Which of these 2 Drill Kits is better value?

[space-time]

The Black and Decker is cheaper and has more pieces, but I think DeWalt is a better brand?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_195205-79992-DWL...Id=3064591

$30 DEWALT 100-Piece Drilling/Screwdriving Mic Mac Set

or

http://www.lowes.com/pd_324366-79992-71-...Id=3199403

$20 BLACK & DECKER 174-Piece Drilling and Screwdriving Set


BTW: My Ryobi drill (7.2 V POJ Piece of Junk) needs new batteries, so I am gonna get a 3/8" Corded Hitachi Drill and never worry about batteries ever again.

http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-D10VH-8-In..._5?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1283354095&sr=8-5

[lost in space]

DW, definitely. More up front, but it's a much better product.

I put Ryobi hand-power tools right down near B&D. I've had a Makita battery drill that's had fairly heavy use off and on over 7 years, basement remodel adding a bath, two, BRs and a family room, and it's still going strong.

[cbelt3]

FWIW, it's just the bits. Which means that the parts were jobbed to some other Chinese manufacturer who put the company logo on it and shipped them off to Lowes.

That said, I've always had better luck with DeWalt branded bits and drills than B&W or Ryobi. They seem to use a harder steel. Heck... I had a Ryobi hacksaw blade go completely dull after cutting through only two steel pipes. Must not have been hardened at all. I should have taken it into the lab and done a Rockwell on it.

[space-time]

one more question: I am also looking at amazon for brill bit kits, and I am somewhat dazzled and confused by all these different options:

titanium, black oxide, cobalt, split point...

is there a good drill 101 tutorial somewhere?

[deckeda]

I bet that B&D case would break within a year. I don't see hinges, just thin plastic where the sides open up. And I don't think Carbide tipped=hardened throughout.

That Hitachi looks nice. My dad got a similar-style drill from Sears (dunno who made it) and it's a sweet drill. (Stay away from Sears' "EVOLV" brand.) Did you see the refurb for $30, no shipping? 1 yr as opposed to 5 yr warranty, but it's done by Hitachi.

[cbelt3]

wikipedia is your friend

But here are a few key points:

If you're drilling into weird stuff like high hardness tool steel or exotic materials like Titanium, you should know what to get. Generic drill bit sets won't give you what you want.

Harder drill bits keep their sharpness longer.

Unless you do a ton of drilling, buying a drill bit sharpener is a waste of time, bench space, and money.

Drill bits are nothing more than tools designed to remove chips of material from a circular area with a rotary motion. Essentially they are lathe tools. Some forms work better on different materials. Spur bits are great for drilling in wood, because they allow you to start a hole and keep the bit centered on the hole more easily. Masonry bits are necessary when drilling through.. well, masonry. They are harder and are designed to extract larger chips.

Make sure you own a nice center punch for drilling through metal, and an awl for drilling through wood. Mark your hole, then start the hole with a punch or an awl. You'll be able to control the bit that much better.

And finally, safety first. Tiny sharp chips of material can fly out during the drilling process. Eye protection is not 'optional'... you can't see with a glass eye. And avoid drilling through your body parts, unless the kit you purchased comes with a packet of appropriate curse words and band-aids. It hurts !

[michael_s]

Our local costco has a drill bit set. Kawasaki brand. Think it is about 100 pieces. It has multiple bits of the smaller sizes. 10 of the 1/8, 10 of the 1/16, etc. largest size is 3/8. I was thinking it would be good when one breaks or becomes dull you could toss the bit, and still have another of that size. They are titanium. Think it said split point. 20 bucks.

[Bernie]

Dewalt and Black and Decker are like Ford and Mercury, same Family.

Black and Decker has the better set as it is not composed of those silly ass magnetic bits that fall out of the adapter that will fall apart over time.. If the bit does not lock in place do not use it

[NewtonMP2100]

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[OWC Jamie]

NewtonMP2100 wrote:
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freehand ?