Decent drill bits

CliveOfIndia

Any recommendations for some half-decent HSS drill bits?  Over the years I've had my fill of cheap sets - 100 assorted bits for a tenner, that type of thing.  More recently I've tried some well-known makes - Bosch, Milwaukee, and been thoroughly disappointed.  All I want is a smallish set of bits in common sizes that'll actually drill through steel and aluminium without going blunt the moment they get within an inch of the material.

I'm a typical DIY-er - don't mind spending a reasonable amount for something that'll do the job and last well, but can't afford to be shelling out a fortune for "professional quality" stuff.  Any suggestions?

FreeBear

Dormer would be top of my list, but expensive.. I have been using the Abracs titanium coated drills from Toolstaion to replace a few odd ones that got broken/lost in my sets - They are reasonably sharp straight out of the box and seem to keep their edge (and I often drill nasty steels). I see Toolstation do a 0.5-13mm set (in 0.5mm steps) for £34. Not hugely expensive.

CliveOfIndia

Thanks @FreeBear , I've got a Toolstation not far away so that's definitely worth a look.

stuart45

Which Drill Bit Brand is Best? Let's find out! - YouTube
This person has done tests on masonry bits as well. Unfortunately some of the brands are not in the UK.
Hilti bits are not tested.

daivid

I used to like Bosch, they were fine for me so long as I was patient and used a bit of oil to keep them cool. As I wasn’t always patient and would ruin a few in the set before long I went cheaper and am currently using Erbauer. I don’t drill metal that much but they do the job so long as I'm patient and if not they are cheaper to replace. If I was expecting to do more I might try a more expensive range.

theoretica

Are you using cutting fluid?

Mistral001

theoretica said:

Are you using cutting fluid?

This is a good idea.  I have not tried cutting fluid.  I use ordinary engine oil  shaken up with water to form an emulsion which works well. It keeps the drill bit cool and helps to keep it sharp.  Even oil on its own is pretty effective.  Also, if you have a bench grinding wheel, with a little practice, you can sharpen drill bits any make even average quality bits last for years.  There are hundreds of Youtube videos on how to do this.. 

FreeBear

Mistral001 said:

theoretica said:

Are you using cutting fluid?

This is a good idea.  I have not tried cutting fluid.  I use ordinary engine oil  shaken up with water to form an emulsion which works well.

You can get soluble oil specifically for use as a cutting fluid - Mixes well with water and the oil remains in a suspension. Downside is you normally have to buy it in 5l or 25l drums. That said, there are a few places that sell 1l bottles (ebay & amazon), or you can try blagging a cup full from your local machine shop.

Engine oil & water with a drop of washing up liquid will work up to a point at a push (not something I would use, but then I have a big can of soluble oil).

chris_n

We used to use Rocol RTD when drilling metal (esp stainless steel) at work, expensive but much better than oil.