Drill Bits For Steel?

WreckITFrank

Technical Excellence Contributor
researched this not long ago after the inner mud flaps on the rear tub refused to come off. I destroyed a half dozen bits until i finally got some small flap discs. Googling led me to the cheap cobalt kits from dewalt. In all the reviews they held up extremely well. I may get the larger kit later on, but this seems to do the job for some of the steel if have tested on. Irwin were a little better rated but for 4x the price, these got it done cheap.

 

evilfij

Well-known member
The Bosch cobalt ones seem to be the best. That is my conclusion after hours of research. So I bought a lifetime supply when they were on sale a while back.
 

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jymmiejamz

Founding Member
Callsign: KN4JHI
I’ve had good luck with these from Snap On. One thing that is kind of annoying is they are exact size and not slightly oversized like most drill bits (maybe they are machinist bits?). When you drill a hole and go to install a bolt or rivet it will not likely slide right through.
4E218620-5340-490D-8830-ACA21EC9EBCE.jpeg
 

Z.G

Well-known member
I’ve had good luck with these from Snap On. One thing that is kind of annoying is they are exact size and not slightly oversized like most drill bits (maybe they are machinist bits?). When you drill a hole and go to install a bolt or rivet it will not likely slide right through. View attachment 18017

Those are the ones I use(the owner's set). You are correct about the sizing, I always just assumed I was mismatching the size when the rivet/rivnut didn't go in easily.
 

lcdck

Well-known member
I've recently invested in a bit sharpener as well. A few seconds sharpening and a quality bit is good as new. The other thing I've bought is a step drill bit and using that when I can has saved my sized other bits a lot of wear.
 

acheck

Well-known member
I forgot to mention, for the most part I use the same sizes of bits over and over again, especially 1/8" for pilot holes. Years ago I started buying the few common sizes in bulk, and never worry about them too much. 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16 are probably my most used. Have a blister pack of like 25 of each and just use them as disposable.

From McMaster Carr:

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madcowdungbeetle

Well-known member
US made Cleveland & Chicago-Latrobe, my machinist buddy swears by Triumph for gen purpose stuff. Store bought drill bits are trash, and I never used them on anything critical or on a blind hole.
 

erover82

Well-known member
For general purpose drilling, Viking drill and tool's split point super premium twist drills have served me well. They're affordable, made in USA, have an informative website, and offer good customer support and advice.
 
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