Drill bits.

[Aaron David]

You might find that buying a set of 10 of whatever size you need at any given point would be a way to go. I have a set of the fractional/numbered/lettered and use them for most things, but sharpen only above 3/16" and just by packs from the local supply house as I need the size.

 

[ltlvt]

keep an eye on amazon, sometimes they have drill sets from good names at a discount. They stock Cle-line, Chicago LaTrobe, Viking, Norseman and a couple of others. I've personally never been impressed by Drill America stuff. It's maybe a hair above the random import stuff, but not by much.

I tried Norseman on Amazon, and they are about $50 but free shipping for prime members) more than on EMI website, but I never could get EMI to quote cost of shipping.

 

[Ultradog MN]

When buying tools I follow one rule.
Do not buy anything made in China.
Simple as that.
German, Polish, British, Spanish, Japanese, Swedish, Canadian and of course, American tools are still well made.
You will pay more but they are worth it.
If every time you need a tool you run down to Harbor Freight and buy the cheapest thing there you will pay in aggravation what you didn't pay in money. Start looking now - on auctions, flea markets, estate sales, Craigslist, Face Book, etc for drill bits. You will find good ones for small money. A good older drill index that is missing several sizes will usually sell cheaply. So buy a couple sets and combine them. Build a set - or 2 or 3...

 

[snoopdog]

I will second drill hog if buying a new "set". 30 yrs ago I bought a fractional set from snapon, some kind of coated something or other, that is the set I keep in my box, to this day. Of course I have replaced a few, especially the smaller more common ones, but an excellent value at the time.

 

[mattthemuppet2]

I tried Norseman on Amazon, and they are about $50 but free shipping for prime members) more than on EMI website, but I never could get EMI to quote cost of shipping.

Yes there aren't quite as many bargains on Amazon as there used to be. Keep an eye out for the ones that say "only one left in stock" as they get discounted until they sell

 

[Headhunter Pipe Co]

I thought this was interesting

 

[Jimsehr]

Because they are brand new and would still not cut. Also, so small not easy to sharpen.

I have sharpened many
brand new drill bits. After looking at how bad they had been ground. I think that is why the Harbor Freight drills sometimes work great and sometimes are bad. A lot has to do with how they are sharpened before being sold.

 

[projectnut]

What you really need is one of these. It will sharpen anything you throw at it from a #60 to 3/4". Chose the angle you want, split the points, and have a like new drill in less than 2 minutes. If you get lucky, they can be found for less than a quality set of drills from MSC, Grainger, McMaster, Zoro, or any of the other major industrial vendors. It will even make the HF drills cut properly.

I have drills that were inherited from my grandfather and my wife's grandfather that were purchased new in the 1930's. A quick run through the machine only shaves off a few thousandths, so you can sharpen them hundreds of times before they actually become consumables.

 

[snoopdog]

What you really need is one of these. It will sharpen anything you throw at it from a #60 to 3/4". Chose the angle you want, split the points, and have a like new drill in less than 2 minutes. If you get lucky, they can be found for less than a quality set of drills from MSC, Grainger, McMaster, Zoro, or any of the other major industrial vendors. It will even make the HF drills cut properly.

I have drills that were inherited from my grandfather and my wife's grandfather that were purchased new in the 1930's. A quick run through the machine only shaves off a few thousandths, so you can sharpen them hundreds of times before they actually become consumables.

agreed

 

[durableoreo]

I had good luck with Drill Hog.

In general, don't buy unless the alloy is specified. High speed steel isn't an alloy---it's a category. M alloys are molybdenum high speed steels. M2 and M42 are similar expect M42 has better hot hardness.