#1 2008-05-18 16:26:34
- porksboy
- HalfDork
- From: Kennesaw, Ga
- Registered: 2005-02-03
- Posts: 703
Horible Freight drill bits
Anyone tried them? What do you think?
I have a nice set from Mac Tools but they are dull and I need to get them sharpened. Has anyone tried a Drill doctor?
How about a sharpening service I can send them to?
I've been called worse by better.
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#2 2008-05-18 16:45:56
- Hocrest
- Reader
- From: Cressona, PA
- Registered: 2006-08-29
- Posts: 415
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
HF Drill bits are definitely a "get what you pay for" thing.
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#3 2008-05-18 17:00:32
- Mad-Machine
- SuperDork
- From: Egg Harbor Township, NJ
- Registered: 2006-10-27
- Posts: 2128
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
and they don't make good hammers. Nails maybe, but not hammers
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#4 2008-05-18 17:18:30
- 44dwarf
- Dork
- From: Ma.
- Registered: 2003-07-31
- Posts: 1463
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
Don't buy bits from the tool show copany CUMMINGS TOOLS i thought okay ya there cheap E36 M3 but if i use them once at the house i'll be ahaed of driving over to the shop to pick up my good set.............
Darn bits will not even drill wood! tried to open a hole in Alum plate and the bit just wore down now it looks like s plit point type. Complete crap.
44Dwarf
"Smok'in the competition NOT Tobacco"
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#5 2008-05-18 17:29:22
- CWH
- Dork
- From: Ft. Lauderdale FL
- Registered: 2005-11-28
- Posts: 1067
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
+1 on you get what you pay for with drill bits. Buy the ones you need in as good a quality as you can find. They will last a lot longer. Getting the 42 drill bit sets is a waste in my mind- you'll only use 5 or 6. I got pretty good at sharpening 1/4" and bigger bits, could never get the little ones right. Some of the bits I used in alarm instalations were 3/8" x 4' long- I made them last a looong time, used to carry a bench grinder with me. At 25.00 apiece, you had to.
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#6 2008-05-18 18:13:59
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
I bought the 30 piece drill bit grab bag. Sizes aren't marked, but you get some big, medium and little ones 
For their $2.99 sale price, I haven't been disappointed yet. I avoid the sets, coated ones, etc... but the "grab bag" is the ticket.
Last edited by mikeatrpi (2008-05-18 18:15:19)
1982 280zx na http://z.modeltrainguide.com
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#7 2008-05-18 19:04:37
- porksboy
- HalfDork
- From: Kennesaw, Ga
- Registered: 2005-02-03
- Posts: 703
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
doess anyone have a drill doctor? I searched and saw another thread. Is a split point good for metals? Aluminium mostly but ocasionaly steel and cast iron as well. Lowes has one on sale for $50.00. Add $30.00 and you can do split points.
I've been called worse by better.
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#8 2008-05-18 19:25:55
- Jensenman
- PowerDork
- From: Charleston, SC
- Registered: 2003-07-28
- Posts: 7465
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
I have learned the hard way to spend the extra $ on cobalt bits. I hate having a drill bit puke halfway through a project and the cobalts definitely last longer. Having said that, I bought the HF cobalt master bit set and they were not very good at all. I'll stick with DeWalts, etc.
I gotta think of something stupid/funny to put here.
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#9 2008-05-18 21:10:13
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
Drill Doctor is good... HF is bad. Those are single use bits.
However... I bought a 3 pc set of titanium step drills in a pinch one Sunday and the $10 was well spent. Got me out of my pickle and I'm still using them a year later so I guess you can find a rose among thorns occasionally.
98 BMW M3 (race car)
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#10 2008-05-18 21:38:15
- jamscal
- HalfDork
- From: Louisville
- Registered: 2005-08-15
- Posts: 757
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
I have heard good things about the drill doctor. I plan on getting one soon.
The best drill bits are Made in the USA from an industrial supply shop (Triumph is a good brand).
(And I'm not one of the guys who cries USA no matter what...I love HF, but in this case it's true.)
All the "Brand Name" stuff from Home Depot or Lowes (Dewalt, etc.) are just(usually) higher quality Chinese/Offshore stuff. Good in some cases, but overpriced compared to the USA stuff.
-James
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#11 2008-05-19 04:46:29
- foxtrapper
- SuperDork
- From: Maryland
- Registered: 2003-07-29
- Posts: 2135
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
Have a drill doctor, works great.
Have various HF bits, some work better than others, none are terrible.
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#12 2008-05-19 06:10:35
- aeronca65t
- HalfDork
- From: NW New Jersey
- Registered: 2003-11-17
- Posts: 781
- Website
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
The HF drill that I've seen are terrible....not worth buying.
Re: drill sharpening....
I sharpen drills on a bend grinder "by eye" all the time.
It is not a perfect method, but you can get decent results if you practice (this *is* supposed to be a grassroots forum...right?)
The Drill Doctor is better, but especially with larger drills (over 1/4"), you can get pretty fair at hand sharpening.
There's no way I can type an explaination on how to do this....you'd need someone to show you.
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#13 2008-05-19 16:12:31
- oldopelguy
- HalfDork
- From: Upstate SC, mostly
- Registered: 2006-02-08
- Posts: 566
- Website
Re: Horible Freight drill bits
I had a HF drill bit bend on me, straight over 90*, and I was able to bend it back straight again.
Drill bit metal is not supposed to bend.
I like to buy re-sharps if I can get them, surplus from Boeing or the like. They are about 1/2 as long as they started out by the time whatever big company is using them decides to not use them again, but for the $ I'll take a fresh professional sharpening on a top quality but bit short bit over a bargain new one. You find them on e-bay or most industrial supply houses can get them.
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