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

Works well. Use in automotive repair setting. Used multiple times and shapes them with easily. Holds a good edge after sharpening. Worth the money.

This set has "cut down" shanks to 3/8 of an inch. I wanted full shank drills. Nowhere in any of the descriptions does it state that they are cut down. This makes for a less accurate drill.

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.

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.

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.