Irwin Tools IRWIN Drill Bit Set, High-Speed Steel, 29-Piece (3018005)

I've alway considered Irwin to be once removed from junk. But these appear to be pretty good bits. I'll write again once I've had more experience with them. I'd like to mention that I emailed Irwin to ask them what kind of steel the bits are made from and they replied that they are High Speed Steel. It would be interesting to find out what alloy. In any case the finish and grind are very good. Above 3/8 the bits have hex flats growned in their shanks,. This could affect concentricity, but it also prevents slippage in a chuck. I like the hex shanks as they make a perfect accessory for todays keyless chuck drills. Now I bought this set from Amazon when they had a half price sale. The bits are made in China but sadly they seem to be a quality product, and at half price they were a bargain.

Very high quality very sharp point will drill very fast with little effect very easy to use very happy with this set.

The profile on some of these drills was not right. From about 3/8 and up would not drill a round hole in 1/4 in . steel. Drilling a pilot hole seemed to alleviate this problem but not completely. A step that could be eliminated with a correctly sharpened bit. Have not yet tried to tap a hole that was cut with these drills but am guessing it would be dicey.

The drills are great but the case is a different story. As for the drills, I own a semi truck and most other drills heat up and snap but Irwin do a much much better job. I have drilled through some very hard materials.The case is difficult to open and even worse to close. The metal sounds like a nice idea but a hard plastic vase with a easy open and close lid would be much better. Don’t let the case sway you.

I do installation and carpentry work on the road. I’ve been looking for a good, solid drill index to keep bits on hand while on site. The bits in this set are fine, but the index is over-designed and under-built. The most important design features, the hinge and the latch, are terrible.The hinge is comprised of two open-work sets of crossing “fingers” which do not completely close around the pin forming the fulcrum of the hinge. Effect: the hinge falls apart if you open the index fully and manipulate the contents on an uneven surface. (Say, a stack of lumber or pile of flooring supplies.)The latch is even worse, being composed of one thin strip of die-cut sheet metal, and having the full force of the spring-loaded latch mechanism multiplied by the stress of the index itself wanting to fall open.