Cobalt drill bits are made of cobalt high speed steel, and they can be sharpened. They are especially good for drilling hardened steel, cast iron, titanium, and abrasive materials. While these drill bits are very hard, wear resistant, and heat treated, be sure to start slow when using them as they can break at high speeds.

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When selecting the best drill bits for metal, it's essential to consider jobber length bits, which offer a versatile length suitable for a variety of drilling applications. Among the most effective for metal are carbide drill bits, known for their exceptional durability and resistance to high temperatures. These bits often feature robust cutting edges that ensure precision and efficiency, especially when used with a drill press.

So if and when the wilderness has beaten you down into an all-out survival situation, you can get through the night with a warming fire and whistle for help in the morning (or throughout the night and day, depending on how dire the situation is). The Fire Flute's 1.7-oz (48-g) weight helps it earn its place on even a pared-down ultralight packing list.

Drilling through steel is not an everyday home repair activity, and drill bits for metals are the most expensive. Regular drill bits can't cut through steel, so you need a heavy-duty, hard drill bit to do the job. But in a market full of options, what are the best drill bits for metal?

In the interest of full disclosure, we didn't actually see the Fire Flute – or Outdoor Element – at Overland Expo West this year. However, what we saw in the show's materials was a description of a company that "sparks confident outdoor adventure through innovative gear." Consider our interest piqued.

Products associated with Overland Expo tend to come at a premium, sometimes rising into the seven-figure range, but the Fire Flute is at the very opposite end of the spectrum at a reasonable US$24.95, a price that's quite competitive with similar products like the $32.95 tinder-stowing Exotac Nanostriker (no whistle).

Overland Expo's focus may be largely on earth-exploring giants and burly, overbuilt hardware, but the show does highlight its fair share of light, ultra-portable outdoor gadgets. One of our favorite finds this year was the Fire Flute from Outdoor Element. Despite not even pushing the scale needle to 50 grams, the tool packs a fire starter rod, watertight cache and emergency whistle in a sleek body about the size of a Sharpie.

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Whether you're working on a professional project or a DIY endeavor, selecting the right combination of drill bit and drill press can significantly impact the quality and ease of your metal drilling tasks. With the right tools, you can cut through everything from heavy duty steel to softer materials.

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Speaking of which, drill presses provide the stability and power needed for drilling through tough metals, making them an ideal partner for high-quality drill bits. For enhanced performance, look for bits coated with titanium nitride. This coating not only extends the life of the drill bit but also reduces friction and heat build-up, enabling smoother and quicker drilling.

The Fire Flute looks like any other ferro rod at first glance, complete with a grippy handle at the end of a 3/8-in-long (9.5-mm) stick of ferrocerium. That aluminum handle is a bit longer than those on many other ferro rods, giving it the extra space to house an empty tubular cache and an emergency whistle.

Upon pulling up the company's website, we found a host of simple but clever survival gadgets and tools, including a dual-purpose pot-gripper/gas canister poker we covered a few years back. The most interesting of the bunch, we'd say, was the Fire Flute. First, because ...what the shit's a "fire flute." And, second, because it immediately lives up to its curious, compelling name.

There are two choice selections that you can count on to drill hardened steel in any of your metalworking projects: titanium and cobalt. In this article, we'll explore why titanium and cobalt drill bits are essential for metal drilling. We'll also look at how you can leverage these drill bits, and warn you about drill bit sets that cannot stand up to thick metal.

While it includes a hole for adding a small lanyard, the Fire Flute lacks the lanyard with metal striker often lashed to ferro rods, perhaps to avoid getting in the way of the whistle. It does, however, pack a striker to complete its fire-starting capabilities – the small, rectangular plate sitting behind the pocket clip mounting. You don't have to undo the tiny screws to access it, simply striking the ferro with the edge of the plate to send sparks flying into the fire tab or alternative tinder. Outdoor Element estimates a burn time of four to five minutes for each tab.

Titanium drill bits are high-speed steel bits (HSS) that have a titanium black oxide coating. They are very hard, and corrosion-resistant. They last much longer than regular high-speed steel drill bits, and they are good for cutting through any metal, including sheet metal. Titanium drill bits are harder than cobalt, but because they are coated, they can't be sharpened.

The end of the handle keeps the whistle, good for 120 decibels, readily accessible for use while the entire handle body unscrews to reveal a tiny watertight storage capsule designed for holding tinder. Outdoor Element includes three of its own wax-coated cotton tabs for the purpose, and the cache is sized to hold one of them.