering drill bits? Or will just eyeballing the center and using a regular bit be fine as well for a one-off job (it's just 2 drawers)? Thanks!

 

[Droogs]

no just a good eye and a pointy thing to mark with

 

[Doug71]

I'm sure you could manage without them but I love my self centring bits and use them loads.

I like the Trend Snappy ones, the cheap ones are generally rubbish.

 

[doctor Bob]

I'm sure you could manage without them but I love my self centring bits and use them loads.

I like the Trend Snappy ones, the cheap ones are generally rubbish.

Doug I think your account has been hacked, bloke posting as you being frivolous with money, definitely a Yorkshire imposter

 

[JobandKnock]

You probably want what Americans call a "Vix bit".

3.5mm is more or less 9/64in and you can pick up Chinese copycat sets dirt cheap on eBay, like these at £5.29 for a set of four (Toolstation and Screwfix doubtless do cheapies as well). They'll be good for a few jobs, but they aren't what I'd call durable tools - I've stuck to the Trend Snappy versions and the 9/64in in those is about £12 if you look around, which is still a lot cheaper than one with a Blum sticker on it

I have mine in the main for piloting screws in door hinges, locks, ironmongery, etc. Helps avoid that "wonky screw" look so favoured in some quarters

 

[Ollie78]

You can do it without, but if doing a lot just get one. You wont regret it.
I have snappy ones too they are fine.

Ollie

 

[robgul]

This might be useful from YouTube a couple of days ago

 

[Jar944]

You probably want what Americans call a "Vix bit".
View attachment 127685
3.5mm is more or less 9/64in and you can pick up Chinese copycat sets dirt cheap on eBay, like these at £5.29 for a set of four (Toolstation and Screwfix doubtless do cheapies as well). They'll be good for a few jobs, but they aren't what I'd call durable tools - I've stuck to the Trend Snappy versions and the 9/64in in those is about £12 if you look around, which is still a lot cheaper than one with a Blum sticker on it

+1

Get a set of vix bits. They are great for anything then needs centered in an existing hole.

 

[pgrbff]

Best I have used are Star M brand from Amazon.jp. In my opinion way better than Trend.

 

[doctor Bob]

This might be useful from YouTube a couple of days ago

That's a slow example of fitting drawers, last resort is double sided tape. Keep access through the top of the cabinet, much easier to shift the fronts slightly if needed
,

 

[city17]

Thanks all, I ordered a set of 3 Trend bits for €20 (these). They might be slightly different than the Snappy ones, but not 100% sure what the difference is. The Star M ones seem nice, Fine Tools sells those I saw. But I think the Trend ones will suffice for my limited use.

 

[Doug71]

I found one of the differences between cheap ones and good ones is the length of the drill bit.

The cheaper ones often only have a bit long enough to just mark the hole so you also need to drill a pilot hole with a normal bit but the better ones use a longer bit so they drill the pilot hole for you in just one operation if that makes sense.

 

[city17]

I found one of the differences between cheap ones and good ones is the length of the drill bit.

The cheaper ones often only have a bit long enough to just mark the hole so you also need to drill a pilot hole with a normal bit but the better ones use a longer bit so they drill the pilot hole for you in just one operation if that makes sense.

The only difference I can see on the surface between the cheaper Trend 'Quick Change' and more expensive Trend Snappy ones is a different grub screw. But it's probably a different model altogether given the price difference...

Maybe the stronger grub screw indicates a stronger spring and deeper cut as you mentioned @Doug71

 

[JobandKnock]

Thanks all, I ordered a set of 3 Trend bits for €20 (these). They might be slightly different than the Snappy ones, but not 100% sure what the difference is. The Star M ones seem nice, Fine Tools sells those I saw. But I think the Trend ones will suffice for my limited use.

They are Chinese-made and slightly shorter than the Snappy ones. The Snappy ones are made in the USA. Star M are nice, but you really pay for that

 

[city17]

So I've just received the Trend quick change bits, and tested them a few times. They seem decent quality, better than I would expect from the very cheapest Chinese ones. These were made in Taiwan.

The hole drilled is max ~10mm, which is fine for my application. I think if you used a separate drill to go deeper, the 1 cm pilot hole would be enough to keep the deeper hole straight.

 

[recipio]

I can't see much difference in quality between the various brands. I did encounter a problem when I snapped the bit - the Axminster replacements were too short ! Eventually I found the correct length online and ordered 10 of them. Good to have as of course they always snap in the middle of a job.

 

[TheUnicorn]

I have a single self centering bit, picked up a few years ago from amazon for a couple of quid, I don't use it a lot, but for mounting any bit of metal with a hole, I'll use it to get the alignment bang on, often following up with another longer bit once everything is marked, I wouldn't say it is essential, but it is pretty useful.