Before you grab your wallet, it’s worth having a good think about what exactly is the best drill bit set for you and your needs. For the average homeowner who only wants to put up a few pictures or the odd shelf, a small but useful kit is the right idea. However, if you’re planning on renovating your property or you know you’re going to be doing a lot of drilling, make sure your kit has multiples of the same drill bit, so you’re not caught short when one inevitably snaps. The Case

The vessel that holds all your drill and driver bits might not seem important, but it really is. If you live in a flat and you’re a light DIY user, just get yourself a small and compact kit that fits in the kitchen drawer. You’ll be thankful it’s easy to store, and if you need to take it with you, you can. A honking great case will just get in the way, and you probably won’t use most of it anyway. One of the first names in tools, Bosch are constantly getting new and improved products into the hands of DIYers. Supplied in a handsome box and filled with quality drill and driver bits, the X-Line titanium drill bit set is incredibly handy to have around the house or in the shed. Then come carbide-tipped drills which can for instance drill into screws. They can handle heat better than HSS bits.

My Top Recommended Drill Bit Sets

Most drill bits are made from titanium steel or cobalt. They can have modified tips to make them more resilient and be coated with compounds to reduce friction and heat. Driver bits aren’t all made equally. The best driver bits are hardened by heating them to a high temperature then quenched in a cold liquid. They’re then tempered to make them extremely hard and difficult to break. A decent set of drill bits and driver heads will last for a long time, make short work of most materials and really grab on to screw heads. But don’t forget that there’s a lot to be said for technique. Practise the proper way to drill holes and learn to use the right amounts of pressure when you’re drilling or screwing, and you’ll probably find you chew through a lot fewer drill bits. Signs of a Good Quality Drill Bit Set When buying a DeWalt drill bit set, you can be sure you’ll be prepared for any kind of job, with the highest level of quality and engineering you’ve come to expect from the brand. We've got you covered no matter what material you’re working with! Before I get on to the contents, it’s worth mentioning the excellent little box that they all come in. Rather than a simple folding plastic case, this one feels like a miniature toolbox on its own. There’s a carry handle on the top, and when you open it up the bits are held in place with foam rubber. I know I prefer pulling drill bits out of soft foam rather than brittle plastic holders.

High Speed Steel (HSS) bits can handle soft woods, hardwoods, most plastics, and many metals. These are the most versatile and reasonably priced general-purpose twist bits.The tough blow moulded case holds an incredible number of accessories without taking up much room at all. You get a comprehensive range of drill bits, six masonry, six HSS and six wood drill bits covering a decent range of sizes. Where this set really comes into its own is with the enormous range of 50 driver bits though. You get everything from two different lengths of common bit shapes to an amazing range of Torx bits. The old saying goes “you buy cheap, you buy twice”, and in most cases this is true. It takes a few hard lessons to know if you’re saving money by buying the cheapest drill bits or driver bits on offer. If a cheap drill bit breaks after a couple of uses and you’re forced to buy another one, is it worth it? The grind on the tip of the drill bit is uniform. The normal grind angle is around 60°, but it’s more important that the grind is equal on both cutting surfaces. Cheap drill bits might be uneven. The plastic used to make the case itself needs to be rigid, but not brittle. Some low-quality drill bit set cases are made from hard plastic that easily shatters. Look for cases made from plastics like high-density polyethylene. They’re hard-wearing but won’t snap. A soft metal bit would fail when drilling anything other than a softwood – the softest drill bits are the least versatile but also the least expensive.