Are Aldi drill bits any good?

pjontheroadagain · Post by **pjontheroadagain** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 6:51 pm

I see that Aldi is offering a selection of different drill bit sets for £3.99, but I wonder if they're any good?

I was interested in the HSS ones for drilling metal, but I tend to think that you get what you pay for so I wonder if I should pay the extra to get something branded?

Has anybody tried them who could prove me wrong?!

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 7:11 pm

Why don't you try them (Only £3.99) and let us know?

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 7:21 pm

I have found Aldi and Lidl drill bits to be hit and miss, some have been superb, some have been useless so it's hard to say really.

Last year I bought some Lidl premium lip and spur wood bits, they are some of the best quality drill bits I have ever used and I have some really pricey ones for engineering.

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:34 pm

I bought an Aldi SDS drill bits and chisel set for £10 a few years ago. They have given good service and at the time I thought it was a gamble as you can never tell until you use stuff. Quite frankly for the price it is worth a punt as I have had named brand bits that have been useless

DWD

Dave54 · Post by **Dave54** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:48 pm

Yes, I've got a set of the SDS bits as well. They've been good.
Ordinary drill bits I don't know as I usually go for branded ones, but as other's have said, the Aldi ones are worth a try.

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 9:02 pm

Oh yes my SDS bits are mostly Aldi bits and they are going strong, a few Erbauer as well and they are good as well.

I've got some of the Lidl extra long SDS, 500mm I think. They seem good but it's not really a fair review since I have only used them a handful of times.

ayjay · Post by **ayjay** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 10:39 pm

I bought a cheap set of HSS twist bits many years ago (before Aldi was in the UK), the first time I used them was to drill some pilot holes in an Oak garage door frame.

I drilled one hole and it didn't feel right.

When I looked at the bit, the twist had straightened out.

aeromech3 · Post by **aeromech3** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 4:27 am

cheaper HSS twist bits have been my biggest failures in steel, I've never got around to buying a drill sharpener tool and yes oak can easily overheat a twist drill designed for metal but thanks for my laugh of the morning Ayjay.

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 7:19 am

ayjay wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 10:39 pm I bought a cheap set of HSS twist bits many years ago (before Aldi was in the UK), the first time I used them was to drill some pilot holes in an Oak garage door frame.

I drilled one hole and it didn't feel right.

When I looked at the bit, the twist had straightened out.

Yep I have been there!

fin · Post by **fin** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:49 am

i got a set of dewalt flat bits a while back. being a joiner and it being all about doors lately ive used my 25mm bit a lot. had to replace the stupid thing 3 times since late last year when i got the set. seems ya get a oak door or 2 out of the bit and its goosed

jaeger · Post by **jaeger** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:03 am

If you spend time looking on ebay you can find some good deals on branded 'jobber' drills, I give up using cheap drills.
One such listing:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dormer-Drill ... DWM81WNuqw

Dave54 · Post by **Dave54** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 11:28 am

It's the luck of the draw with cheapies. I've got a metric set in a drum holder I bought from a bin in one of the sheds probably 20+ years ago. They've had a lot of use in wood and steel, and have mostly been re-sharpened several times. They're fine for general use. There's no way of knowing though.
There's another set that came from somewhere that seem to be made of cheese, and have no "lands" on the drill spirals.

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 12:37 pm

I remember my late father buying a load of screws from Lidl and gave me a bag. I never had the heart to tell him they were utter sh*t and made of the same cheese as Dave's drill bits. I found them the other day and could not throw them through sentiment.

DWD

Dave54 · Post by **Dave54** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 12:52 pm

I reckon they're made out of free cutting steel, which is easy to work, and easy on tooling, but is of the aforementioned "cheese" hardness on the Dave54 scale of hardness of tools, which ranges from "like cheese" at the one end, to "That's bl**dy hard" at t'other.

Can't be that much cheaper than making them out of something decent surely?

Chippo1 · Post by **Chippo1** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 6:50 pm

I have couple of sets of Aldi HSS twist drills , I think they contain drills between 1.5mm and 10mm they were only about £2 a set.

I have broken a couple of the smaller ones, and sharpened the 6mm and 3mm ones a couple of times , used for wood, mild steel and stainless.

They are ok and being in a case easier to find than the mish mash of drills in my drill drawer. The grind from new was fine with rake and clearance angles ok for general work.