Drill bits

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Big chips and/or spirals are generally good, but different materials act differently.

Also in general, the same rule as electronics applies to drill bits-

If you let the smoke out, they' no good any more.
 
There is a difference on quality of everything drill bits, cut off wheels mig wire etc. I try to but the best quality I can afford. Lots of time my $$ are lacking!!
 
There is a difference on quality of everything drill bits, cut off wheels mig wire etc. I try to but the best quality I can afford. Lots of time my $$ are lacking!!
Absolutely!
 
One of the issues with discussions like this is that you have professional mechanics / machinists and hobbyists both participating and they have different needs. If I was a professional I would buy the best tools I could get, as I would be using them everyday to make my living. I have no interest in snap on tools or expensive drill bits as a weekend warrior.

I have a set of number drills I have had for probably 20 years. Bought them off a clearance rack for cheap. I rarely use them unless I need a very specific size. They are “ too nice to use”. Ha ha.
 
I assume you don't like HF because most items are made in China. Real mature. How about Best Buy.? Have you tried to buy a TV, Stereo, or just about anything else Best Buy sells that wasn't made in China. Whether you like it or not, HF does sell a lot of good stuff. And not everybody can afford to pay $300 for a set of drill bits.

#1: HF DOES carry some USA-made stuff. I almost made some dookie right here in the USA when I went looking for a blade for a 3-wheeler band saw (that someone tossed in my ditch, so I could flip it). Since the saw came from HF, so should the blade, and it was made in USA, so not everything in a Harbor Freight store is made in the PRC. The cancer you get from inhaling the fumes from their rapidly-degrading rubber products is also 100% USA made. Ahhhh, the HF smell....

As far as Best Buy, I don't buy from them, either. The computer I'm typing this on was built with as few Chinesium parts as possible. It just takes a little work. I think the original keyboard and the power supply were Chinese. The rest was from Somewhere Else. I don't buy TV's, stereos, or anything else made in China. The only reason I have a TV now is because the Wife had it when we got married.

If you want to see less "Made in China" stuff in stores, vote for someone who will not ship every frigging American manufacturing job to China.

After gun control, that is in fact my second-issue vote determination. F**k ANY politician that sends our jobs over there!

I even stopped eating canned Mandarin oranges because they're ALL made in the PRC. That was tough to give up.
 
One of the issues with discussions like this is that you have professional mechanics / machinists and hobbyists both participating and they have different needs. If I was a professional I would buy the best tools I could get, as I would be using them everyday to make my living. I have no interest in snap on tools or expensive drill bits as a weekend warrior.

Absolutely true. I needed a porta-band. Looked at Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita.....ended up at Harbor Freight, paid about $150 with tax and it's been good enough for what I need. I'm on my third blade and so far so good.
 
There is never ANY reason to use Harbor Freight anything.
98 percent of my tools are harbor freight. 1 percent hand me downs 1 percent amazon kobalt craftsman. Lol I have a Stanley set I bought from Walmart when I first got into cars 20 years ago I broke the ratchet last year using it as a hammer (completely my fault) it still works I just cant switch it from left to right it's always on lefty loosey! I replaced it with a set of kobalts from lowes I hate them they switch during use the ratchet distance is ridiculous I'm just not a fan so I bought a cheap one from harbor freight so far I like it.
 
I'm just not a fan so I bought a cheap one from harbor freight so far I like it.

HF sockets + ratchets are pretty decent.

I tell guys all the time - you got to know how to shop at HF. You can usually tell the differences in tooling, avoid the cheapo looking stuff (Pittsburgh and Chicago are their bottom tier). For power tools you don't see using much, you can't go wrong with their offerings. Their automotive specialty tools (Pittsburgh Pro line) are a great value for the hobbyist. In the last few years they've made great strides and introduced several new product lines that are the equal of any Chinese-made mid-tier brand you find at the big-box stores.

I've got a Chicago brand oscillating tool that I bought 15 years ago, it is the Seal Team 6 of power tools, and I paid $10.

I'm the biggest HF homer around, but I'd still stay away from their drill bits.
 
HF sockets + ratchets are pretty decent.

I tell guys all the time - you got to know how to shop at HF. You can usually tell the differences in tooling, avoid the cheapo looking stuff (Pittsburgh and Chicago are their bottom tier). For power tools you don't see using much, you can't go wrong with their offerings. Their automotive specialty tools (Pittsburgh Pro line) are a great value for the hobbyist. In the last few years they've made great strides and introduced several new product lines that are the equal of any Chinese-made mid-tier brand you find at the big-box stores.

I've got a Chicago brand oscillating tool that I bought 15 years ago, it is the Seal Team 6 of power tools, and I paid $10.

I'm the biggest HF homer around, but I'd still stay away from their drill bits.

Having seen many nuts and bolts and screws rounded by their piss-poor fit, and having had to unf**k many machines that were beset by poor-quality tools, I'll say that just because it spins the fastener loose without breaking doesn't mean it's a good tool.
 
Good luck finding tools made in the USA. Don't look at the brand name, look at the small print which should tell you the country it was manufactured in. Even Craftsman tools are now foreign made. One of the last holdouts. Sears sold out their tool division a few years ago. Anybody remember the name Dunlap?
 
Curious as to where computer parts are made other than China.

Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore would be my guesses.

Even Japan outsources to all four of those countries.


There is a LOT more involved than consumers "simply" choosing to buy American.

We got where we are from big corporate management aided by tax policy, NOT consumer buying habits.
 
Curious as to where computer parts are made other than China.

Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore would be my guesses.

Even Japan outsources to all four of those countries.


There is a LOT more involved than consumers "simply" choosing to buy American.

We got where we are from big corporate management aided by tax policy, NOT consumer buying habits.

Don't forget the requirements that public companies do what's in the best interest of stock shares. Often times, that almost requires shipping manufacturing overseas due to certain countries being allowed into the WTO in the early 2000's.... Watch "Death by China"
 
I learned how to sharpen bits in Vo-Tech. I was good at it too. Problem is I can't see now like I could back in high school :BangHead:
Wish I had learned that vs how to make lath tool bits. Could use the drill bit knowledge now.
 
believe it or not, Motorola cell phones used to be made in USA, and Apple Macbook Pro is made in USA. Alot of very high end Hi-fi gear is USA made (or assembled from overseas components) try finding a microchip die plant in USA that does volume or resistors or other passives. IIRC US military hardware is made in USA or NATO block countries including electronics to an extent. Wouldn't outsource a bloc 60 F-16's AN/APG80 radar to a Chinese contractor.....
You’re a bit confused on the Apple front. It’s the Mac Pro not MacBook Pro that’s made in the US. The Mac Pro is a desktop computer that’s a few thousand for a base computer. The MacBook Pro is a laptop that’s a little over a thousand for a base model.
 
Best thing I've heard about HF and finally someone who agrees with what I have been telling people for years
I’m so happy for you! You found your tool snob soul mate! Some people spend hours online to find theirs and you found it right here on this thread. Again Congratulations!
 
I have tools from pretty much everywhere to include HF. I agree that some of their stuff is crap but given the cost difference and especially when you are going to use it once or twice it is the go to store. But, that said this is a free country, buy where/what you want.
 
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