Every time I look at drillbits for metal at the local Home Depot I'm totally confused.Which is the best,I see tin coated,black coated etc.Recently I saw a new line of wood bits from Milwaukee,they look good but as I said above I'm confused.
I can understand your confusion here but it is also important to include what type of material you will be drilling, as the best drill bit for aluminum will not be the best drill bit for cast iron, etc., etc.
Hope this helps you.
Lewis.
*****
Also, the basic steel is as important as the coating (if any). Then too, the process by which they are manufactured is as important as the materials. Pretty hard to tell from the descriptions in the stores. Best to rely on name brands and sources.
The basic steel is much more important than the coating. Coatings are cheap -- the thin, cheap coatings of TiN they put on cheap drill bits add maybe 3 cents to the cost. They can be helpful on top of good steel. But put them on top of Chinese "M50 equivalent" high speed steel, and you have frozen crap with a thin, crusty coating. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside...
Absolutely.
-- Ed Huntress
ED sez: "Absolutely"
Yep! From the descriptions, a HF set for $29.95 looks as good as a Chicago-Latrobe set for $300.
Bob Swinney
The basic steel is much more important than the coating. Coatings are cheap -- the thin, cheap coatings of TiN they put on cheap drill bits add maybe 3 cents to the cost. They can be helpful on top of good steel. But put them on top of Chinese "M50 equivalent" high speed steel, and you have frozen crap with a thin, crusty coating. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside...
-- Ed Huntress
Yeah. The difference is all in the labor.
Good M2 HSS makes pretty versatile bits: useful for wood and composites, and capable of drilling steel with good efficiency. M4 is better for drilling steel, but very costly -- not because of the difference in material costs, actually, but because M4 bits generally are just made better.
M50 is what you usually get in hardware stores. It's fine for wood and composites. But it has little red hardness, and it has to be run very slowly in steel. And its abrasion resistance isn't good enough for drilling high-silicon aluminum, for more than a few holes.
It's ironic that we see those cheap bits often made with a TiN coating so thin you can actually see through it -- it's translucent goldish, in some cases, rather than a bright gold color -- because a *thick* TiN coating is still cheap, and really would increase drill life a great deal in abrasive materials such as particle board or Masonite.
-- Ed Huntress
Nachi is my very favorite brand. They also make the best taps.
My advice would be to stop looking at Home Depot. Try looking at the online catalogls of MSC, Enco, or Wholesale Tool. Those catalogs are likely to have a little help on selection. You might also look at Cleveland Twist Drill. Well actually Kennametal. They own Cleveland and Hanita.
Now you ought to be thoroughly confused. But the best drill depends on what you are drilling.
If you are about to buy a set of drills for the first time, consider buying a set from Harbor Freight, and then buying good quality drills to replace those that get dull.
Also look in RCM for Robert Bastow's description of how to sharpen drills freehand on a grinder. I never quite understood his description, but if you can find someone local to you, they can teach you how to sharpen the larger size drills reasonably well. It is not rocket science and worth knowing.
=20 Dan
On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:25:16 -0400, the infamous "Buerste" scrawled the following:
Nachi? Idden dat corn chips with cheesy crap drizzled over 'em?
You get them at the Black/Mexican restaurant...Nacho Momma's
Unless you like being bent over get the hell out of home depot and into an industrial supply that has to do better because the customers know the difference.
even enco is a step up
google enco
(..)
Yup! Only one is a 'nacho'. Nachi is the plural. Most people don't know this.
--Winston
How do you rate the various offerings from MSC or Enco? Import Made in USA Cleveland Chicago Latrobe Triumph Nachi Precision Drill others?
And would you say the value compares, is Chicago Latrobe really worth twice what Triumph is and Cleveland triple, or would you say it more like the first time you double the price you pay you get three time better bits but the next doubling in price only gets you a 50% better bit and then double again and you get 15 better still?
Doug T
Wow, somebody could write a book after months of research. It usually boils down to "You get what you pay for" minus the sale and advertising factor. Then you lean toward a preference not really based on facts. And, different bits perform differently under different circumstances.
I had a bunch of samples from the "Ningbo Flying Tool Company" in China. They were every b it as good as any I've ever used and they were dirt cheap. The company never did get their importing act together.
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.