Right now, Home Depot still has great prices on Bosch Daredevil spade bit sets.
I believe Home Depot recently sent over a set of these bits for review, as part of our current paid partnership thing, but will have to check. Yes or no, this post has nothing to do with that.
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I bought a couple of the 12pc (10+2 bonus) bit sets last weekend, for drill testing purposes. Why? Because Bosch Daredevil spade bits are good, and these are legit deals, and not holiday season “special buy” or “exclusive” products of unknown quality.
I let the PRO Black Friday deal run for about a week before I snatched 4 sets, and there were plenty left. Do you know what they didn’t have any left of? The Empire level 2-piece set that I wanted to buy. Bummer.
They’re said to be Impact Tough, but I’ve only ever used them with cordless drills.
There are 3 different sets that are nicely priced. If you’ve ever had to buy one or two or these spade bits, you’ll see what I’m excited about the pricing. The larger sizes are what, around $4 and up, each? The smaller ones can be useful, too.
- 6+2pc set (3/8″ thru 1″) for $5
- 10+2pc set (1/4″ thru 1-1/4″) for $10
- 18pc set (1/4″ thru 1-3/8″) with case for $20
Buy Now(6+2pc set via Home Depot)
Buy Now(10+2pc set via Home Depot)
Buy Now(18pc set via Home Depot)
The 6pc set came with 2 bonus bits, as did the 10pc set. My store also had non-bonus/promo 10pc sets that were strictly 10pc sets, and not 12pc. In other words, the 6pc and 18pc sets should be safe to buy online or for in-store pickup, but you might want to look for the 10pc set in person – at least if you care about the 2 smaller-sized bonus bits.
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The yeti
I have a set of these. I like them alot. Must admit they rarely see use. I find they work great for running wires through rafters.
fred
They have their uses.
I posted a bit of discussion over on the Forum site:
https://discuss.toolguyd.com/t/hole-saw-kits-toolguyd-bf-sales/1038/3
The Daredevil style lead screw pulls the bit into the work speeding things up.
That also means that they are less useful for non-through holes because they tend to chew-up the wood at the center of the hole as they move along.
Of course for blind holes in wood, Forstner bits are much better.
The Daredevil geometry may not be as amenable to being ground down into a taper – something you can do with many Irwin-style spade bits (because they can still cut without their spurs) . A Tapered spade bit can be useful for drilling holes for plug or for candle holders.
Nathan L
Yesterday I was trying to make a couple pockets for fastening together some scrap lumber into a planter rack and found that the darn things are so aggressive that they do tend to chew up the wood. Great for a quick through-hole but not so great for anything requiring finesse.
fred
The same is true for selfeed bits – which we liked better (stronger) in our plumbing business. No one would choose a selfeed bit when finesse was needed.
Neil
I bought 2 of the $5 sets today. I couldn’t pass them up. They will be wonderful!
Addicted2Red
I bought them last year, they SUCK. Carbide tips(I think) broke off on some, and one bit broke in half when I applied too much torque.
I had to go through two 1/2″ OSB and four 2×4’s when running Cat6 at an angle so a paddle bit worked better than an auger. I had nothing but problems with the Bosch set.
Ended up swapping with my Irwin and Dewalt bits which chewed through the material quickly.
IDrillHoles
I use these and nothing else because they do NOT suck and I’ve used ever single brand available in the US.
fred
The issue with any spade bit and breakage is the 1/4 inch shaft. Chuck any brand in a high torque drill, get it stuck in some resinous wood or at an odd angle where you tend to bend the shank and it can break. Maybe having the auger tip pulling the bit into the work exacerbated the problem.
We liked using selfeed bits with 7/16 (Milwaukee) to 1/2 (older Greenlee) inch shanks chucked in a super hole hawg in our plumbing business. We’d use these even in sizes where a spade bit might have been an option because they were more forgiving. They still could get stuck and come close to breaking your wrist – but I never recall hearing of one that had a shank break. Messing one up by hitting a screw or nail was an issue.
I’ve also used smaller selfeed bits and 7/16 shank car bits with a Milwaukee cordless impact driver (2765-20) with excellent results.
Chris
Hey Stuart, how round of a hole will these produce? Or are they more likely to produce an oval shaped hole?
Stuart
I’ve never noticed much ovalness.
The bits tend to pull themselves forward, so there’s less likelihood to wobble off-center.
glenn
These appear to be the same as the Hilti spade bits, so my guess is Bosch manufacture them for Hilti. I have been using them for a few of years now and on average they get used a couple of times a week and,in my opinion, they are excellent and very durable, having not damaged one so far.
As Fred pointed out, these type of bits are aggressive and not suited to fine work . Also you will need to have a good grip with both hands on your drill when using them, particularly in hardwood as when they grab they will twist your wrist. I have found that if you use the low speed on your drill and pull up a little when using them they are less likely to grab though.
And to answer Chris above, yes they do a near perfect round hole as they are self drilling and as such they are self centring.
https://www.hilti.com.au/inserts/smooth-and-hex-shank-drill-bits-and-accessories/r7062
Dillon Corr
I buy these every year. Old houses with old joists… tears up bits!! These are awesome until they dull, then when you get to break through on through holes they tend to just spin for the last 1/8″ or so because the screw tip has nothing to screw to… This definitely is not a problem when they are fresh but gets annoying as they dull.
I got my hands on a sample pack of Hilti bits that looked almost identical (but red). They didn’t have a hard of a time finishing holes… but the sticker price was rough!
For the price… highly recommend these bits!
fred
When the hand bit-brace and the auger bit was the wood boring tool of choice – and cordless super hole hawgs were not even a thought – we’d clamp on a backup piece of scrap wood to give the lead screw something to grab into.
That method also makes the exit hole edges much cleaner – but clean edges are not so much an issue when you are just drilling clearance holes in a joist or stud.
BTW we’ve come onto lots of remodeling jobs where the prior plumber, electrician or homeowner really made a mess of the structure. We saw notches and holes cut into structural members that were either too big , too numerous or located in places that compromised the structural integrity of the building. Sometimes the results were apparent (obvious cracks or sags) and other times they telegraphed into out of level/plumb floors/walls in rooms above.
Dillon Corr
Amen to that!! The house I’m working on now had a 18” long, 6” deep notch in the TOP of a 2×10 floor joist! It’s unbelievable what some people think is OK… or are willing to do anyway…
Still great bits, of considered consumables instead of a bit to be resharpened and recycled over and over.
nigeldh
“Impact Tough” on the front. But read the fine print on the back of the package – “not for use in hammer drills” if I remember correctly.
I e-mailed Bosch customer service about this but never got a reply.
I have gotten a number of sets when they were on-sale so I can keep one in each drill bag. I use a plastic peanut jar with a block of foam in the bottom when the set doesn’t come with the case. I also spray paint the shafts to mark them – I do volunteer build projects so I tag my tools multiple ways.
Stuart
Impact drivers and hammer drills are different.
An impact driver will impart high rotational energy. A hammer drill would essentially chisel the bit into a workpiece, which is bad in many ways.
Impact: Think using a hammer on the end of a wrench or breaker bar to loosen up a tight bolt.
Hammer: Think hammering a spike to drive it forward.
fred
I spied this stubby set as well:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-Daredevil-Stubby-Length-Spade-Bit-Set-6-Piece-DSBS5007P/203274580
Hang Fire
I’m in for 2.