2019 test12 productsBlades, Bits & Abrasives
Which Twist Drill Bit Brand Wins?
We compared 12 twist drill bit options head to head. DeWalt came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video. Shoppers cross-shopping metal drill bit, cobalt drill bits, cobalt drill bits for metal and left hand drill bits land here for the head to head that settles it.
Winner
DeWalt
Price shown in test: $14.97
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Runner-up
Bosch
Price shown in test: $39.99, the most expensive brand tested
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | 1/2 inch mild steel test | Spring steel test | 3/8 inch on 304 stainless | Bonus wrench cut demo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1DeWalt black oxide standard tip, 14 piece set$14.97 | fastest of all twelve brands at 47 seconds, about 120 F, no visible damage, very clean cut | one of only three brands (with Craftsman and Bosch) that cut through using the baseline amount of downward force, small amount of wear | 23 seconds | cut all the way through a wrench in about 20 seconds using proper feed and speed |
| 2Bosch M42, 8 percent cobalt, 14 piece set$39.99, the most expensive brand tested | 51 seconds, a very close second to DeWalt, about 120 F, looked as good as new, judged the smoothest finish of all twelve brands | one of only three brands (with Craftsman and DeWalt) that cut through using the baseline amount of downward force, described as the best drill tested yet in this segment, did not get hot and still looked new | 24 seconds | not tested |
| 3Craftsman gold oxide, 14 piece set$10.98 | about twice the speed of the Black and Decker, 117 F, no visible damage, though the finish was not very smooth | one of only three brands (with DeWalt and Bosch) that cut through using the baseline amount of downward force, minute 53 seconds, small amount of wear on the cutting lip and chisel | 27 seconds | not tested |
| 4Milwaukee titanium split tip, Shockwave, 15 piece set$24.97 | 1 minute 9 seconds, looked as good as new, judged very smooth with a terrific finish | needed additional downward force (increased from 15 lb up to 30 lb on the test wheel) to cut through, only a slight amount of wear on the chisel afterward | 22 seconds | not tested |
| 5Bauer titanium coated, 17 piece set$19.99 | 55 seconds at 120 F, looked as good as new, did a great job on finish quality | needed considerably more downward force than the top three (about 220 lb total, versus about 111 lb for DeWalt/Craftsman/Bosch), some wear on the cutting lip once it finally got through | 20 seconds | not tested |
| 6Masterforce titanium, 21 piece set$29.99, the second most expensive brand tested | 1 minute 41 seconds, about 135 F, no visible damage, fairly good finish though some chips caused minor damage | needed additional downward force (increased to a total of 30 lb on the test wheel) to cut through, very slight wear on the chisel | 19 seconds, the fastest of all twelve brands on this test | not tested |
| 7Warrior titanium standard tip, 29 piece set$18.99 | 2 minutes 14 seconds at 130 F, no visible wear, finish slightly better than the Metabo | needed the original weight doubled from 15 lb to 30 lb (well over 200 lb of downward force) to cut through, slight wear on the chisel and cutting lip | 39 seconds, the slowest of the brands that completed this test | not tested |
| 8Metabo gold oxide, 17 piece set$15.98 | 1 minute 34 seconds at 110 F, no visible wear, fairly good finish | struggled badly even after adding 5 lb of extra force, described as not making very much progress at all, cutting lip and chisel described as not very sharp afterward | 27 seconds | not tested |
| 9Ryobi black oxide, 21 piece set$15.97 | 53 seconds at 165 F, small amount of wear on the chisel, not quite as clean a cut as some other brands | the host ended the test early because the bit was not making any progress, quite a bit of resulting wear | 27 seconds | not tested |
| 10Tool Shop black oxide, 29 piece set$14.98 | 2 minutes 19 seconds, ran the hottest of all brands at about 190 F, some wear on the chisel, not as smooth a finish as some other brands | needed 5 lb of additional force, still showed a lot of wear on the chisel and cutting lip | 24 seconds | not tested |
| 11Hyper Tough black oxide, 29 piece set$14.97 | 2 minutes 32 seconds at 170 F, a bit more wear than the other brands | needed 5 lb of additional force just to make slow progress | did not complete the test, described as just not up to the task | not tested |
| 12Black & Decker black oxide, 18 piece set$9.97, the least expensive brand tested | about 160 F, no damage, a pretty good quality cut though the host called it a little slow (exact time not stated) | did not cut through, described as making no progress and just producing metal dust before the host stopped the test | about 1 minute 25 seconds, struggled more than the competition | not tested |
How it was tested
- speed, temperature, and finish quality test drilling a 1/2 inch hole in mild steel
- downward force required to cut through hardened spring steel from an old sickle mower
- speed test drilling a 3/8 inch hole in 1/2 inch thick 304 stainless steel with a drill press for leverage
- bonus demonstration cutting completely through a wrench using proper feed and speed (DeWalt and Bosch only)
“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”