Is the most expensive drill bit set always the best?

In the main test here, yes, Viking Drill and Tool at 200 dollars finished with the best overall average result. But the tester's own personal recommendation went to Bosch at 34 dollars, a fraction of the price, specifically because it delivered strong performance at dramatically better value.

What is the difference between cobalt and high-speed steel (HSS) drill bits?

Cobalt bits (often labeled M35 or M42) contain a cobalt alloy that holds up better to heat and wear when cutting hard materials like stainless steel or hardened spring steel. High-speed steel bits are less heat-resistant but meaningfully cheaper, making them a reasonable choice for softer metals and occasional use, exactly the use case the budget DeWalt set was recommended for in this test.

Do more expensive drill bits actually last longer?

Generally yes in these tests, with real exceptions. Viking and the companion twist drill bit test's Bosch M42 set both showed strong durability on hard materials justifying their higher prices. But DeWalt's black oxide set won an entire separate test outright at under 15 dollars, showing that price and durability do not scale in a straight line across every brand.

How do I know what size drill bit to use?

Bit size selection depends on the fastener or hole diameter you are working with, typically matched to a drill bit size chart cross-referencing screw or bolt sizes to the correct pilot or clearance hole. Neither test reviewed here covered sizing charts specifically; they focused on cutting speed and durability across a fixed range of bit sizes.

Should I buy a titanium-coated bit or an uncoated one?

Titanium coating is generally a lower-cost way to add some wear resistance to a standard high-speed steel bit, without the full heat resistance of true cobalt alloy bits. Several sets in these tests used titanium coating at a mid-range price point, generally performing better than uncoated HSS but behind true cobalt bits on the hardest materials.

Did Which Brand Wins run these drill bit tests?

No. Every measurement in this guide comes from Project Farm's independent bench testing across two separate videos. We index the results, summarize what they mean for a buyer, and link straight to the source tests so you can watch them yourself.

Best Drill Bits? 14 Brands Tested on Steel

Drill bits look interchangeable on a shelf, black or gold or titanium-coated, all promising to cut faster and last longer than the last set you burned through. The price gap is enormous too, from an 11 dollar set at the bottom to 200 dollars at the top, and almost nothing about the packaging tells you whether that premium buys real cutting performance or just a nicer case.

So a hands-on tester bought 14 drill bit brands and ran them through mild steel, spring steel, and a bit-breaking torque test, then repeated key cuts to measure how much each bit dulled with use. The winner cost the most, but two much cheaper sets were called out as the smarter buy for most people.

Here is what actually happened when steel met bit.

What the testing showed

Every result below comes from Project Farm's independent bench testing. You can watch the full breakdown on the complete drill bit showdown, which tests 14 brands from 11 to 200 dollars, and the companion twist drill bit comparison for additional brand data.

The main test drilled a half-inch hole in mild steel at 600 RPM with about 175 pounds of downward force, cut into hardened spring steel at 340 RPM with about 220 pounds of force, repeated both cuts on fresh material to measure durability loss, and finished with a failure-torque test using quarter-inch bits to find the load at which each bit actually breaks.

Viking Drill and Tool won, but at the top of the price range

Viking, at 200 dollars, the most expensive brand tested, finished with the best average result. The tester's summary: "the Viking Drill and Tool came out on top with an average finish at 3.4," explicitly framed as the best overall performer, with the honest caveat that it is genuinely expensive.

Bosch was the tester's own pick for value and performance

Bosch, at just 34 dollars for 14 bits, a fraction of Viking's price, earned a direct personal recommendation: "for that reason the Bosch at $34 is a fantastic value and that's what I'd buy." That is not a budget-tier consolation prize, it is the tester's stated actual choice for most buyers.

The cheapest bit in the test had a real, honest use case

DeWalt's high-speed steel set, at 11 dollars for 14 bits, the least expensive brand tested, was recommended specifically for occasional use on softer metals: "for the person who needs occasional use on softer metals I'd definitely go with the DeWalt's high-speed steel, a great value for around $11." That is a narrower recommendation than Bosch's, tied specifically to lighter-duty use.

Two mid-priced sets kept pace with the winner

Drill Hog (140 dollars for 29 bits) and Comoware (80 dollars for 29 bits) were both called out as "not too far behind" the winning Viking across the tests, making either a reasonable step-down choice if the full 200 dollar Viking price feels like too much for your needs.

A companion test crowned a different winner using a different lineup

A separate, earlier Project Farm comparison, the twist drill bit test, used a distinct set of 11 brands and found DeWalt's black oxide 14-piece set, at just 14 dollars and 97 cents, the overall winner: "the dewalt did just that, it cut faster than the competition, and it also did a fine job as far as the quality of cut." That same test named Bosch's M42 cobalt set, at 39 dollars and 99 cents (the most expensive brand in that particular lineup), as the pick specifically for cutting hard steel like 304 stainless, "despite being the priciest brand." Two different tests, two different top price points, but Bosch and DeWalt show up as strong, repeatedly-praised names across both.

How to read this for your own purchase

Across both tests, a consistent pattern holds: the single top-ranked bit set tends to be the most expensive one, but a meaningfully cheaper set from a known name (Bosch or DeWalt, depending on which test and lineup) is repeatedly singled out as the smarter real-world buy for most people.

If you drill hard steel or hardened material regularly and budget allows, the tested data supports Viking (200 dollars) or, in the separate twist drill bit test, Bosch's cobalt M42 set (40 dollars) for that specific hard-material use case.

If you want the best balance of price and performance for general use, Bosch's 34 dollar 14-piece set was the tester's own direct pick in the main comparison, and DeWalt's black oxide set won outright in the separate twist drill bit test at under 15 dollars.

If your drilling is occasional and mostly on softer metals, the 11 dollar DeWalt high-speed steel set was specifically recommended for that lighter use case rather than as a universal budget pick.

A few universal rules the results support:

Cobalt and M42 bits are worth the premium for hard steel, but represent real overkill (and wasted money) for occasional soft-metal drilling.
Bit count and price per bit matter as much as the brand. A 200 dollar set with 25 bits and a 34 dollar set with 14 bits are not directly comparable on sticker price alone.
Retest durability, not just the first cut, before trusting a bit set. Both tests specifically measured performance loss after repeat cuts, since a bit that cuts fast once and then dulls quickly is a worse buy than a slightly slower bit that holds its edge.

Want to compare more of the cutting tools and abrasives that live in a shop? Browse the blades, bits, and abrasives tests for masonry bits, step bits, and sharpeners tested the same way.