individual drill bit

[joshuaj97]

Does anyone know of a reasonable place to buy individual drill bits, specifically smaller sizes and American made or good quality 1/8 in particular? the size I seem to abuse most often. thanks for any help I appreciate it

[choprboy]

Not American made and "high quality" is debatable (though definitely better than the black oxide/HSS ones), but HF has single size TiN drill bits in 7-packs. I pick them up in 1/8", 3/16", and 1/4" for quick work and piloting for larger/expensive drill bits. Cuts just fine and when the edge chips or I burn one, I just toss it in the recycle bin and pull another.

[mcostello]

Cheap drill bits may be one of the most expensive tools You might ever buy, next to cheap taps. Do You have a local hardware store that sells Vermont brand? Morse is a good brand. I buy a few things at HF and drill bits and taps are not on that list. Reading the package might have some hints as drill bits from Lo--s, has a disclaimer on the back not to use on Stainless steel.

[BadDog]

There is a common suggestion that makes the forum rounds on this question. Basically, buy a big full set (typically 135 pieces) of common drills from a source that meets your basic quality/budget goals. For many, that means a HF 135 piece gold tinted (box says TIN coated, <snort>). Used to be you could get a set at a somewhat better level for a little more from Enco. As far as I've seen it now takes a pretty good bump to go up in quality above HF. And in any case, that's what I did, and it provides a options for whatever size you need.

As you kill them, and you will, replace with good quality bits, since those will be the ones you use most. PTD, CLE, and many others still make good bits to various levels, though perhaps not what they once were. But the key is to buy the real industrial brands used by shops where broken bits directly translated to lost money. But you may have to do some leg work to find a local supplier, or brands to search the web for.

Speaking of Enco, I have fitted with a good number of full index boxes of PTD bits in all 3 sets (1/2", wire, letter) in both jobber and screw length. 135* split points, 118*, polished, coated, all that can be filled in over time for what you need and use, but you will always have options you need, though it may not be ideal. I can't afford to keep all options in all ranges, not to mention the larger MT shank drills. But I pretty much never suffer from the ability to make a hole of the size I need (within reason).

[larry_g]

Cheap drill bits may be one of the most expensive tools You might ever buy, next to cheap taps. .

Kinda goes along with my saying, "I can't afford cheap tools.". Going with a name brand from a good tool supplier is best in my book. I go with MSC.

lg
no neat sig line

[neanderman]

Kinda goes along with my saying, "I can't afford cheap tools." Going with a name brand from a good tool supplier is best in my book. I go with MSC.

Or McMaster or Grainger.

[SteveHGraham]

You want Suncoast Tools. Best source I've found for individual bits. You will save yourself a ton of heartache and Googling.

[928gene928]

I have had very good luck at McMaster Carr.

[jcfx]

Never had a complaint with drill bits from McMaster.

McMaster has .125 bright finish HSS drill bits for $1.20 each, a dozen is $12.24 ( 1.02 ea )
buy them by the dozen, the price can't get any better than that if you're chewing thru them.

[johnfreese]

I have used Wholesale Tool, Travers, Victor, Shars, MSC, and others. All give you a choice of import or USA brands. Fastenal sells individual drills from a US manufacturer, Viking, I believe. They appear to be well made, but I haven't tried them yet. Amazon is another possibility. The big box stores like Home Depot carry individual drills, but not all sizes.
Hope that helps.

[SteveHGraham]

The great thing about Suncoast is that they will not force you to buy a dozen bits. Some of the other sites will let you put a single bit in your cart, but when you check out, they tell you the minimum order is 12. Not fun if you spent a long time selecting a bunch of bits.

[SteveM]

There are people that sell sets of drills all one size on ebay. Use "lot" in your search.

You can find used ones that are made in USA.

I had a pile of drills that I sorted and sharpened and when I got done, I had about 25 more 1/4" drills than would fit in my Huot cabinet, so I sold them as a lot on ebay.

Steve