What are the best Hex shaped drill bits for quick change drills?

4 Comments

1. Casey says:

   October 22, 2011 at 5:03 pm

   Wow. You’ve provided a really thorough description, when all you probably needed to do was list the manufacturer, voltage, model number, and type of chuck, but more information is always preferable to not enough because it allows us to formulate a more helpful answer.

   All that being said, and I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but the drill/driver you bought is not exactly an industrial power tool that you’re likely to see on a job site. I couldn’t find any information on Ryobi’s or Home Depot’s websites as to the type of battery it is, but as the tool is green, those usually have Lithium Ion batteries which are superior to the older Nickel Cadmiums. But it still isn’t terribly powerful and will not drill into brick or concrete, no matter what kind of bits you use.

   You only paid $30 or so for the drill, so it make no sense to buy a set of $60 bits for it, I’m sorry. I’ve used Ryobi bits around the house and on the job and though they may not be as durable as Milwaukee, Bosch, or DeWalt bits, they should be just fine for what your drill is capable of. Because your drill doesn’t have a regular jawed chuck, but requires drill bits and attachments with a 1/4" shank, you’ll have to spend a little more than you would for regular twist drill bits. The Ryobi bits will be just fine for what the drill is capable of, or if you want, you can buy better bits on an as needed basis by the more professional grade manufacturers. This is a nice little drill for light applications and should hold up for years under normal household use. I get the feeling you might be the only person who will ever read the owner’s manual prior to using a cordless drill, which is a good thing.
2. Conspicuous_consumer1 says:

   October 22, 2011 at 5:03 pm

   I agree with your suspicions about Ryobit. It is a brand I consistently avoid. The "quick change" kits are cool, but typically you need quick change to continually switch from drilling pilot holes to a driver to run screws in. Important for production work, but not so much for a homeowner. You can typically get by with a magnetic bit holder for driver bits and some drill bits. For real concrete based stucco, you need masonry bits that are made for drilling through stone materials. For wood and metal, a set of high speed twist bits will work. To drive most common fasteners, you need an assortment of Phillips, Square, Torx (star), straight, and nut drivers or a 1/4" and 3/8" driver and sockets. Other options include an Allen screw set and a security screw set. Many quality manufacturers put together nice complete driver/drill/combination sets for Christmas, so you should see some nice choices soon at great prices in the big box stores. You usually get quality stuff from Makita, DeWalt, Hitachi, Porter-Cable and Milwaukee. Those folks make some of the nicest cordless driver/drills too, which is what you might consider moving up to. For homeowners, 14.4 volt ni-cad works well. For tradesmen, 18 volts run for a long time, but are heavy and harder to control. Try holding different tools and buy one that feels good in your hand. Good luck!
3. tom92117 says:

   October 22, 2011 at 5:03 pm

   Four volts is okay for a screwdriver. When drilling holes in thicker wood or masonary I think you are going to notice that the motor will slow down and bind a little. Over time you will buy a more powerful drill motor which will have considerably more torque to make it through the tougher materials.

   Just something you should know is that if you are drilling through stucco or brick that you must use a masonary drill bit which consists of brazed carbide cutting points. A regular HSS (High Speed Steel) bit will either break, get dull really fast or take 30 times longer to make the hole.

   You made mention that you have Titanium drill bits. No you don’t. What you have are steel bits coated with Titanium Nitride which is a good thing.

   The two sources listed below make some of the finest cutting tools in the world. Anything you buy that is made by them will be of the highest quality. Never buy cutting tools made in China because they don’t know diddly about cutting tool geometry or heat treating metal.

   http://www.newyorktwistdrill.com/drills.html
   http://www.drillspot.com/machining/machine-cutting-tools/drill-bit-and-tap-sets/?brandid=1936

   As an afterthought let me also mention that the best tool for drilling through concrete, stucco or brick is a hammer drill. You can get a cheap electric model for about $39 and it will eat up masonary in just seconds.
4. Curt says:

   October 22, 2011 at 5:03 pm

   4 Volt? Is that the size of this drill and you want to go into stucco? I would check around and find a more powerful drill, you can always go lower with a power drill, but you can’t go much higher than the volts allow