When you know you need to drill into brick and cinderblock alone, having a dedicated set of bits makes sense. In this case, we feel one of the best drill bits for brick comes under the DeWalt brand. Mostly, we feel they simply hold up well for the price. You can pay more—and possibly get longer life, but if you bill your accessories to the job—these get the work done.

The downside is that you’re limited to around 1/8″ as your thickest material. These bits also cost more than other bits you likely own. Prices often exceed $50 for some sizes. Just keep in mind that each step bit you buy covers multiple hole sizes.

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In their most recent research paper, published in Science, Ritchie and George have quantified the toughness of CrCoNi at liquid helium temperatures and used neutron diffraction, electron backscatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy to reveal how the atomic structure of CrCoNi contributes to its remarkable strength.

Now, just because we dedicated these for our wood-drilling pick doesn’t mean they can’t drill through metal. The titanium coating is great for thinner steels and non-hardened metals. They also have excellent chip ejection and don’t heat up as quickly as other bits we’ve used.

Auger bits have a threaded tip that pulls the bit forward as it rotates in the wood. Its strong, full-fluted design also makes it easier to drill nice and straight.

“The toughness of this material near liquid helium temperatures (20 °K, -424 °F) is as high as 500 megapascals square root meters. In the same units, the toughness of a piece of silicon is 1, the aluminum airframe in passenger airplanes is about 35, and the toughness of some of the best steels is around 100. So, 500, it’s a staggering number,” said Ritchie.

The research co-leaders, Professor Robert Ritchie from the University of California, Berkeley and Professor Easo George from the University of Tennessee, first started work on CrCoNi 10 years ago, initially finding the alloy to be exceptionally tough at liquid nitrogen temperatures (~ -200 degrees Celsius). They wanted to take it a step further and see how tough CrCoNi is at liquid helium temperatures (~ -250 °C).

They’re great for moving beyond your standard twist bit sizes and eliminating the need for a punch for holes up to 1-1/4″ or a little more. They also feature a flat flute with a slight taper at each step. This gives you the ability to drill in sheet metal and other thin metals that might deform if you cut through at an angle. In addition to making new holes, they also excel at enlarging existing ones.

Titanium nitride is a coating you can use instead of black oxide that does the same job of resisting corrosion and friction. The added benefit comes from increasing the surface hardness and creating a thermal barrier that reduces heat buildup. This type of drill bit lasts longer than black oxide.

One of the most cost-effective is a spade bit. Sometimes called a paddle bit thanks to its shape, spade bits throw chips out as they cut rather than sending it up through the flutes. It makes for a much cooler slow-motion video but generally leaves a larger mess. Unlike your standard twist bits, spade bits are only good for making holes in wood.

Champion Cutting Tool XL5 JobberThese bits provide accurate drilling with excellent heat resistance—particularly good for use in drill presses.

It takes a particular bit to get through tile and glass without shattering the workpiece. In our opinion, the best drill bit for tile (also the best drill bits for glass) can be found in the Bosch 8-piece glass and tile bit set.

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When these bits go dull, you toss them. Also, don’t expect to cut through metal other than softer steels under 1/8-inch in thickness.

When he's not playing with the latest power tool, Clint DeBoer enjoys life as a husband, father, and is an avid reader—especially the Bible. He loves Jesus, has a degree in recording engineering, and has been involved in multimedia and/or online publishing in one form or another since 1992.

In a recent head-to-head, the 2nd-generation Irwin Speedbor bits beat out the Bosch Daredevil spade bits in speed. So why don’t they appear at the top of our list? Simple. We love the self-feeding nature of these Daredevil spade bits. They drill more smoothly and require less effort.

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Reference: Liu D, Yu Q, Kabra S, et al. Exceptional fracture toughness of CrCoNi-based medium- and high-entropy alloys at 20 Kelvin. Science. 2022;378(6623):978-983. doi: 10.1126/science.abp8070

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Drill America produces M42 cobalt bits with a reputation for durability in various materials. During extensive tests across numerous metals, we chose their jobber bits as the top choice for drilling through hardened steel.

Bosch uses a three-flat shank on bits 5/16 inches and larger. This keeps them from slipping in the drill. The kit includes 8 bits from 1/8-inch to 3/4-inch.

Choosing the best oscillating multi-tool used to boil down to just a couple of brands. Not anymore. Advancements in battery, […]

Just like SDS-plus and SDS-max bits, these use tungsten carbide cutting tips. The carbide tips on the Daredevil Multi-Purpose Drill Bits are tough enough to cut through almost any material. We use these when drilling through combinations of wood, metal, tile, composites, and—of course—concrete. We also frequently pop them into impact drivers to quickly get through various materials.

Stepping away from wood and moving back into metal, you’ll find a need for step bits (AKA unibits). These are among the best drill bits for making holes in thin metal, like sheet metal or breaker boxes. A step bit starts with a short pilot, and then moves through a series of increasing widths as you move from one step to the next.

A team of researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified the toughest material on Earth – a metal alloy of chromium, cobalt and nickel. Contrary to other materials, its strength increases as it gets colder.

Bosch also makes these bits up to 1-1/2 inches. They come in stubby, standard, and extended lengths for delving deeper into the material.

Ever check out a “review” site and you can’t tell if they actually tested the tools or if they’re just “recommending” the Amazon top sellers? That’s not us. We won’t recommend anything unless we’d actually use it ourselves and we don’t really care who the primary retailer is. It’s all about giving you a legitimate recommendation and our honest opinion of each product.

We’ve used hundreds of the best drill bits to see which excelled in wood, steel, aluminum, and other materials. First of all, tons of drill bit options exist on the market—weeding through the choices can be tough. We broke down our picks by application, covering everything from materials to type of user.

A Speedpoint tip gets the hole started quickly and helps reduce the amount of wandering your bit does. It seems like a small thing at first, but Irwin laser etches the measurements on the inside of the flute so they won’t wear off over time.

Auger bits closely mirror spade bits but work better for deeper holes that require lots of chip removal at the point of entry. The full-fluted design makes this possible. It would help if you typically had a stronger drill when using these bits. This becomes very apparent when drilling deep holes or holes that exceed 3/4 inches in diameter.

The end result is information you can trust because of the editorial, scientific, and real-world professional experience we collectively utilize each and every time we pick up and test a tool.

A threaded tip and wave design give the Bosch Daredevil an advantage over most of its competition. It cuts more smoothly and leaves a relatively clean hole compared to other spade bits. As icing on the cake, it has a 1/4″ hex shank so it fits in your impact driver.

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These bits boast a 135° split point design, ensuring consistent and efficient drilling. The jobber length bits are ideal for handheld drills during field operations. They adhere to the National Aerospace Standard 907 and drill as much as 30% more quickly than traditional M2 high-speed steel bits. Additionally, Drill America retains the full diameter on its larger bits. That gives you additional stability, though this requires a 1/2-inch chuck for operation.

The toughness of CrCoNi comes from the atomic structure of its crystalline lattice, which changes when force is applied to the alloy. A trio of atomic interactions occurs in sequence, followed by a rearrangement of the unit cells within the lattice, which enables CrCoNi to resist stress past the point where other materials would have fractured.

The alloy, known as CrCoNi, is an example of a high entropy alloy (HEA), which – unlike alloys in use today – contains equal proportions of its constituent elements. HEAs were first developed ~20 years ago, but technologies capable of testing the extreme limits of these materials have only recently become available.

Whether you’re in a pinch or just need to replace a set, Ryobi’s Black Oxide Drill Bits are just $21 for a set with 25 pieces that cover 1/16″ to 3/8″. Their 135° split point tips help reduce walking at the start of your hole. If you avoid thick or hardened metals, these are the best drill bits for the money. You can get better bits, but we like this for Pros and DIYers on a budget.

Titanium drill bits tend to drill faster than black oxide and chips move through the flutes better. One of the downsides is that the titanium nitride is just a coating and you lose the benefits as the coating wears off the cutting edges. Another is that you’ll need to pay more for these.

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When paired with a cordless hammer drill, the DeWalt 7-piece percussion masonry drill bit set gives you some key advantages. The set includes a 3/16-inch x 3 bit, a 1/4-inch x 4 bit, and five 6-inch bits from 1/2-inch down to two 1/4-inch bits. From Tapcons to anchors, these bits fill a much-needed gap.

Black oxide is a coating over the steel drill bit to add corrosion resistance and reduce friction between the bit and the workpiece. It’s a good general-purpose design that’s suitable for wood, softer metal, plastics, and composites that don’t cost an arm and a leg. The downsides are that they don’t stay sharp as long as some of the other twist bit options out there and you lose the benefits as the coating wears off the cutting edges.

Makita Impact Gold TitaniumQuality titanium bits with a 135° split point tip and 1/4-inch hex shank for use in drills or impact drivers.

When the best drill bit for the job is an auger bit, we look to Bosch and their Daredevil lineup. Among the standard auger bit benefits, you’ll find that Bosch looks specifically to enhance performance with cordless drills. They tend to keep you in high speed so you drill faster. The tips help improve both your runtime and durability.

Toughness is the combination of strength and ductility (resistance to fracture) a material possesses. To measure toughness, a pristine specimen is pulled until it fractures, and the force needed to do so is measured. For fracture toughness tests, the force required to grow a crack intentionally made in the sample is measured.

“The structure of the CrCoNi is the simplest you can imagine – it’s just grains,” Richie said. Co-author Professor Andrew Minor continues: “However, when you deform it, the structure becomes very complicated, and this shift helps explain its exceptional resistance to fracture.”

Our team reaches for an Irwin Unibit Cobalt Step Bit when thin metal drilling is on the menu. The cobalt blend gives the bit a much longer life —an important point considering these are very difficult to sharpen.

Cobalt drill bits are made from an alloy of 5% – 8% cobalt. Because the cobalt is part of the steel blend, its benefits run through the entire bit instead of wearing away like a coating. That characteristic also makes them an excellent candidate to sharpen rather than replace. With a much higher price tag than black oxide and titanium, you’ll want to go the sharpening route to save money.

Milwaukee Shockwave Titanium drill bits are our choice for the best drill bits for wood. The 1/4-inch hex shaft makes them suitable for use in both drills and impact drivers. Milwaukee uses what they call Red Helix variable-width flutes to eject chips better than standard designs. They also go with a 135° tip to help cut in more quickly and reduce bit-walking on metal.

Ideal for drilling through hard, high-tensile materials like stainless steel or titanium, we selected the D/A29J-CO-PC set. This collection includes 29 bits housed in a durable plastic case. The circular design of the case facilitates easy selection of the desired bit.

SDS-Plus and SDS-Max rotary hammers do best for drilling on concrete and masonry materials. Hammer drills, however, more than suffice for drilling smaller diameter holes. When you start looking for the best concrete drill bits and the best masonry drill bits, the need for handling multiple materials arises. For that, our Pros consistently turn to Bosch Daredevil Multi-Purpose Drill Bits.

Twist bits work best for drilling in a myriad of materials when the target is a hole diameter of 1/2 inch or less. As you move beyond a 1/2″ hole diameter, you move away from traditional twist bits into some different options.

A strong resistance to fracture at frigid temperatures make CrCoNi ideal for application at environmental extremes, such as in deep space. Understanding how CrCoNi is so tough brings such uses of the alloy, and HEAs in general, a bit closer.

So whether you’re into woodworking, DIY projects, plumbing, electrical, or something else, we have you covered. Our Pro team has extensive experience using these bits in just about every type of setting.

The researchers caution that although their progress in this field is exciting, new structural materials can take a long time to be used in real-world applications, as they need to be well-understood before they can replace well-tested and trusted existing materials.

These bits use a wedge-shaped high-quality carbide tip with a reinforced head. It holds the tip rock-solid in place when you start your hole. It also reduces stress to the material which prevents cracking. The diamond ground cutting edges deliver excellent durability.

Titanium is a good choice for metal and wood drilling. You’ll want to look elsewhere for concrete/masonry and you’re better off using your inexpensive black oxide bits for plastics and composites.

Cobalt bits are capable of drilling through just about everything, though most Pros reserve them for metal drilling due to their cost. That’s a good move—you don’t want the one bit you own that’s able to drill through cast iron getting dull on everyday tasks that less expensive bits are perfectly capable of tackling.

These bits run considerably more than black oxide, titanium, or even cobalt bits on average. The cost may leave you buying just the specific sizes you need as needed—and that makes sense. However, the 5-piece set covers the most common sizes you may need without turning to a rotary hammer.