DEWALT DW1969 29 Piece Pilot Point Twist Drill Bit Assortment with Metal Index

 (17 customer reviews)

Pros:

- 1/64" steps
- Very nice plastic case
- "No spin" hex shank (also lets larger bits fit 3/8" chucks)
- Pilot point works as advertised

Cons:

- Gold Ferrous Oxide instead of TiN
- More shank and less flute than your average drill bit

- Design aggressively chews up wood badly (with tear out on exit)
- Not good for soft woods (works better with harder woods)
- Flutes seem less sharp than other brands
- Too much heat concentrated at pilot point risks burning the bit

- Halfway down, bits bite hard into the wood (especially the larger ones) and cause the drill to screw itself into the wood until the chuck hits requiring you to backout and try again. This is very frustrating and is a major design flaw in my opinion. As such these bits are not well suited to hand drills.

If you are set on this purchase, consider the package with the measuring tape:...Read more

I have burned up many drill bits in the past, and for the price these are the best. These bits alleviate the drill bit change from having to drill a pilot hole when using larger bits. Every hole is dead on. No drill bit traveling or pulling of the wood or steel. I have used these bits to drill through wood, 1/4" steel plate and plastic. I have had no problems with any of the materials. The holes are straight and clean and right on the measurements that I needed. If you require an accurate hole being drilled, then there is no other drill bit to be using.

I am a serious amateur carpenter, and a long time Dewalt tool loyalist, so I was very excited to get this set. Unfortunately, although I have a drill press, much of the work I need to do requires a cordless drill, and I have found these bits to be difficult to get good results with. As the other reviewers state, they tend to grab hold and thread themselves into the wood, particularly if you are trying to enlarge an existing hole, and there is little that can be done to stop them. The results are often a blowout on the back side, and they are so aggressive, the hole is not as clean as I would like. I have experienced blowouts even when blocking the back side, as you should with any bit. Most recently, I clamped my blocking to the piece and it blew out anyway. Frustrating.

I will say they are great in the drill press when everything is clamped down and you have better control of the rate of descent of the chuck, but otherwise, I tend to shy away from using these bits,...Read more