# 115pc Drill Set Issues



## NightWing (Apr 14, 2015)

Don't you just love buying a 115 pc set of fractional, letter and number drills, all pretty, tin coated, in a hinged case, only to find that many of the smaller drills not only are not in the correct slots, but actually are the same size?

Even the larger drills with visible markings are best miked before use if the hole size is fairly important.    The set is not to be trusted. 

I have owned it for a couple of years, so too late to complain to the vendor.  

Oh well, the price was right.


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## stupoty (Apr 14, 2015)

In my mostly metric world the thing i hate most (related to drill bits) is ones marked 6.8 mm that drill a hole more like 7.1mm ahhhhhhhhh

Rant over 

Stuart


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## darkzero (Apr 14, 2015)

When it comes to the inexpensive China drill bits, I hate the TiN coated ones. The coating is so thin it's good for nothing anyways. I have a China TiN set, I use it for hogging out aluminum and for wood only. Yeah many will say "that's what you get for buying China drill bits". I admit, I have some China drill bit sets too. But if you're going to buy China, forget the TiNs, just get the black oxides. I have 115pc cobalt set from HF. Heck, I got it cheap & they actually serve me pretty well, surprised me that's for sure. The only thing I hated was the index it came in, threw that crap in the trash & got a Huot index for it.



stupoty said:


> In my mostly metric world the thing i hate most (related to drill bits) is ones marked 6.8 mm that drill a hole more like 7.1mm ahhhhhhhhh
> 
> Rant over
> 
> Stuart



Hey Stuart, just curious. Over in Metric Land, is there an equivelent set for the 115pc set us Americans use? Like do you have an alternative for number & letter drills?


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## stupoty (Apr 14, 2015)

darkzero said:


> When it comes to the inexpensive China drill bits, I hate the TiN coated ones. The coating is so thin it's good for nothing anyways. I have a China TiN set, I use it for hogging out aluminum and for wood only. Yeah many will say "that's what you get for buying China drill bits". I admit, I have some China drill bit sets too. But if you're going to buy China, forget the TiNs, just get the black oxides. I have 115pc cobalt set from HF. Heck, I got it cheap & they actually serve me pretty well, surprised me that's for sure. The only thing I hated was the index it came in, threw that crap in the trash & got a Huot index for it.
> 
> 
> 
> Hey Stuart, just curious. Over in Metric Land, is there an equivelent set for the 115pc set us Americans use? Like do you have an alternative for number & letter drills?



Hello, 

Not so many "standard" sets, I generally see half mm size step sets , like 1mm to 10 mm going up in half mm increments, or a fine range doing the same but every 0.1mm  

I have seen some metric tap drill sets that would be a handy counter part to the 0.5mm step sets.

I generaly buy the 0.5mm set and replace as needed and purchase tap drill sizes separately.

I do lust after compleat range sets.  But unless their a quality brand of drill bit Its not worth having as the ability to drill a wide range of sizes the wrong size could be very annoying 

I did get some reground carbide 0.8mm drills with 3mm (or is it 4?) shanks and was very glad i got a pack of 10 regrinds, it was the price of one and a half brand new ones and ive destroyed 3 so far , not by blunting them either.  

I am constantly amazed when ever I do use my few up market drill bits how much better they actually are.

Stuart


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## dlhoulton (Apr 15, 2015)

I got burned on one of those kits. Bought the 115pc tin coated set in the hinge case and what a shock!! The case was weak and flimsy. Will not latch. When I opened the lid and seen that the "Tin" coating looked more like someone had used bad gold spray paint or dipped them in the same paint. Not shiny like the picture. Then upon closer inspection of the bits, many were duplicated, unmarked, bent, different lengths. I was just disgraceful and wrongly represented. I truly got what I paid fore. China knows they are selling crap and where to unload it, and places like Amazon or Grizzly proudly sell it.


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## Ebel440 (Apr 15, 2015)

I opened about 10 of them in the store till I found a set that looked good. That's one good thing about harbor freight they don't seem to mind when you open it up in the store.


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## george wilson (Apr 15, 2015)

I would not even consider buying the IMPORT 115 pc. drill sets,for reasons already mentioned. Plus,the sizes indicated don't line up with the drills.

I think you are just inviting soft drills,wrong size drills,warped drills,and every other thing wrong that can be imagined.

In fact,I just do not buy Chinese drill sets AT ALL. Loosen up a few bucks and get at least a cheap USA made set from MSC. They have been fine,except for a FEW somewhat  bent drills. I prefer the bright HSS ones myself. When they apply that black oxide coating,it DULLS the cutting edges. IT REALLY DOES.


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## jumps4 (Apr 15, 2015)

the 115pc cobalt drill set from harbor freight  is very different from the tin coated set.
I have had the same set for years and they are true size and straight.
I have the tin set for general purpose so I don't have to use my cobalt set.
Steve


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## Cobra (Apr 15, 2015)

I bought a 115 piece set from Princess Auto (Canadian equivalent of HF) that worked "OK".
Certainly not a good as individual purchased quality bits.
Then I build a four facet drill sharpener from John Moran's article in The Home Shop Machinist magazine.
I am now a happy camper.  With proper sharpening, they seem to work well.
Don't know that they will ever be as good as "real" tools, but they are certainly working well enough to prevent the continued purchase of individual drills.


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## Ebel440 (Apr 15, 2015)

I only bought the numbered set from harbor freight not the 115 PC but the drills have been good so far the tin coating is almost none existent but I don't like it on my drills anyway as I mainly use aluminum and it sticks. But I have used them on aluminum stainless and regular steels without any issues.


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## Ripthorn (Apr 15, 2015)

I have a few drill sets, one is a 29 piece TiN from HF (bought before I knew much) that are serviceable, but every time one breaks or gets mangled, I replace it with a bright drill from either Triumph or Precision.  The USA ones certainly outperform the others, but I figure that I don't do gobs of drilling, so I can figure out what I use most and replace them slowly.

I also have a 115 pc black oxide set of unknown vintage (was given to me, but with no markings).  They seem to work just fine.


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## Dinosaur Engineer (Apr 15, 2015)

These Chinese drills are only suitable for soft Chinese steels and for working to Chinese tolerances.


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## dlane (Apr 16, 2015)

Sorry if this sounds stupid but I've Ben throwing away any thing that says China on it after a chi crescent wrench broke and took out my front tooth !. My new plastic tooth is us. Plastic


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## GLCarlson (Apr 21, 2015)

NightWing said:


> Oh well, the price was right.


A good (for example PTD or Morse Industrial) drill set will cost about 250 bucks from a reputable supplier like Maritool.  Even from Enco, a US made (not Interstate) set will be 150+.  Good drills can be resharpened dozens of times before they hit screw machine length. 

Cheap tools are the most expensive purchase you can make.


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## mcostello (Apr 21, 2015)

If a bunch of drill bits are not good then the price was NOT right!


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## chips&more (Apr 21, 2015)

If you need drill bits, I would go to the flea markets, garage sales, estates sales, etc. Drill bits are about the last things to be sold at such. Nobody buys them, at least not in California. You can get USA made for pennies on the dollar…Good Luck, Dave.


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## planeflyer21 (Apr 21, 2015)

GLCarlson said:


> Cheap tools are the most expensive purchase you can make.



Buy once, cry once.


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## UncleRuss (Apr 22, 2015)

As a electrical contractor I would buy consumables in larger quantities.  I once bought twenty fractional drill sets on the salesman's guarantee that there was no Chinese pieces.  He was honest, they were all from India.  What was rather surprising was that they held up fairly well and were worth the money.  You see when employees use your drills they have a real rough time getting back to the drill index.  I also got some lathe bits from MSC that were from India, they too were pretty good.  Whenever I think of tools and metal from that part of the world I always think of the two gooks I saw hacksawing an unexploded 155mm round.  Sorry, just an observation.


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## kingmt01 (May 11, 2015)

The HF 29 piece the was in the red box was pretty good. I used them for years & still use most of them. I went to get some more to have on hand & the red box was picture but they sent black boxes. Those are junk.


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