Anyone hve experiance with this Hitachi Bit set

[axa]

Anyone know if this bit set is of any quality at all?
At $19.97 im skeptical.

Hitachi 29-Piece High-Speed Steel Metal Twist Drill Bit Set
Lowes Item #: 437622 | Hitachi Model #: 728078G
http://www.lowes.com/pd_437622-46578...ductId=4192035

I have enough CRAPPY cheap Chinese twists , i want some DECENT cheap Chinese twists...

[LCHIEN]

obser4vations:
135 degree points. Not the usual 118 degree
SHanks over 3/8" are reduced for drills with smaller chucks - you may like this if you have a smaller drill chuck but may not like it if you have a 1/2" chuck and you bits are slipping because of the small shank.
Made by Hitachi - does that mean made in Japan or still made in china? not sure.
HSS with no coating. Compare to HF 29 piece set HSS with TiN coating, full sized shanks and probably 118 degrees. $19.99 also. Most assuredly made in china. metal case vs plastic case.
http://www.harborfreight.com/29-piec...-set-5889.html

[woodturner]

135 degree points. Not the usual 118 degree

Good observation - the 135 degree points are for drilling into steel and other hard materials, the 118 degree points are for softer material like wood. In other words, these bits would not work well for woodworking.

[cabinetman]

obser4vations:
135 degree points. Not the usual 118 degree
SHanks over 3/8" are reduced for drills with smaller chucks - you may like this if you have a smaller drill chuck but may not like it if you have a 1/2" chuck and you bits are slipping because of the small shank.
Made by Hitachi - does that mean made in Japan or still made in china? not sure.
HSS with no coating. Compare to HF 29 piece set HSS with TiN coating, full sized shanks and probably 118 degrees. $19.99 also. Most assuredly made in china. metal case vs plastic case.
http://www.harborfreight.com/29-piec...-set-5889.html

As in the advertising and product description, it may not specify whether the drill bits are 135° or 118° (like your link to HF). Either bit design will work well with wood. It's likely that members may not even know which drill bits they have been successfully using. What does make a difference in drilling material is to have a sharp straight bit, and use an appropriate speed and feed rate.

.

[axa]

obser4vations:
135 degree points. Not the usual 118 degree
SHanks over 3/8" are reduced for drills with smaller chucks - you may like this if you have a smaller drill chuck but may not like it if you have a 1/2" chuck and you bits are slipping because of the small shank.
Made by Hitachi - does that mean made in Japan or still made in china? not sure.
HSS with no coating. Compare to HF 29 piece set HSS with TiN coating, full sized shanks and probably 118 degrees. $19.99 also. Most assuredly made in china. metal case vs plastic case.
http://www.harborfreight.com/29-piec...-set-5889.html

They are made in china alright... and that is the 'crappy' TiN coated HF set i was talking about...
Now honestly I've used them as my main bit set on my press for years in my mainly wood press, and while they have always cut what I've needed them too wood and occasional metal..., i attributed this to becuase they were kept sharp...

Heres my issue withe HF sets, they are supposed to be TiN coated, TiN with a MOHS value of 9, that is up there with Tungsten Carbide, and close to Zirconium Carbide (craftsman has a Zirconium Carbide set), but when i noticed that i could take a DRYWALL screw and simply scrape not only right through this supposed TiN coating down into the supposed M2 HSS, i got real skeptical...

I have another 'cheap' Ryobi set (actually a smaller 7 bit set from HD) but the drywall screw couldn't even make a mark in them... or hardly a mark in just some random HSS bits i have laying around...

Now the Ryobi set proves to me that you don't always need to spend big $ on a somewhat decent set.
And like others have said, keeping your bit sharp is the key for most of us in a non production setting. So thats why id just like to bit set with decent steel, keep them sharp and use them on my metal lathe.

Try the drywall screw test, its a real eye opener...

[yuri]

I bought this yesterday. I tried several of them and would say they are on pair with HF set. They have slight runout, not like ones from Fuller (which are dead round). HF ones are tin coated, but Hitachi one are just yellow brownish with mate finish not bright and shiny. The drill ends which are ground to 3/8" have rough machining marks. Sharpened to 135 degree, relatively sharp not not top notch like best ones. As for still quality, I can not comment, though they are described as HSS. Verdict? If you need inexpensive full set, they will do the work, but not for high tolerance job. But good set of such bits will cost you more than $100. As someone said in comments on HF drill bit set, buy one and replace worn bits with quality ones. Oh, and they are made in China.

[tommyt654]

Might try these, use savenow in coupon box to get them for less , http://www.sears.com/craftsman-21-pc...&blockType=G11

[LCHIEN]

Might try these, use savenow in coupon box to get them for less , http://www.sears.com/craftsman-21-pc...&blockType=G11

Weighs 9.5 pounds, according to the sears web site specs. THat's some heavy bits!

[chopnhack]

FYI - It says the "savenow" promo code has ended.

[tommyt654]

HD has this set today only with free ship for $15 , http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/2028432..._0_0_0&cj=true not as many bits as the Hitachi or sears but not a bad price either