# Inexpensive drill bit set on sale.



## GummyMonster (Mar 26, 2021)

Good day,
I've been giving myself headaches over which  drill bits to buy. There's so many brands and opinions about them, it's overwhelming. Especially on the American forums, as they seem to have a huge selection to choose from compared to Canada.
 My problem is, I don't totally know what I'll be making most commonly yet.
 I'll most likely get Viking/Norseman sets as I upgrade.
I've read quite a few people saying that they've had good luck with the bits Princess Auto sells.
I swung over to their site, and found this:

https://www.princessauto.com/en/327-pc-titanium-drill-bit-set/product/PA0008644734

 I bought a set, so now I only need metric bits, which I'm going to spend more on, as lots of my tooling that's coming is metric, and I want to compare the inexpensive set to the better ones.
  Thought I'd pass on the link, if anyone's interested.
  Now I'm going to shop for a bit sharpener, and watch some videos on sharpening with a bench grinder.
  See which way I want to go.
  Hope this helps someone,
Ken


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## YYCHM (Mar 26, 2021)

A few of us have these and like them 

https://www.kbctools.ca/itemdetail/1-050-000


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## Hruul (Mar 26, 2021)

I have the set from princess auto shown above. I have not used it yet.  The other set I have from princess auto are ok, with the exception of one drill bit that is bent from when I bought it.  Put it into the drill and it wobbled.


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## Canadium (Mar 26, 2021)

I also have this very same set from PA and haven't had any problems with them. Having said that I do not consider myself a connoisseur of drill bits. I got them merely because it was the first set I could find that included the numbered and lettered sizes and not just fractional inch sizes. I shop a lot at PA because one of their outlets is nearby and they carry a lot of the things I'm looking for but they are probably not far removed from the American Harbor Freight chain that carries a lot of cheap Chinesium.


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## PeterT (Mar 26, 2021)

The 'goldys' vary in quality & impossible to know until you get them home. I have a set I use for general 'I don't care' work. Some are fine but many have runout wobble & although they feel sharp, the end geometry is not ground equal. One may be related to the other, I dunno. Its evident when you put it in a sharpener which I've had to do to tune them up. Either condition they can walk from center punch marks, drill oversize or oblong holes which kind of defeats the purpose of a finely graduating progressive imp/metric/letter/number set.  Not all sharpeners can replicate some of the the point geometry depending on the drill & you grind through the tip coating anyways so that's another factor. 

Its good to have a beater set for around the house but for machining I'd save my money when sales come & buy dedicated sets like the KBC link which I think are eastern Europe & good value as the USA names are getting spendy. Personally I've never found the need for anything more than quality HSS / cobalt for most operations. Beyond that its straight to carbide which are spendy so buy on need be basis.

btw I bought a bundle set of numbered HSS drills from Crappy Tire few years back. No holder but like 5 of one size, 10 of another all teeny ones which I use a lot. They were pathetic. Very obviously factory duds. The flute geometry & tips were messed up like CNC error. Why they pump this garbage on the unsuspecting public is beyond me. I use them to drill out dried up glue nozzles & even that's being generous.


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## gerritv (Mar 26, 2021)

KBCTools, buy stub drills. Buy what you need, don't bother with full sets, most of those you won't use. Except in the case of metric, where a set of 1mm to 6mm in .1mm steps will end up with you never/seldom using the imperial ones again. This let me buy better quality, just fewer needed.

IMHO of course 
Gerrit


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## Tom Kitta (Mar 26, 2021)

I got similar set from PA a year ago for like 40 CAD or something and gave it to my dad. It was 127 letter / number / fractional set.


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## DPittman (Mar 26, 2021)

I've got that exact same PA drill set.  I use it only for correct sizing holes for threading.  I was hot and heavy to buy metric drill bit set at one time also but couldn't find anything I liked at the time so have done without.  I use metric size end mills to ream out the hole to a metric size when needed and that has worked fine for me.  I doubt I will ever buy a metric set.


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## GummyMonster (Mar 26, 2021)

My position is the same as Canadium.
I figure these will help me get a feel for the different drilling aspects. And will show me a little of which sizes I'll use more. Eventually I have planned for a high quality set, whether bought all at once, or a selection of my own to suit my needs. I figure if nothing else, I can use the P.A. Ones for pilot holes and non machinist projects.
I'll definitely check out the kbctools set you mentioned.
Thanks,
Ken


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## Brent H (Mar 27, 2021)

Hey @GummyMonster : Ken, If you are able to find a reasonably priced good quality METRIC set of drills let us know.  Finding metric drills has been a pain in the butt for me at least


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## GummyMonster (Mar 29, 2021)

I sure will.
 It's funny, even on AliExpress there is very little selection, of ANY quality. I ordered a bunch of metric end mills, and I may use them to finish metric holes, as DPittman suggested above.
 I don't understand why they're hard to find, when they are used worldwide.
Ken


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## Canadium (Mar 29, 2021)

cheap Chinesium metric drill bits on Ebay;
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/50Pcs-Titan...rand=Unbranded&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851


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## DPittman (Mar 29, 2021)

Canadium said:


> cheap Chinesium metric drill bits on Ebay;
> https://www.ebay.ca/itm/50Pcs-Titanium-Coated-High-Speed-Steel-HSS-Drill-Bit-Set-Tool/193848799772?_trkparms=aid=1110006&algo=HOMESPLICE.SIM&ao=1&asc=20200520130048&meid=2b27a1d5118d4cd08e2e26ce62020a2d&pid=100005&rk=3&rkt=12&mehot=co&sd=133664168535&itm=193848799772&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&algv=SimplAMLv9PairwiseUnbiasedWeb&brand=Unbranded&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851


Oh my that is a small set with the largest only being 3mm


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## 6.5 Fan (Mar 29, 2021)

I have cheap drill bits that get left in the shop for everybody to use, have a couple of expensive sets that are for my personal use. All work, some better than others. I will recommend you learn to sharpen drill bits, makes life easier and doesn't take long to do once you master the process. One of the first things taught to us before we were allowed on power tools, way back when.


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## wharris1 (Mar 29, 2021)

I would suggest that any coated drill bit will only work until you have to sharpen and then good luck
For long term use (sharpening as required) a full length material such as cobalt may be a good choice


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## DPittman (Mar 29, 2021)

wharris1 said:


> I would suggest that any coated drill bit will only work until you have to sharpen and then good luck
> For long term use (sharpening as required) a full length material such as cobalt may be a good choice


I think the coating material is of limited benefit on most low priced bits, and then once it's ground off you still have a hss bit underneath.


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## PeterT (Mar 29, 2021)

GummyMonster said:


> I sure will.
> It's funny, even on AliExpress there is very little selection, of ANY quality.
> Ken



Ali is a funny place. I entered different permutations of [cobalt,hss,M42,M35] drill set into search bar & got quite a few hits. I was sneakily trying to avoid the hardware store variety Ti* (gold coated) ones. Sometimes the drills are no case. Sometimes its 5 of every size. Quality wise still a bit of crap shoot but they are there. I try to avoid sellers who also carry nail polish etc. And sometimes the woodworking stores is where you find some iffy quality (as opposed to machine supply places). On another note I have been buying carbide end mills & reamers & other tooling & they have been of excellent value. Maybe some of the metalworking suppliers are more focused on industrial tooling & just less of hss/cobalt for that reason, I dunno. 

Another option is buy local. Sowa offers a wide range, you can get them through DMH or Thomas Skinner, maybe other places. Likely similar to what KBC offers so wait for sales which pop up almost monthly. Travers have good % sales but their base price seem higher & shipping a bit more too.
https://www.sowatool.com/Catalogue/4/260?Subcategory=JOBBER DRILLS


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## Brian H (Mar 29, 2021)

I purchased a set of number/letter/fractional drills from PA and have been very happy with them. I also got really lucky with a cheap set of cobalt metric drills (1-10mm in .5mm increments) for under $25 on bangood. Both have served me very well for over a year.


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## Janger (Mar 30, 2021)

Cleline from KMS tools. Done. They work. USA. Metric and imperial. Part numbers on the front. I had to order the metric and wait. I was told to spend money on drills and cutters. It’s paid off.


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## PeterT (Mar 30, 2021)

Are the Cleline 120 or 135 deg point? I almost pulled the trigger on those but thought they were 135. Maybe it was just that particular set. Not that its bad but I have 120 spot drills & they make a happy couple. Higher angle spot sare not nearly as predominant. The other nice thing about the name brand drills is you can buy single replacements. I guess you can do that with any drill set. I'm pretty sure I use 10 drills 90% of the time. Usually tap/clear holes for common taps.


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## architect (Aug 9, 2021)

Reviving an old thread because I'm doing some purchase research. Any problem using 135 for "general purpose" as I understand they are typically for harder materials. Do people carry both 135 and 118 or just have one and call it a day? Thanks.


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## Chip Maker (Aug 9, 2021)

I would say 118 is the norm for my trade. Seems a moot point since I'm constantly sharpening them. You can put on any angle you want.


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## PeterT (Aug 9, 2021)

Another consideration is 120-deg center drills are a lot more common to find to use for 118-deg drills. The 135-deg drill would ideally require that angle or larger & these CD's are less common & generally more expensive. I know a lot of people just drill centerless & call it good & some of the 135 are stub length which helps with rigidity and/or have tip geometry that helps. But 118-deg is also my go to.


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## Tom Kitta (Aug 9, 2021)

I actually never check the angle - I am more concerned with size, sharpness followed by cutting speed (usually quite slower then recommended). I think the 118 vs. 135 is mostly for production where you are trying to squizze every possible gain you can. Once you know material exactly, machine is CNC with known parameters and through try and error you can start getting the most for your drill $. 

The only exception is brass - it tends to grab things - but I do that just few times a year. 

I guess I would notice if angle is more then 135 or less then 118 - I believe for plastics the angle is very high.


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## Chip Maker (Aug 9, 2021)

Tom Kitta said:


> I actually never check the angle - I am more concerned with size, sharpness followed by cutting speed (usually quite slower then recommended). I think the 118 vs. 135 is mostly for production where you are trying to squizze every possible gain you can. Once you know material exactly, machine is CNC with known parameters and through try and error you can start getting the most for your drill $.
> 
> The only exception is brass - it tends to grab things - but I do that just few times a year.
> 
> I guess I would notice if angle is more then 135 or less then 118 - I believe for plastics the angle is very high.




Try putting flats on the cutting lips for brass. The drill won't pull in. You'd notice this if drilling manually.


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## GummyMonster (Aug 11, 2021)

A couple pointers I came across from other sites while researching driills and angle preferences.
 - As far as 118 vs 135 degrees on simple thing to note 135's drill easier but don't find
center as well, 118's center easier but drill with more pressure. Get the 118's if you won't
be countersinking most of your holes first.
  I've also read that 135 degree bits are preferred by some when drilling a single size, and not starting a pilot hole and increasing in size.
 These are not my personal experience, just tips from others hobby machinists.
 Hope this helps,
Ken


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