Which Drill Bill Set - General Purpose

[NewbieRaf]

Hi All

I need a good quality Drill bit set just for Genera purposes. I already have a good Fisch set for my wood working but I need something for everything else, can any one make any recommendations? Unfortunately all the big brands seem to be made in China I. Makita, Bosch, Dewalt etc

Thanks

 

[Trevanion]

I've got a couple of Milwaukee Thunderweb sets which are pretty good, but you can't go far wrong with a set of Dormer or Presto bits.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Don't get too hung up about where stuff is made - Dormer is made in Brazil.
I haven't this set, but I have others of theirs. I'd go for this one now -
https://www.ukdrills.com/drill-sets/99pc-cobalt-magazine-drill-set-for-metal

 

[NewbieRaf]

Thanks for the prompt reply guys these sets are looking good. Are there also any good quality sets out there that are not just drill bits?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

An observation - I don't know what type of work you do, but you will find the sets with 1/2mm sizes invaluable for repair work as it's handy to be able to go just over or under size. Useful sometimes as "near enough" for a crudely tapped hole as well.

 

[NewbieRaf]

Thank you Phil, mainly wood work but all sorts of DIY around the house. Today for e.g im putting up a solar panel on an Aluminum door.

 

[Rorton]

ive had a lot of use out of this set

https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-straight-shank-combination-drill-bit-set-100-pieces/13266

 

[Mark18PLL]

I purchased a Presto 25pc HSS set a few months ago and they have been great.

 

[stuartpaul]

For general purpose I really don't give a hoot where I get them from! My current set are Lidl specials in a nice case which have turned out to be a very good buy. I picked up a set of masonry drills at the same time and so far they're bomb proof and I've absolutely hammered them (pun intended!).

 

[TheUnicorn]

Never really understand 'general purpose' you are either drilling wood, metal or masonary and if you are not using the right bit you are going to have a horrible time

 

[J-G]

Never really understand 'general purpose' you are either drilling wood, metal or masonary and if you are not using the right bit you are going to have a horrible time

You have just explained 'General Purpose' by using the generic terms 'Wood', 'Metal' & 'Masonry' rather than (say)

Hard wood, Soft Wood, Manufactured Wood (MDF, Ply etc.);​

​

Free Cutting Steel, M42 Steel, Stainless Steel, Cast Iron, Wrought Iron, Brass, Bronze, Copper;​

​

Granite, Slate, Brick, Concrete​

​

and so on which - in an ideal world - would all need different cutting geometries.

 

[porker]

For general purpose I really don't give a hoot where I get them from! My current set are Lidl specials in a nice case which have turned out to be a very good buy. I picked up a set of masonry drills at the same time and so far they're bomb proof and I've absolutely hammered them (pun intended!).

I also have a lidl set which have been very good and I use them in a metal environment on a mill and my pillar drill. I think any reasonable twist drills should be OK in wood unless you are talking Forstner bits where the quality makes a difference for a clean cut. For masonary I use either SDS bits or Bosch multi purpose drills which are great if you are fitting skirtings for example as they will drill through the skirting and the masonary at the same time. They are basically masonary drill with a sharp carbide tip so work in wood as well.
My use is all sorts of DIY so wood, drilling joists, fixing to walls etc. You really need a range. Some of these massive kits you can get even with good branded names seem a bit so-so to me but I suppose you can replace ones you use regularly with individual better quality bits.
Other bits I find useful are hinge drills and the ones that countersink at the same time.
I've found that in wood most drill bits will last well. What kills bits in metal is drilling too fast and sometimes with insufficient pressure.

 

[Robbo60]

Don't get too hung up about where stuff is made - Dormer is made in Brazil.
I haven't this set, but I have others of theirs. I'd go for this one now -
https://www.ukdrills.com/drill-sets/99pc-cobalt-magazine-drill-set-for-metal

I've always steered away from these large sets of drills thinking the quality would be poor? Why do you get so many of the small sizes? - is it because they snap easily? 30p a drill seems very cheap.

 

[clogs]

I dread to think how many Dormer etc drills were ground to dust learning how to sharpen them.....
now 50 years on the only prob with sharpening is the 2-3mm dia.....the eyes have nearly gone for small stuff....
when training there were no Chinese cheapy's to learn on heven forbid any of those drill sharpen thing a ma jigs...

out of interest now when teaching the craft...I get them to buy two sets of Lidil or the like sets.....
keep one for referance and the other to practice on......after a while u/they get the hang of it.....
I use drill bits from 2-25mm everyday and it's good to be able to make them work properly.....

 

[Fitzroy]

Sharpening drills, there’s a suggestion for a new thread that we can all bring the popcorn to.

I’ve recently bought a set of dewalt extreme 2 bits, they are aimed at metal but cut wood like a dream. They have a stepped tip that makes metal cutting effective and easy to get on centre.

F.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've always steered away from these large sets of drills thinking the quality would be poor? Why do you get so many of the small sizes? - is it because they snap easily? 30p a drill seems very cheap.

I have a 170 piece set I bought nearly twenty years ago that's been fine. I've replaced the ones below 3mm (mostly lost rather than broken) and 6mms but there are probably more bits in it now than when it was new, the number I've acquired over time. I just sit with a mic. once every few months and put all the loose ones back. They are so cheap it's not worth sharpening them and it's probably the most economic thing I ever spent money on. I'd buy the cobalt set like a shot had I not still got them.

 

[Trevanion]

The most concise article I've ever seen for drill sharpening is this one by Colin Binnie:

Sharpening Twist Drills. Colin Binnie.

 

[J-G]

The most concise article I've ever seen for drill sharpening is this one by Colin Binnie:

Sharpening Twist Drills. Colin Binnie.

Agreed - that is a very good article. Leaning to sharpen drills by hand is a very worthwhile project. I started to learn 'at my Father's knee' as it were some 70 years ago and have 'honed' (pun intended!) the skill throughout my life.

I still sharpen drills as small as 0.8mm (yes, by hand) - sometimes because they have been broken but often simply because they have become 'dull' which is easier -- recovering a broken drill can be futile when they start out at only 10mm long!! - I can't recall breaking a drill larger than about 4mm though - below that I generally use solid carbide which are brittle though.

@Phil Pascoe - It's not necessarily a case that the cost of buying new is small, it's also an issue about 'I need this size NOW' so if you are able to make a dull (or broken) drill serviceable it has to be worthwhile.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yer ... but ... that's the reason for having ten of them.

 

[NewbieRaf]

Thanks so much all the Irony about my question is yes I have lidl sets are they’ve been really good actually. I’ve also got a black and decker set I got in 2001 and although it’s still going I’ve lost bits. That’s the only reason I was thinking of another set just to keep things together.

Any who a trip to Aldi today as they have drill bits happening