I am sometimes asked to recommend general purpose drill bits that can be purchased locally. Although this condition rules out many of the great brands available at online industrial suppliers, there are still a few decent options out there. By far, my favorite locally-sourced drill bits are Dewalt’s Pilot Point drill bits.
Pilot Point drill bits 3/16″ and larger all have a leading cutting edge that creates a smaller hole ahead of the bits’ flutes and primary cutting edge. This eliminates the need to drill pilot holes in a 2-step process, saving time and effort, and resulting in a more accurate hole.
These bits are suitable for use in wood, plastic, and metal. I often use these bits to drill through-holes in metals (mostly aluminum) and plastic (non-brittle types), but not for wood. The bits have split points so they don’t walk, and also no-spin shanks with three flats.
You can find these bits at local home improvement stores, as well as online at Amazon and most major tool suppliers.
Dewalt Pilot Point Drill Bits via Amazon
Product Info via Dewalt
I don’t like these bits. They take excessive grinding to sharpen, and then they become a “regular” drill bit.
The Irwin TurboMax bits are similar in design, but think they’re far, far better.
Why can’t they be used in wood?
These are among my favorite drill bits. I have had the Dewalt 29 pc. set for a couple years now and use them regularly. They all have stayed sharp for me.
They can be used for wood, I just don’t use them for that. For wood I use cheapo Irwin bits that are absolutely useless for plastic or aluminum (which is why I won’t ever buy any non-USA Irwin bits ever again).
I recently purchased a 29pc set after using a 14pc set for a while. Not because the first set dulled, but because it was on sale at a local Sears that was closing.
The TurboMax are USA made, and were originally branded as Hansen. They’re incredible in wood and metal. Ever since buying a set, I have put away my set of PilotPoint bits.
From what I can see, the TurboMax are standard 135° split points. If so, when using large-size bits, one should then still have to drill a separate pilot hole.
They’re definitely not standard split points! The tip is a variation on the bullet point idea. The description that says that is wrong. Really wrong!
http://www.irwin.com/uploads/products/large/turbomax-38-reduced-shank-high-speed-steel-drill-bits-355.jpg
I have to agree with poster Steve. While these bits may prove excellent at first, what happens when they begin to dull? Sharpening a bit like this is not as simple a task as it is for a standard bit. In fact, it would discourage most people from even attempting to sharpen their bits.
The self-centering design is pretty nifty, but I think if you want to get the best mileage out of your bits, you might be better off going with standard construction. On the other hand, there are certainly a whole lot of people out there that would simply go out and buy a new set of bits once theirs wear out, so there is definitely a market for these.