Drill Bit 115Pc Set Purchase...Inputs Please

[SteveG]

I am about to purchase a 115 piece Drill Bit Set. Having read prior discussions here at IAP, and and currently owning a Ryobi El Cheapo fractional set, (which is very entertaining to watch as the non-centric bits sort of orbit around the carefully measured center punch dimple and/or the center drill starter hole. ), I am ready to get true running, quality bits. I have quality bits already for all the standard kit sizes, Norseman Brand, which means I AM SPOILED! So my choice is narrowed to the set at Little Machine Shop...115 Piece Jobber Length HSS for $125, or the Norseman (and/or Victor) set for about $280. I do not need to impress my buddies by being a "Haughty Norseman Guy", but I do want true running, quality made bits.

BTW, I am NOT going to buy cheap, and individually replace the ones I use regularly. So "Chris' Tips" claims the $125 set is very good...anyone use that set? Any opinions out there to help me in wisely spending my hard earned money?

Thanks in advance...I love the corporate knowledge base found here at IAP, and rely on it quite a bit! :biggrin:

 

[Herb G]

That $125 set is about $75 on Amazon. Just letting you know is all.

 

[nativewooder]

Steve, I have used a lot of different drill bits, and while the Norseman bits are good, I have not used anything from the Little Machine Shop, but the best by far for pen turning is the set of pen turning bits from our German friends. Can't remember the brand name but they come in a set of five and they are incredibly good for drilling on the lathe, but they are not cheap! Not meaning to mislead anyone, but I am retired due to health problems and donated my set to our Club for auction.

 

[randyrls]

I have a 115 piece set of Cleveland-Latrobe bits that I like. If you watch MSC's metalworking monthly flyer they are sometimes on sale. The set I have is meant for drilling metal, works well on acrylics and OK on wood.

Oh; MSC sells "odd-ball" drill bit sizes like 11.8mm (EGAD!)

LMS sells good quality.

PS. The best thing for bits is a drill doctor...

 

[its_virgil]

Since you are not buying cheap I will not tell you (so don't read further) that I have been using the more expensive 135 bit set from Harbor Freight for about 8 years now and they have drilled a LOT of pens and still perform flawlessly. I also have a set from the local Tractor Supply which I assume is close to the HF set and they have served me flawlessly for many years. Yes, I've had to fill in the sizes that are missing and I also have a metric set from 2 to 15 mm. The only drill bits I've had break while drilling pens have been Colt bits. Just saying.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

 

[SteveG]

These inputs have been helpful, and I look for more if anyone has thoughts and experience that will help.

Barry were you referring to the Colt or Fisch bits? I have a few with the special grind cutting tip, that work very well in some applications.

As a general comment, I already have all the dedicated size quality bits to match kits. I am beginning to expand into kitless work, and desire the full range of sizes afforded by the 115 piece sets. That is the thrust of this thread. I use my drill doctor, and it works well to make and keep bits sharp, but the "Good Doctor" is unable to cure drill bits that are not straight! :wink: There are more bent bits than straight in the aforementioned cheap set...something I want to avoid.

Again, thanks to all who take the time to respond.

 

[duncsuss]

Steve, I've just been exchanging information with a friend on this topic. Here's what he wrote to me:

I purchased a cheap 115 bit drill set some months back. The first time I drilled with one of the bits, a letter bit, trying for a less than 1/4in dia hole. The hole came out over 1/4in. Bad drill bit. Slight wobble.

I recently splurged and purchased a Hertel 115 drill bit set. Made in the USA. A big difference in quality which I already have noticed in the holes I have drilled with the new set.

HTH

 

[SteveG]

I am going to take the odd step of responding to my own question.
but I still have a question along with it. :biggrin:

I just found a drill set listing in a MSC paper sale catalogue:

115 pcs HSS-Oxide 135* Split by HERTEL...$229 (The bogus "Reg" price that no one ever pays is listed as $467.47.)

This seems to be a decent price for the product, and may be my choice. Anyone have a comment WRT HERTEL brand?

 

[bmachin]

You might take a look at metric bits. I bought a set of 6 to 10 mm by .1mm from Victor Machinery.

I find that for kitless I use the metrics much more than the fractional/letter bits and don't use the number bits at all. Take a look at a drill size chart and you will see that 0.1mm is a much smaller step than you are going to find (generally speaking) with the fractional/letter drills.

This can become important when you are drilling a hole for a tap with a 0.6 or 0.8 mm thread pitch.

Of course a 6 to 10 mm set won't cover you when you are drilling for cap to barrel threads, so you will have to figure out what you need and buy the larger sizes separately.

I mentioned Victornet as a source. When they make up the set I was speaking of, they just fill a Huot index from whatever they have on hand. We are not talking the quality that you are looking for here, but I can say that I have had no problems.

My 2 cents. Your mileage may vary

Bill

 

[BSea]

Steve, I have used a lot of different drill bits, and while the Norseman bits are good, I have not used anything from the Little Machine Shop, but the best by far for pen turning is the set of pen turning bits from our German friends. Can't remember the brand name but they come in a set of five and they are incredibly good for drilling on the lathe, but they are not cheap! Not meaning to mislead anyone, but I am retired due to health problems and donated my set to our Club for auction.

You may be talking about Colt bits. I think they used to sell a 5 bit pen makers set. I've had 2 Colt bits (Now 1 - See below), and they are fantastic bits. But you'd be talking over $1000 easy for a kit like you describe made from Colt bits.

The only drill bits I've had break while drilling pens have been Colt bits. Just saying.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

I've also broken a colt bit. But I've managed to break a few regular bits too. But none of those made want to cry like breaking the colt bit.

 

[SteveG]

Edit of my initial post in this thread:

I am about to purchase a 115 piece Drill Bit Set. Having read prior discussions here at IAP, and and currently owning a Ryobi El Cheapo fractional set, (which is very entertaining to watch as the non-centric bits sort of orbit around the carefully measured center punch dimple and/or the center drill starter hole. ), I am ready to get true running, quality bits. I have quality bits already for all the standard kit sizes, Norseman Brand, which means I AM SPOILED! So my choice is narrowed to the set at Little Machine Shop...115 Piece Jobber Length HSS for $125, or the Norseman (and/or Victor) <--- I meant to say "Viking", not Victor in this initial post. Could not edit by the time I discovered the error. set for about $280. I do not need to impress my buddies by being a "Haughty Norseman Guy", but I do want true running, quality made bits.

BTW, I am NOT going to buy cheap, and individually replace the ones I use regularly. So "Chris' Tips" claims the $125 set is very good...anyone use that set? Any opinions out there to help me in wisely spending my hard earned money?

Thanks in advance...I love the corporate knowledge base found here at IAP, and rely on it quite a bit! :biggrin:

I have updated my initial post..."Viking" (not Victor) was the intended brand to mention. I want this thread to be a good reference for others researching the 115 pc. drill sets in the future.

 

[KenV]

Steve

More important than the source is sharp. I use norseman magnum bits when drilling stainless because it workhardens quickly. You do not need that kind of toughness.

If you have a Tormek, get the bit sharpening jig for it. Better sharper bits than a drill doctor and the drill doctor is very good for the non-pro.

The bad cheap bits, if straight are usually badly sharpened and will clean up in the sharpening process. The LMS set with a sharpening support setup will be very good for pen work and will have a better box than the super cheap sets.

Spend the money on sharpening unless you are drilling difficult stuff like 303 stainless.

 

[SteveG]

After all the helpful posts, which I carefully considered, I have made my purchase. I had not expected to end up with the somewhat costly Norseman Super Premium bit set, but a low price (relatively speaking) was found on fee-bay, and the deal was cinched by the free shipping. (You folks on the mainland may not realize the impact of shipping costs for Hawaii, but the typical shipping charge via priority mail on this 8 pound item is about $46. Most sellers decline to use USPS flat rate shipping and pass along the savings. Some will use the flat rate and NOT pass along the savings (Dirty, rotten rats!!) :bad Free shipping is a BIG DEAL for Hawaii!

Thanks again. Aloha!

 

[thewishman]

Congrats, Steve. I was going to tell you how nice the Hertel bits are. I love Norseman bits, too.

 

[KenV]

The norseman bits are excellent, but do need to be sharpened. Just not quit as often as some other ones

I do not have any buyers remorse for the ones I have.

 

[SteveG]

I want to close out this thread with gratitude to responders. I received good recommendations as I shopped for a 115 pcs drill set. Thank you to all who responded. :highfive: I ultimately settled on a Norseman Super Premium set that I found at a decent price. (Spent more than I initially had planned, but am glad I did.) I had prior experience with this high quality line of bits, since this is what I purchased some years back for individual bits sized for the various kits that I use. I almost immediately had multiple uses for the small increment size differentials available with the 115 pc set. and the bits cut Soooo nice!:biggrin: In fact, I liked it so much that I ordered a small set (13 pc: 1/64"~1/4", same high grade Norseman) to have handy at the bench for every day work, while the 115 pc set resides over by the lathes. If you have never experienced real quality in drill bits, buy a set! Do not put it on your bucket list...do it today! :biggrin:

Thanks again!