Serious drill bit purchase help!

GunsOfNavarone

GunsOfNavarone

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So I am new to machining...a couple years. I guess I always took drill bits for granted...and to me, Dewalts were great. Much has changed in the last couple years. I needed metric, the 135 degree, some stubbies, misc center drill mills...it's just getting crazy. Letter size, wire size, screw machine, jobber...How many damn kind of drill bits are there (rhetorical) Today I needed a 5.75mm....found a (I think it was a 15/64?) Dewalt, stuck in in my mill and I can't even call it run out....it was just....bent? Dear lord! It's wobble was probably a mm!
This brings me to my next purchase and I could use some direction. I want "drill bits" I can use on MILL and LATHE. I want a full set (like 115 piece or more) I don't want junk (I like Drill Hog and Norseman, but I'm sure there are MANY I am unaware of.) I realize there will be one offs I still need in the future, I just felt dead end today even with the 100+ drill bits I have. I mostly work with mild steel and (machining) stainless. I'd LIKE to keep it under $300, bit there is wiggle room.
I appreciate your guys' wealth of knowledge, that's why I'm here.
:teacher:
 
A drill bit is not for drilling precision holes. If precision is needed, you drill slightly undersize, then use a reamer to get the hole to final dimension. Yeah, MORE tooling to buy! Let's see...there are straight reamers, spiral reamers, tapered reamers, adjustable reamers... :surrender:
 
I really don't work within the tolerance where I'll need to undersize/ream. Just want a set that can handle the task at hand. I have a Black Oxide set from Dewalt that are MUCH straighter than the large "gold" Dewalt set.
I'm looking at these...
DrillHog Cobalt
 
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I like like the Harbor Freight cobalt sets. I have several sets for utility uses, get them with the 20 or 25% off coupon. When I need speciality bits, I go to Amazon or my local tool supply depending on who has what when I need it. I buy pretty much all 135 degree cobalt, with a few solid carbide thrown in when needed.
 
@JimDawson With seeing the lack of trueness of my dewalts, I'm so leary to not go high(er) end. I know I want 135 degree, screw machine or stub length. Cobalt or M7. A set that covers fractional, metric, wire and or letter size. I THINK these maybe best for me unless I'm pointed in another direction. Chicago-Latrobe draws me in. If I buy each of there sets (of the different sizing systems) I could get out for $300 to $350. Other than some one offs, I want this to be the "last time" I need to buy compete sets of bits. I was just so shocked by what I saw in what I believe to be quality, and I suppose for their intended use, they're fine. I'll' have to post a video for kicks.
 
I think you're going to find that a 115 piece, 135 degree split point cobalt screw machine drill set is going to cost you a good bit more than $350.00. Sorry but you are looking at a premium set here. Prices get lower if you go with a 118 degree point in HSS, which is not a bad compromise that will get you within your target price range.

Good brands to consider: PTD, Triumph, Cleveland, Chicago-Latrobe. I own all of these and they are very good. My screw machine set is a 115 piece stub length 118 degree and it works fine for me.

Cobalt is fine for those drills you use most often in stainless steel but you don't need the entire set to be cobalt. Maybe get a decent set in HSS and buy cobalt drills in the sizes you need.
 
get a 29pc 1/16-1/2" machinist (mechanics?) length set first, that'll do most stuff. Then if you drill'n'tap small holes a stub/screw length 0-60 set will do the trick. Then if you drill'n'tap larger holes, maybe a stub/screw length letter set would do the trick. I use my 29pc set and number set the most as the majority of my work is small, but the letter set does come in handy every so often. I also have a jobbers length 115pc set that I use occasionally when I have deeper holes to drill, though I always start them with the shorter drill.
 
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