BB vs KBC drill bits

[PatrickJay3]

So I took the risk and brought some, direct from China drill bits.....terrible. So how do the KBC branded drill bits sets (115pc) compare to the BB set, I mean they look like they came from the same Chinese factory. Is there any appreciable difference? I’ve had hit and miss luck with other BB drill bits in the past.

Trying not to break the bank here as well.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

The KBC brand HSS bright finish jobber drills (singles qty, not sets) I've tried in the past have been decent. I bought a bunch in frequent tap/clearance drill sizes over the years when I still a machinist, and they performed just fine. Not premium quality, but not premium prices either. Would buy again if needed. I have not tried Busy Bee stuff, but my experience with anything from them on the machinist side leads me to believe you'd be just as well off to buy stuff direct from china if you can and save the brick and mortar stocking fee....

 

[slow-poke]

I'm curious who KBC sources from?


I have had good luck with Dormer, Hertel, as well as the USA brands:
Champion, Chicago Latrobe, Cle-Line, Cleveland, Drill Hog, Norseman, Precision Twist, PTD, Triumph, and Viking

I also have had good double sides shorty 1/8" bits from Ali, unfortunately I didn't note which source, and repeat orders of what look the same have all been poor.

 

[Downwindtracker2]

Most US brands come from the same Brazilian factory . There isn't much money in drill bits. As an inside source suggested on another forum. KBC branded stuff is adeguate quality. Some times it's eastern European and pretty good.

When it comes to Chinese drill bits, the purchasing agent at our mill bought some. I would take a handful so I could drill a couple of holes. No money saving there.

 

[David]

I bought a set of taps and drills from KBC back when I was a beginner hobby machinist (could have been yesterday at my maturity level) and they have been excellent. Very sharp out of the box and hold an edge well. Drill Hog have also been very good. I suspect my next set will be whatever top tier name brand KMS supplies.

 

[Arbutus]

The KBC branded stub drills seem to be from a variety of manufacturers, but IMHO the same quality and lifespan as my Dormers. That's been my experience with most of the KMS branded items - offshore manufacturers usually, but someone at KBC is paying attention to the quality. I have not been disappointed yet.

 

[Susquatch]

So I took the risk and brought some, direct from China drill bits.....terrible. So how do the KBC branded drill bits sets (115pc) compare to the BB set, I mean they look like they came from the same Chinese factory. Is there any appreciable difference? I’ve had hit and miss luck with other BB drill bits in the past.

I think that any 115 bit drill set that costs under $1000.00 isn't likely to be any good.

I doubt that the BB set is worth a crap. KBC might be ok, but I don't know that and would not have the courage to buy them.

The Drill Hog set is probably ok.

I have 2 sets of the 115 bits. One was Princess Auto. They are both junk. I only use them when I don't have time to go to my Jobber and buy Dormers. I buy dormers in pairs as I need them. I simply can't afford the full set. I've never needed the second drill so I may stop buying in pairs. I'm slowly building a full set. But it prolly won't happen till I'm dead.

I'm doing the same thing with Taps. I buy all 3 taps for a given size at once as needed.

 

[David]

Drill Hog drills are decent but not inexpensive with shipping and all. Locally sourced options are probably better value.

 

[Martin w]

The last drill I bought from KBC was made in Bosnia Herzegovina. It was a taper shank.

 

[Martin w]

The last drill I bought from KBC was made in Bosnia Herzegovina. It was a taper shank.

I should add it is well made and good quality.

 

[Downwindtracker2]

Over time I've gotten together a couple of fractionals, a standard 118 *, a 135* splitpoint cobalt, a letter size, a number size and a metric, plus blacksmith bits. I put it all together when I was working. being retired now I just replace the single bits with KBC brand. My work had involved a lot of drilling so I was fussy about brands, Butterfield and Precision then Dormer for the run of the mill.

 

[slow-poke]

I got carried away with the drill bit theme..

I think I got lucky with a good 115 piece made in USA set for < $100. It was in the woodworking tools with a incoherent description, looked like an estate sale. I noticed that the case was not the typical cheap one, but the properly labeled one often used for the better sets. So I took a chance.

They appear to be good, run true, sharp, however I have not had a chance to see if they on par with my Dormer fractional set that are quite good. Time will tell.


Thread 'Organized my drill bits'
https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/organized-my-drill-bits.14370/

 

[LenVW]

Keep those experiences coming in . . .

I have purchased some KBC Stub Drills that seem to last a while.

ROK make Cobalt drills in China and are also very good.

I also ran across a supplier of CENTURY Drill & Tool bits, a company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
These guys have been in the tooling business since 1940 but the recently purchased bits I have were made in China as well. (A couple of 1/8” HSS Quick Points was only C$ 3.75)

I don’t like paying a lot for drill bits, but, I do know how to resharpen them accurately !!

 

[Susquatch]

I don’t like paying a lot for drill bits, but, I do know how to resharpen them accurately !!

I wish that worked for me as well as you. I even have the new Vevor Drill Bit Sharpener which works fantastic.

But I find that the cheap drills I have bought to date are just junk. The web is often off center and the so called high speed steel is garbage. The seem to break just looking at them.

 

[LenVW]

I wish that worked for me as well as you. I even have the new Vevor Drill Bit Sharpener which works fantastic.

But I find that the cheap drills I have bought to date are just junk. The web is often off center and the so called high speed steel is garbage. The seem to break just looking at them.

Unfortunately, quality of tooling can vary widely.
Brand experiences are valuable things to pass on.
We have to use or time to test and trial . . . we will eventually be successful !!

 

[mickeyf]

So what constitutes a "Good" drill bit?

Material - hardness such that it does not dull quickly, cuts well
Accuracy - which means both size and correctly ground
Sharp (as delivered - later sharpening is up to me)
Price - compared to alternatives

These seem obvious. What else?

Not like this one:

 

[Susquatch]

So what constitutes a "Good" drill bit?

Material - hardness such that it does not dull quickly, cuts well
Accuracy - which means both size and correctly ground
Sharp (as delivered - later sharpening is up to me)
Price - compared to alternatives

These seem obvious. What else?

I'm no expert, but do have an opinion.

There are all kinds of drill types and purposes. So I've tried to be generic. Mostly I agree with you but have added some flavour......

Material - as you say, should be hard so it cuts the desired material and doesn't dull easily, but also strong and tough so it doesn't deform, break, or chip too easily.

Structure - Concentric core, web, and flutes so it can be ground properly with even symmetrical cutting edges and faces.

Grind - grind consistent with purpose and design, with correct angles on cutting edge, center, reliefs, back grind, spilt point, etc. etc.

Sharp cutting edges with correct back relief consistent with purpose and design.

Consistent diameter for all flutes for the full length.

Function/performance - drills the correct hole at correct speed, feed, and pressure with two perfectly symmetrical swarf spirals.

Yes price, but I expect to pay more for a good high quality drill.