Drill bit sets have been a Black Friday staple for as long as I have been shopping for tools and scouting out Black Friday tool deals – maybe 16 years now.
I can understand why – drill bits are consumable products, and they’re used by very broad types of users, from beginner DIYers to seasoned pros.
Update 11/12/21: The 13pc set is back in stock. There are no other changes.
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This year, there are now 3 different Dewalt Black Friday 2021 drill bit deals that are priced at or under $10. Let’s take a look at the differences, and which you should buy.
Dewalt 14pc Drill Bit Set (DWA1184)
This set comes with 14 bits ranging in size from 1/16″ to 1/2″. The drill bits have a black and gold coating, 3-flats on the larger bits to prevent spinning in a drill chuck, and 135° split point tips.
There are two 1/8″ drill bits – it’s a common practice to include doubles of one or more smaller-sized drill bits in case they break.
Price: $9.98
Free Prime shipping or over $25+
Dewalt 13pc Drill Bit Set (DW1163)
This Dewalt drill bit set comes with similar drill bits, ranging from 1/16″ to 1/4″. There are (2) each of 1/16″, 3/32″, and 1/8″ drill bits.
Price: $7.97
Free Prime shipping or over $25+
Update 11/3: It appears that the 13pc set has sold out. It might pay to check back, as Amazon sometimes only removes products temporarily. This could potentially also be a Black Friday deal that launched too early.
Update 11/12: Back in stock!
Dewalt 10pc Drill Bit Set (DWA1180)
This Dewalt 10pc drill bit set includes sizes from 1/16″ to 5/16″, with duplicate 1/16″ and 5/64″ bits.
Price: $7.97
Free Shipping, no minimum
Deal Analysis
Alright, let’s take a closer look at what you get.
| Sizes | 14pc Set DWA1184 | 13pc Set DW1163 | 10pc Set DWA1180 |
| 1/16″ | (1) | (2) | (2) |
| 5/64″ | (1) | (1) | (2) |
| 3/32″ | (1) | (2) | (1) |
| 7/64″ | (1) | (1) | (1) |
| 1/8″ | (2) | (2) | (1) |
| 9/64″ | (1) | (1) | |
| 5/32″ | (1) | (1) | |
| 3/16″ | (1) | (1) | (1) |
| 7/32″ | (1) | (1) | |
| 1/4″ | (1) | (1) | (1) |
| 5/16″ | (1) | (1) | |
| 3/8″ | (1) | ||
| 1/2″ | (1) | ||
| Buy via Amazon | Buy via Amazon | Buy via Home Depot |
Are there reasons why you might want to buy each of these sets? Sure. But if you’re looking for the best selection and value, go for the 14pc set. It costs $2 more than the other Black Friday promo sets, but offers larger drill bit sizes.
Let’s say you break a smaller drill bit. It’s going to cost much less to pick up additional smaller sizes than to buy 5/16″, 3/8″, or 1/2″ drill bits to expand the range of either of the smaller sets.
Saving $2 now can cost you much more later on.
Let’s say you buy a smaller set and find yourself needing a 3/8″ drill bit for use with wall anchors. While not apples to apples, Dewalt’s 3/8″ titanium split point drill bit, which is as similar to the one included in the 14pc set as I could find, is priced at $9.18 on Amazon.
The 14 pc set for $10 is the best buy here. I’ve purchased drill bit sets that stop at 1/4″, and so the 13pc set is still a good buy at $8, as long as you understand what you’re getting.
Should you spend more? You could, but only if you know exactly what you’re looking for. For instance, if you need impact-rated drill bits with 1/4″ hex shanks, Milwaukee’s 15pc drill bit set will be better suited for your needs. Similarly, you can buy larger drill bit sets, which come with greater size selection.
Do you need greater size selection? If you cannot answer that question, the 14pc set is a good starting point.
The appeal of the 14pc set – I of course bought one too the last time it went on sale for this price – is that it offers a useful selection of sizes, whereas the 10pc and 13pc sets are much more limiting. None of these are the best drill bits, but they’re decent and even excellent for the price.
Corey Moore
I’ve picked up the 14pc “black and gold” $9.97 index several times, and have been impressed with all of them for their quality for rock-bottom price. They’re objectively well above average when drilling through various steel and iron, strut, rigid, handrails, etc. Buy them on throwaway budget and then watch em last me 6 months +. The case is a nice plus as well, I’ve started migrating small parts into the spare smalls such as this; sta-kon male and female sets in one, couple 1/4-20 bolt lengths in one, fenders and lockwashers with nuts in another, I’ll never turn down an extra one of those cases.
MikeG
DW1163 for me. Have at least 3 cheapo bit sets that are missing some combination of the smaller bits. Nice to get a set like this that leaves out the larger bits that I no longer need. Thanks for the post.
Stuart
Great point!
I’ve purchased smaller drill sets as well, usually task-specific. The 13pc set here is a good choice for anyone that doesn’t need or want the larger bits that the 14pc set comes with.
The 10pc set, however… it skips 3 sizes to gain a 5/16″ bit.
X Lu
This post seems way below your pay grade. Debating the merits of a $10 set of bits. If the bits are of identical quality or are the same bits, getting the 1/2 and 3/8 for 2 bucks is a no brainer. Unless you are tapping screw holes, bit size for woodworking has a lot of room to flex.
Stuart
With promos like these, most people are going to see 10pc, 13pc, and 14pc, and the sets’ price tags. 13pc for $8 seems like a better deal than 14pc for $10.
The differences are not obvious. If I’m curious about how promos sets differ, other people are usually asking the same questions.
The larger sizes are also useful for drilling into drywall for installing anchors and toggle bolts.
I left only the 14pc set in my “Best Black Friday Tool Deals” post – https://toolguyd.com/best-black-friday-tool-deals/ This seemed like a good place to “show my work” rather than to clutter up that post, as it’s already going to be quite large enough by the time Thanksgiving rolls around.
I was not aware of the 13pc set previously, and thought other readers might not be either. If you look at MikeG’s post, they say the 13pc set would appeal to them, as they don’t have a need for larger drill bits.
So, the 14pc set is a better buy for most people, but the 13pc can be a better buy for those who know they won’t need the larger drill bits. The 10pc set is… I don’t know – but at least now everyone understands all of the Dewalt options available to them.
If a couple of readers or visitors unfamiliar with these promos find this post, and it answers their question of “which is the best deal for me?” in less time than it took me to figure it out for myself, it’s worth it.
Mc703
It maybe a good post for the “intern” but I actually walked back and forth btwn the promo displays and the normal drill bits on the wall trying to decide if any of the promos were actually better deals. Sometimes the normal stock is a better deal / actually has what I need and the promo item just sits in a drawer because those promo aisles are just impulse buy traps we can’t avoid.
After waking back and forth and stroking my beard for 10 minutes I gave up and decided I didn’t need bits enough to spend any more time thinking about it.
In conclusion, helpful post, went with the 13pc just now and won’t get those 10 minutes back. Now let’s see a post on how to get a white OLED Switch!
schill
It looks the 13 bit set is no longer available sold by Amazon. Now $15 from another seller.
I was going to pick one up to complement the 14 bit set I just received (and have one or two others from previous sales).
Steve
I prefer the titanium bits. Too bad the 21 piece titanium set isn’t $15 this year. However, both of the Dewalt titanium 14 piece sets are under $17 on Amazon right now.
DEWALT Drill Bit Set, Titanium, 14-Piece (DW1354) , Yellow https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045PQ762/
DEWALT DW1341 14-Piece Titanium Speed Tip Drill Bit Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YK66QE/
Matt the Hoople
Bought one of the titanium sets last year when one of the big boxes had it for 9.99. Good deal.
Just went to buy the 13 piece set because I have a drill doctor and the larger bits rarely break so have lots of the larger sizes around. For $8 would be a cheap way to stock up on extra smaller bits. Unfortunately deal has ended and price is back up around $15.
skfarmer
the best deal?
buy the 14 pc and 13 pc. the best variety of sizes is the 14 pc and the 13 pc added to it gives you doubles and triples of the most popular and easy to break or wear out sizes. all for well under 20 bucks. enough bits to last most people years.
MoogleMan3
Another happy 14 piece set buyer here. Easily the best deal with the included 3/8″ and 1/2″ bits.
I already have several kits and will probably grab a couple more at that $10 price. Well worth the price for having extras of frequently used bits, and on top of that, the cases are nice.
it’s_jake
easy choice for me. it’s rare i deal with anything that needs a 1/2” hole that calls for a twist drill, and when you get above 3/8” i stand half a chance of sharpening it.
thanks for looking out with the comparison- i’d pass it all by without it!
Nathan
for someone that doesn’t have a set of quality bits for home project I would recommend and actually buy that 14 piece set without question. Infact I’m glad you posted this as I know 2 new homeowners this year that might well use a set.
In my case like someone else said I would potentially pick up that 13 piece if only for the smaller ones. Why would I have a new person get the 14 piece and the 1/2 bit. for 2 dollars you can’t buy another 1/2 bit if you were to ever need it.
so might has well get it and keep it now – for that one day you decided you run some romex or something. Now yes a step drill would be a nice thing too but that’s another buy.
Thanks again.
Koko The Talking Ape
Thanks for the size lineup, Stuart! That’s super helpful.
Vards Uzvards
I was in HD store today, in Albuquerque, NM. They had plenty of 13pc bit sets, for $7.97, all over the holiday tool deals area.
Stuart
Are you certain? Home Depot does not even have this 13pc set listed on their website, and all of my stores have the 10pc set in large enough quantities to suggest that it will be the only promo set at this price point.
Vards Uzvards
Yeah, you’re probably right, Stuart. I didn’t count the bits while there, but now I think these were all 10pc sets indeed. Sorry for a false alarm!
Zack
I also like the 20-piece set at $20, because of the additional larger sizes of 64ths. Compared to the 14-piece set, it adds these six:
15/64
13/64
11/64
3/32 (1 more)
1/16 (2 more)
At double the price, it’s hard to call it a better value than the 14-piece set, but I believe it’s sometimes on sale for $15, and at that price those 64ths sizes make it a winner.
teeth
DW1163 now $5.98!
Jason
DW1163 is now showing as $15.99. I don’t think it’s the deal that it used to be.
Stuart
No, but it’s worth checking back. Sometimes the prices bounce around. As long as it’s still in stock, the $8 or $6 deal pricing could return.