Looking for Drills

I realize that Irwin is not considered the "best" however I have been buying packs of Irwin cobalt drills. These have performed well and I consider them disposable. In fact some of them become knurling tool axles...
Robert
 
I live in Oihio, less than half a state away, every order has been delivered the next day. (I don't order on Saturday. ) Their quality is better than average, too.
 
I live in the Cleveland area and McMaster Carr has saved my butt quite a few times at work. We are close enough to their Aurora facility that we can get courier delivery within 3-4 hours after calling in an order. That company is incredible. You do pay a bit more.

For work I tend to want to spec parts from them solely because they have 3D models that are linked to most products.
 
You might want to check eBay. There are currently over 195,000 listings for various drill bits. Over the years I've purchased literally hundreds of drill bits on eBay at more than reasonable prices. If you find the sizes you're looking for there are usually a dozen different brands and styles available. I always buy only well known and respected brands, and found it's far less expensive to find a vendor selling drills by the pack than buying individuals.

I generally check with vendors who specialize in surplus tooling. They often times buy new old stock (NOS), excess inventory, and from businesses closing their doors for one reason or another. In the last 2 years I've bought over 150 drill bits on eBay. They're all name brands like Nachi, Greenfield, Precision, Morse, and Triumph. In all cases I check the prices for the same units at industrial suppliers before making a purchase. In every case the price on eBay has been from 50% to 80% less than the industrial suppliers. In some cases I could purchase a pack of 10 or 12 for less than the industrial vendors were asking for a single unit.
 
projectnut said:
You might want to check eBay. There are currently over 195,000 listings for various drill bits. Over the years I've purchased literally hundreds of drill bits on eBay at more than reasonable prices. If you find the sizes you're looking for there are usually a dozen different brands and styles available. I always buy only well known and respected brands, and found it's far less expensive to find a vendor selling drills by the pack than buying individuals.

I generally check with vendors who specialize in surplus tooling. They often times buy new old stock (NOS), excess inventory, and from businesses closing their doors for one reason or another. In the last 2 years I've bought over 150 drill bits on eBay. They're all name brands like Nachi, Greenfield, Precision, Morse, and Triumph. In all cases I check the prices for the same units at industrial suppliers before making a purchase. In every case the price on eBay has been from 50% to 80% less than the industrial suppliers. In some cases I could purchase a pack of 10 or 12 for less than the industrial vendors were asking for a single unit.
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That's a great idea. I've gotten some nice taps and endmills this way for pennies. Do you have any preferred eBay sellers like you described? I'm collecting a list but mine have mostly been import tooling. I use HGR for used machinery, but they will take a thousand drills and put them in a bucket and make you buy the whole bucket.
 
I don't have any "preferred" sellers, but I do often check with:

www.ebay.com

Zeitlin Industrial Supply | eBay Stores

Zeitlin Industrial Name Brand Closeouts & Liquidations. We carry Craftsman, Snap-on, JH Williams, Dewalt, Milwaukee, GearWrench, Black & Decker, Bosch, Morse, Cleveland Twist, Arrow, Mibro, Wolfcraft, Precision Twist, Powerbuilt, Union Butterfield, Marxman, Legacy, Mastercraft, Brown & Sharpe...
www.ebay.com

www.ebay.com

Trans Parts and More | eBay Stores

Machine tools, electrical, plumbing, industrial automation, safety, maintenance, hallmark keepsake ornaments and much more.
www.ebay.com

Security Measure

www.ebay.com www.ebay.com

Security Measure

www.ebay.com www.ebay.com

From time to time they all seem to buy large quantities of drills. When they do they are generally less expensive than those selling individuals. There are probably hundreds of similar vendors. I have no loyalty to any of them, I strictly go by quality and price.
 
Timely post. I generally use Travers for individual drill purchases, as they sell loosies of Viking and Morse. I'll check out those ebay stores though, that's a good idea.
 
I know you are after individuals, but a lot of us have had pretty good luck with the Harbor Freight cobalt set of 115 bits for about $100. Watch for a sale and use a 20% off coupon. I own one set of HF TIN-coated "HSS" bits (115 pc. set) that were picked up new for around $40 years ago. Everything else I have is US made HSS. The HF cobalt ones have worked just as well. The HF TIN ones are unused on a shelf. You may consider retiring your cheap set too.

Bruce
 
BGHansen said:
I know you are after individuals, but a lot of us have had pretty good luck with the Harbor Freight cobalt set of 115 bits for about $100. Watch for a sale and use a 20% off coupon. I own one set of HF TIN-coated "HSS" bits (115 pc. set) that were picked up new for around $40 years ago. Everything else I have is US made HSS. The HF cobalt ones have worked just as well. The HF TIN ones are unused on a shelf. You may consider retiring your cheap set too.

Bruce
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I assumed all the cheap sets were the same junk. I think I paid $90 from Enco quite a few years back for this set and probably half the drills don't cut well or are bent. I'll keep an eye on that set, thanks Bruce.
 
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