Posted: 10/11/2005 4:23:42 PM EDT
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Alright, so it seems my job is leading me toward purchasing more tools. I really don't think I could look any more confused when shopping for tools if I was wearing a pink dress. So, here's a short list of stuff I'm in the market for: A drill bit set. Easy, right? Sure...Hi-Speed, Titanium, Chrome, or whatever SuperDrillBitAlloy is on the market. What is: good for drilling metal (all kinds, today I was drilling 1/8-1/4" steel), and lasts long? I don't want to be spending all day drilling stuff either. A cordless drill, with good power. I've used a few at work, but I want some opinions from others. For the above items, price isn't an issue. I want to keep my options open. A good screw driver set? I suppose there's nothing special here, on this I'd be looking for a good deal. |
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If you intend on making your living with tools, buy the best you can afford. Cordless drill....Dewalt 18v with two batteries is good, Milwaukee is better. Drill bits, hi speed for metal. Craftsman will be suitable, but there are other brands that are better. Screw drivers, Craftsman are good, Mac or Snap-on are considered best. price compare on ebay |
I was using my 12 volt Dewalt today, the battery died and I grabbed my buddies 18 volt to finish the job. Damn near snapped my wrist, it was too frickin cool, alot of power. |
Ok, what other brands and what bit material? A guy at work was telling me about Colbalt and I've seen Titanium. Wanna give me the skinny on this stuff? This is where I have no clue what to buy. I can grab a 7/16" hi-speed bit. But when I get there and there's half a dozen different kinds that are the same except for the material they're made of...well, what do I buy? (In this case, I usually just buy the most expensive. That doesn't always work.) |
I've almost not bought stuff I liked because the 'tactical' marketing term was attached. When I see it anymore I just roll my eyes. But anyway...no, I haven't seen any 'tactical power drills'. But I have seen some gimicky stuff on tools--like that little good for what again?--LED on the front of my power driver. Like WTF am I going to use that for, huh? At least I said that until I needed it today  . That's my SpecOps power driver--LED and space for a couple bits (attachments) in a recess (rails) on the front. Yeah, right.
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You need to buy a dril set that is high speed steel. And a drill point gage.  All of the Titanium and what not are just coatings wich are great if your just gonna thow them away when they dull. But if your going to re-sharpen them, which you can on a bench grinder with a little practice. You will need a drill point gage. You might also want to look at this. www.tpub.com/steelworker2/121.htm |
1/4 steel? whoa. You will be going through a decent number of bits. You will be able to tell us what works in a few weeks. Go slow, heat kills the bit, it is designed to cut through the material, not grind its way through. |
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Drill bits.....you guys are gonna point & laugh at this.... I best set of drills I have were purchased at Kmart. Name brand on them is Benchmade. They are counter cut at the point and really work well. Vermont American makes some decent drill bits. I suggest you buy two or three addition bits of the common sizes that you'll use. 1/8" 3/8" 7/16". A good index for your drills is an addition that you won't regret owning. |
I'm not going to be drilling 1/4" steel regularly, but it does happen, and I really would rather not be unprepared on a service call in another state. |
| Used to do a lot of metal fabrication in my business. I found cobalt bits to be the best over the long term. Look for a "tool supply" place that caters to industrial users, I used to buy drill bits there for a third of what you paid at the hardware store, and much better quality. |
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On the drill bitss good quality high speed steel if you're not drilling real hard metal. Remember to not run the drill at too high rpms. That'll dull a driill real quick. Use some oil to lubricate. You could get one of the Drill Doctors for sharpening drills. I have heard they work good. I use a Derex sharpener at my shop but you couldn't lug that aroung and they are kind of pricey. I like Milwaukee equipment but if you don't have a dealer in your area you are probably better off with Dewalt in case you need more batteries. Screwdrivers Snapon or Mac. Craftsman used to be good but I've heard their quality is slippng. Does SK make screwdrivers? |
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if you drill a lot of metal and super strong alloys, you might benefit from a cobalt bit. if you drill a bunch of other stuff, high speed steel, HSS, should be fine. plus you can touch up the points on a bench grinder (with some practice) if they get dull. in all honesty, drills are an area where i've found usa made bits to be of noticably better quality. ive encountered import bits, that werent straight, werent accurately sized, or were some silly metal that dulled and broke far too soon. if you are doing any type of precise work, you'll probably appreciate the difference. most of the "exotic metals..aka coatings" are marketing hype. if you go that route, at least find out what metal is underneath. once the coating is gone, which can be pretty quick, thats what you'll be drilling with. im guessing a jobber length 29pc black oxide fractional set would probably cover you for now. if you break a bit, buy six or twelve or so of that size and set them aside. restock as needed and the amount of drilling indicates. unless you really want to get bogged down in minutiae, the point angle is probably not going to matter for you. 118 or 135 are common and should be fine, unless the jobs dictate otherwise. for the screwdrivers, they are not all the same. if you are doing mechanical work with hardened fastners, you need a suitable tip. rusted fastners also can be a problem. craftsman and the other lessrer brands will cam out/strip quickly under load. its not until you need a good screwdriver do you appreciate them. look iinto the wiha line. micro touch with hex bolsters and steel striking cap. sk also makes some nice ones. |
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Here are a couple of metal working tool webites www.travers.com/index.asp www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/nnsrhm |
Drill bits, titanium nitrite coated high speed bits (Invest in a sharpener anyway to maintain them) The drill, I agree with him. But, Dewalt does have a nice 24 volt for serious torque...... Screwdrivers, mac and snap-on are over rated and seriously over priced. When one does break, you have to wait for the rep to show up. Craftsman, you can just go to sears and swap it in at your convenience. And, the craftsman are just as strong. |
| As far as drill bits go, get a good index for the off size bits you might need and buy the common size bits in bulk from some place like WT Tool, or MSC. 1/8, 3/16, ¼, 5/16, 3/8 I buy a gross at a time, when dull, they get tossed in the trash. HSS is all you will need. One of the best and cheapest cutting oils I have used is 3 parts ATF and 1 part STP oil treatment. Mix well and keep in a squeeze bottle. |
Drill Doctor: Highly recommended. Very good advice. |
I'm a mechanic and do a lot of drilling at the shop and have tried many brands of drill bits. The most important thing isn't an expensive bit, but a sharp bit. A no name bit is a whole different thing though, stay away from those, a mid priced set is your best bet. Get doubles of common sizes. Sharpen any dull bit before you pack it all up at the end of the day. That's why I have a Drill Doctor, it's small enough that it can go with me if I need, but if I keep them all sharp before I go out I don't have to use it on location. I can take a wasted bit and sharpen it -new- in about a minute. No drill bit is good if it's dull and sharpening a bit by hand is not that easy. I have three main sets, 29pc Hanson Cobalt, 16pc(?)Blu Mol(awesome), and 29pc Snap-On hss bits, plus a special 'lefty' set for certain jobs. The Blu Mol seem to be the best all around, but for hardened steel I use the Cobalt or Snap-On set. The 29pc sets -in retrospect- are probably a bit much, I only use about half of them regularly, some only on occasion, and some haven't been used at all. Also I highly recommend a 3pc set of Unibits. These are invaluable for sizing or enlarging holes without swapping out bits. For a cordless drill I use two mainly, my 'go to' drill is a 14.4 volt Craftsman limited edition. Variable speed with 24 clutch settings, but no high speed setting. Had it for over six years and it holds up well under abuse, tough as nails. Still have the two original batteries. When the job needs more speed and power I have an 18 volt Craftsman that has everything the 14.4 drill has, plus a high speed setting. This drill with my Blu Mol bits can get me through just about any job in short order. Scredrivers, I use only Snap-on, but S-K makes some really nice sets for a fraction of the price and they are very good. Three mechanics at my shop use S-K screwdrivers, guaranteed for life. |
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Dewalt 14.4xrt or 18v. (The 14.4xrt has 400 ft # torque. The 18v has 440.) Either one make sure you go with the xrt series. 3 speed metal transmission, not plastic thats on the consumer version. Drill bits. TIn work good. Also they are not much more expensive than hss any more. The only time I used colbalt bits has when I had to drill out some titanium. As others have said take care of the bits (keep them cool and let the bit do the work) and they will last quite a while. As for screw drivers, I have had good luck with Klein. |
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F-dewalt what you need is RIDGID- Linky  [tim the toolman]Hurhuhuhuhhur[tim the toolman] Dewalt is for pussies 
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Foregrip makes that an AOW.  
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