As always, when something breaks, the exposing surface of the drill bit shank was very uneven. My hopes for making this work were pretty low…dismal. I grabbed the 3/32″ bit, not on purpose – I just grabbed a small bit, set the drill on low-speed and started in. Right away I see some metal pig-tails forming and exiting the tip of the extension. “It’s actually working.” After a few seconds, I stopped and added some wax lube on the bit. Back at it in slow speed. In less than a minute, I had a deep enough hole for a screw to grab.

Having a love of automobiles that stems from his father's racing days, Tim has spent a lifetime around cars and trucks. From restoring and renovating them as well as fixing them when they break, Tim always has a tool handy. He currently resides in central Florida with his wife and 5 kids where he divides his time as mentor, devoted father, loving husband and jungle gym.

While trying to get rid of a tree stump in our yard, I thought it would be a good idea to drill a couple of deep holes and start a fire, deep in the trunk. So I grab a long 1/4″ hex extension and use a 1″ twisted auger bit to start the process. All is good until the bit gets about 12″ deep into the trunk. It gets really tight, then….snap. Yep, it broke just inside where the hex shank fit inside the extension. What better way to test this Drill America high-speed drill bit set. These aren’t cobalt drill bits, but they are heat-treated.

Ideal for fastener diameters of 1/4 and smaller, long engagement length fasteners, and components requiring occasional adjustment. Apply to threaded parts before assembly. Controlled lubricity for accurate clamp loads. Parts can be disassembled with hand tools. Approved for use in or around food processing areas.

In all honesty, I didn’t leave much hope for the drill bit/s, or the extension. I thought the extension would be filed away with the broken auger bit, in file 13 (trash). More on this in a moment.

This 29-piece jobber length drill bit set comes in a handy plastic case, indexed with each size embossed in the plastic. The drill bits have a black and gold finish that looks appealing. They also provide the oxide finish to increase hardness and resist corrosion. The tips are 135-degree split points, which help for self-centering.

We drilled several other holes in sheet metal, 3/8″ plate steel, and even some stainless steel. This Drill America high speed drill bit set seems to work very well, and we have yet to have any issues with any of the bits. We do understand this is a low-cost set and we don’t expect it to replace a cobalt drill set, but it’s also a lot cheaper. This 29-piece set is only $64 through Amazon.

Next step was to get a hardened screw that will bite into the drill bit hex shank stuck in the extension. Ok, sure, a drywall screw will work. A few turns of the screw to dig into our new hole, and we’re ready to try. I grab the screw with some needle-nose pliers, and voila. The piece came out without issue.