A reader emailed in, asking for my opinion on a self-centering drill bit set they were looking to buy. I took a quick look at the website and it set off all kinds of red flags.
This website doesn’t appear to be a scam, but you should also think twice about ordering from them.
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Unless I’m mistaken, this company has taken a popular tool accessory, crafted a snazzy-looking marketing page, and jacked up the price.
I have seen similar practices before.
There are “user reviews” with images, almost as if they were made to resemble social media testimonials, and they all look fake. There are mostly 5 star reviews, and even some 4 star reviews with nothing but praise and positivity.
A nearly identical “QWork” set of self-centering drill bit set is selling for $13 on Amazon with free shipping.
One might argue that they’re not the same drill bits, the ones above have physical size markings vs. surface markings.
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Here are “Afunta” self-centering drill bits, for $16 on Amazon.
Do you believe these other no-name drill bits are any different? The “limited time only” 40% off sale puts the price at $29.95, from $49.95.
This company might be advertising on Facebook or elsewhere, and they do it because it works. Some people might start shopping around for comparisons, but enough will impulse-buy it on the spot.
I have seen this pattern a couple of times. I say it’s a pattern because this seems to be an extension of retail arbitrage, which has been around for a very long time. Here, this just seems to be a much more aggressive approach.
Even with the no-name brands on Amazon, you can buy the same 7-piece set via AliExpress for a little over $11 shipped. Another listing has a similar set for less than $11 but with a couple dollars in shipping fees, and there are other supplies to sort through.
I don’t know what to call this high pressure sales tactic. I’m assuming the reader found the standalone online store via Facebook ads or similar, and to unsuspecting customers it appears to be a real brand that’s holding a limited time discount on a product the customer might not have come across before.
Avoid stores like that, and as bad as it sounds, head to Amazon and other online marketplaces if you’re unsure.
As for self-centering drill bits, these would be my recommendations today.
To try them out, I would go with a Milescraft 3pc set ($11.49 via Amazon). Milescraft is an established tool accessory brand and presumably one that cares about their reputation. Bosch also offers a 3-piece set for ~$23 via Amazon, but I don’t know what to think about their quality.
Snappy’s made in the USA bits, priced at ~$24 for the 3pc set, is usually the defacto higher quality offering.
There’s also Montana, which has an interesting combo self-centering drilling and driving accessory. Each size is $13 on their website.
When I came across a pack of Craftsman self-centering drill bits, someone recommended Vix, although I haven’t checked them out yet. Lee Valley has the 3pc set for $40.
Have you seen other types of power tool accessories advertised in such a manner where they’re at inflated prices even after purportedly steep limited time discounts?
Aaron
When I was doing cabinets the old timers referred to these as “Vix Bits” which makes me think that 20 years ago at least vix probably made a legit version
Ken
The original Vix bits from Lee Valley show as unavailable to ship for me. Amazon sells the 3-piece set of the original Vix bits for a bit less money than Lee Valley, but also has reviews:
https://www.amazon.com/Set-of-3-Vix-Bits/dp/B0037MF78S?th=1
I have used the Bosch set for about 6 years and use them often. They have worked great for me and are a tool I’d recommend any handy guy to own.
In hindsight I might have purchased the original Vix bits just because I like to have the best (buy once cry once). One advantage of the Vix bits is that you can purchase replacement drill bits for them. Whiteside sells them:
https://www.whitesiderouterbits.com/collections/vix-bits-self-centering
Jim Felt
The US made Vix bits are the de facto standard. And I too have those Bosch knockoffs. Both of which work well.
But the rest? All expired patent re-users.
fred might/will know the true genealogy better but beyond that I’m using a long memory.
Ken
One other comment: I wish these sets came with a small bit holder to keep them together. I’ve settled on using a travel soap dish that fits just about right but it would have been nice to not have to hunt for a storage solution.
Pink porkchop
I put mine in a small dewalt tough case. Buy a kit on sale, they are always on sale, and stick them in. Just make sure they have the correct size bit holder, some hold ten or so and the ones you need hold five. Works great for anything wide.
Noah
I bought a set of 3 from Rockler that came in a handy little pouch.
Julian
Facebook is trying to make Marketplace the new Ebay killer, now that they’ve killed off Craigslist.
Amongst the crappy interface, glitchy features, search engine powered by a WTF algorithm, and B.S. scams that is the current FB Mp, a new one that’s popped up is cheap stuff being offered at inflated prices. Items available on Ebay or Amazon are being listed at 2x-4x the price just because they can: no listing fees, no hassle no risk for the seller.
Mike
THAT F**KING SEARCH!!
The only search i have ever seen that refuses to use boolean options and just ignores the radius entirely.
James
I thought it was just me.
PETE
Me too. Stupid facebook. Nothing on that website works like it’s suppose to but the idea of everything on one site should be more convenient that it actually is lol. If myspace made a comeback i’d hop on
Kent Skinner
FB Marketplace is such a useless freaking nightmare.
I hit the tools section of CL every day at least twice. My local CL is huge (hundreds of square miles) without many people, so it’s easy to see all the listings – in chronological order.
FB on the other hand, decides what I should see (lots of stupid motivational “funny” signs, appliances for $100 with free shipping from 6 states away, and broken down old cars).
I can even search for “drill press” within 100 miles, and I get [lots of swearing] “press on fingernails” shipped to me from across the country. It’s absolutely useless for me.
Larry K
You nailed it. Great post. All true. Same experiences & lost time searching around the price scams.
fred
I believe that the originals came from the S.E. Vick Tool Company. They registered a trademark for the name “VIX Bit” in 1986. I have 3 of theirs (#3, 5 and 9) – plus other sizes that came from Insty Bit, Eagle-America and Rockler. They are also sometimes called “hinge bits” – because they are handy for drilling pilot holes for hinge screws. The originals had round shafts – but most new versions have moved over to using 1/4-hex shafts.
Jim Felt
Oops. fred I referenced you above because I read from the top down and am on the Left (time zone challenged) Coast.
AKA I knew you’d know. ;-)~
Jared
Websites like this might just be drop-shipping products, even from Amazon. The “business” is just operating the website, marketing and taking orders.
I’ve never used self-centering drill bits. What are they for?
mark
They are used for installing hinges and other items. You place the hinge where it will be, and use the holes in the hinge to locate the drill bit. When you push the drill bit into the wood a collar on a spring goes into the big housing and the bit plunges into the wood.
MM
My understanding is they are used for pre-drilling wood screw holes for things like strike plates, hinges, or brackets. Personally I don’t see the need, I’ve never had a problem drilling centered holes for hinges, etc, with ordinary bits. In my opinion these look like they are a solution looking for a problem which doesn’t really exist. And they also seem like they might be a hassle to keep clean–I imagine that wood dust and chips would get inside the telescopic mechanism. I suppose they might be of benefit if you have to install a LOT of hinges–perhaps the time savings of not having to spend a second or two aligning the drill for every hole will add up?
One other problem I have noticed is that many of the lower-priced Chinese tools, which these Amazon listings seem to be, are not actually true to their marked diameter. Several times I have come across drills marked with fractional sizes yet the bits are not that size, they’re just a close metric size that’s been marked with a close fractional inch size. I.e. a bit might say 11/64 on it but it really measures 4.5mm. I have no idea if these bits have that problem but I suspect they might since the assortments are a strange combination of metric and some rather unusual fractional sizes. I’m expecting to see things like 5/32 and 3/16″ in the assortments but those are conspicuously absent, only to be replaced by a less common 64th size. It’s probably OK for wood screws but I’d still be cautious. I’ve seen the same issue with crimping tools advertised for American wire sizes (AWG). The description of the tool states all the various wire gauges the tool will fit, yet when you receive it you find that the dies are sized for wire measured by MCM, not AWG. Sometimes the dies happen to match great, sometimes they don’t.
fred
Not surprisingly Amazon lists a dizzying array of hinge/self centering bits. The size should be based on the drill bit diameter that conforms to US fractional-inch standards. But with manufacturers in China – some sold under names like Werkzeug Tools (to sound like they are German) and probably manufacturing to metric standards – strict adherence to fractional-inch size standards is probably lost along the way. Considering their use – for drilling pilot holes for screws – some slight variation in drill-bit size is probably not a big deal.
BTW Rockler sells different styles to comport with some of their jigs – but these don’t work well with countersunk (e.g. 82 degree) hinge holes:
https://www.rockler.com/replacement-drilling-bits-for-rockler-shutter-system
https://www.rockler.com/self-centering-bits-self-centering-bits
Koko The Talking Ape
They’re handy for installing hinges in irregular workpieces. You align and screw the hinges to a 1×2, then hold it up to the workpiece, and use the vix bits to make the holes. That way the hinge pins are aligned even if the hinge leaves are not.
Aaron
Perfect for blum undermount drawer slides. Lots of holes that need to be precise but you end up with some weird/unergonomic drill angles. Also means that you can trust the new guy to do it with minimal supervision
Kent Skinner
Vix bits are fast, accurate and one handed. Nothing but love for there here. Yes, I can take the time to center punch exactly where I want to drill, but that’s an extra step. I don’t have a problem with them getting jammed.
I got my Vix set in the early 90s, and they still work great.
Patrick
They almost all look the same. I bought the only ones available locally and they were the General Tools ones at HD. Which also look similar to the other cheaper ones here. I gladly would have paid double for something better because the 3mm one fell apart multiple times putting in new hinges. The self centering design made lining things up so easy though.
Jim Felt
General Tools is mostly if not exclusively import products now. And Vix seems to still be sourced in America.
Says a lot.
mark
I don’t think this is any different than any other marketing company. They have to pay for the advertising and that gets passed on. Ever priced windows for your house? Call any company that runs tv commercials and you are looking at 500 to 1000 per window. Call a local installer with no add over head and you looking at about 3 to 4 hundred per window. Measure yourself and order your own and your looking at about 200 per window. It costs money to get buyers to your register and someone has to pay.
Leonard
Have you used the fake review spotter?
I use it to confirm whether or not the reviews are fake.
https://www.fakespot.com/
I have a quick change set made by Dewalt from maybe 20 years ago. They work ok.
Larry K
Many thanks. I needed something like this. I’ve spent hours researching Amazon for tools and it clear they have an AI program to steer you into certain products. Wouldn’t doubt China bribed them to do so.
NoahG
I have the version from Snappy and I’m quite fond of them. I use the Snappy countersinks pretty much exclusively as well.
DC
I bought Made in USA Snappy, 5 pc bit set for $50 several years ago. Borrowed a friend’s $10 made in china set and they drilled crooked into my oak cabinet doors, misaligning the hinges. When I used the Snappy they were perfect and still are today.
Jim Felt
Dang. I too have those Snappy versions.so it appears I’ve Vix, Bosch and Snappy. The Snappy being the slight outlier of these designs. But very nicely made.
fred
Years ago I was in a cabinet factory in Germany and spotted them using various Snappy items.
Wayne R.
I was looking at a Nikon lens this morning, $560 list. B&H, $556. Amazon, $675. eBay, first one at $659 – with 16 watchers. Next one is $379 from Tbilisi.
What’d P.T. Barnum say?
Jim Felt
PT Barnum likely never faced supply chain issues like all the camera/optics/hi tech manufacturers are presently enduring. Even the major auto makers are stopping some production lines because of chip shortages.
And Nikon unlike Canon has off-shored much of their production. AKA not Made in Japan making their chain even longer.
Wayne R.
The ironic aspect was, to me, that Amazon was more than 20% higher than list, and eBay not far behind – with a bunch of people “considering” it.
Equal-but-less-expensive options were very easy to find, yet…
Flotsam
i got the Bosch small set a while ago. I think it was just a 3 piece set, haven’t used it a lot.
Koko The Talking Ape
They’re handy for installing hinges in irregular workpieces. You align and screw the hinges to a 1×2, then hold it up to the workpiece, and use the vix bits to make the holes. That way the hinge pins are aligned even if the hinge leaves are not.
Koko The Talking Ape
Thanks, Stuart, very timely. After replacing the bits in my Vix bits, once, I was thinking about getting a new set.
Apparently the quality inn the knockoffs varies quite a bit, mostly in how tightly the sleeve fits the drill bit. More slop means less accurate holes, obviously.
Gordon
I have the Bosch set. They work very well. No complaints at all. I installed a set of shed doors by myself with them. Each hinge had 8 screws, 6 hinges total. Every single screw head is perfectly flush with the hinge face. Super easy to do one handed too.
Franco Calcagni
Vix bits aside, what you show as an ad for a set that is regular price at $50, on special for $30, is quite common. It happens everywhere, from no name places to some well known established places.
With the internet being such a big marketplace, you need to check prices all the time. not necessarily going through 2 pages of Google listings, definitely check 3-4 places you can count on. Even Amazon has some crooked prices at times.
Do your homework
DHCrocks
I have the Bosch amd Snappy sets and prefer the Bosch as the spring is softer and easier to press the drill bit in. The snappy takes more force to depress.
Rob
I’m getting a lot of YouTube ads for cheaply made common accessories and known Father’s Day crap being advertised as “all new” and “revolutionary”. Aside from crappy looking Vix knockoffs, I get a standard profile gauge being marketed as the greatest new invention of our time or whatever, horrible looking tile bits and horrible looking masonry bits advertised as “does it all” (well, I suppose you could if you had all night), and of course, much like Peter Popoff, those horrible universal sockets with the spring loaded pins are making a reappearance after a hiatus.
Rob
Whoops, didn’t mean to reply to your comment.
db11
After abandoning a cheaper set that manifestly didn’t centre the bit — and did a worse job than I could freehand — I bought the Snappy. It is well-made and dead-on, though it’s true that the spring is a bit stiff.
I would stay away from any off-brand version: they’re likely to be crap and worse than useless for their stated purpose.
Rob
I’m getting a lot of YouTube ads for cheaply made common accessories and known Father’s Day crap being advertised as “all new” and “revolutionary”. Aside from crappy looking Vix knockoffs, I get a standard profile gauge being marketed as the greatest new invention of our time or whatever, horrible looking tile bits and horrible looking masonry bits advertised as “does it all” (well, I suppose you could if you had all night), and of course, much like Peter Popoff, those horrible universal sockets with the spring loaded pins are making a reappearance after a hiatus.
MattW.
Thanks for the reminder i got a kobalt one that kinda sucks and this reminded me to replace it. Snappy is only 24ish on amazon ( https://www.amazon.com/Set-Snappy-Hinge-Bits-Centering/dp/B0032U9MAO ) and might as well go for the best same price as bosh. Way to make me spend money!
MattW.
I was strolling through lowes and found something interesting ( https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-8-Self-Centering-Drill-and-Drive-Hinge-Bit/1003268450 ) is made in the U.S.A! Chucked it in a drill with next to no runout and it was very straight though the spring was strong on the Vix end. The countersink flip ones are made in china so kinda odd to see Kobalt that’s made in the USA and not with global materials.
MattW.
Found the OEM for them Montana tools the markings are the same besides the blue sleeve.
https://www.montanabrandtools.com/products/self-centering-drill-and-driver?variant=217286252
Larry K
I’ve spotted Amazon’s AI program price games several times and got ticked. One way I found to get around this is to do a straight search on Google & other good search engines first using standard tool nomenclature first. What I discovered is that Amazon will allow the same tool to be sold by the same seller at a lower price but under a different seller name. Same game goes on at eBay.
Just yesterday when searching for a new laser tripod base, my Google search showed me the same Bosch $254 contractor duty tripod on the “tigersupplies” website for half that price.
I could give many other examples of this. But my suggestion is not to do the majority of your searching on Amazon. Go to an outside search engine and click on the Images and Shopping tabs at the top of the Google or search engine page.
As for Facebook, I’m sure there are some good deals, but when it comes to NEW tools, it seems most these FB sellers know the game really well. Beyond that, I despise Mark Suckerberg for the things he does and how he thinks and all his lies.
James
Having had a few of the Snappy Vix bits and also several variations of the knockoffs on Amazon, I can say conclusively that, for me, the deal was definitely not worth it. I bought a set that look exactly like the “Afunta” you included above and they were all pretty much worthless.