Neighbor at the hardware store said he returns his drill bits after every project
I was in line at Ace in Tucson last Saturday and this old guy told the cashier he just buys a new set every time and brings them back when the job is done. I laughed at first but honestly now I wonder how many people do this and why my own bits keep snapping on me. Is it actually a bit quality problem or am I just drilling like an animal?
Honestly the guy at Ace is playing himself because most stores track returns and will flag you after a few times, plus bits wear down so they can tell. I had the same problem with bits snapping and it turned out I was pushing way too hard and going too fast, especially on metal. What fixed it for me was slowing the drill down, letting the bit do the work, and putting a drop of oil on the spot when I'm drilling metal. Also cheap bits are just soft steel and they will snap no matter what you do, so I stopped buying the big value packs and just get a decent cobalt set for metal and basic ones for wood. Ngl once I changed how I drilled, my bits lasted like ten times longer and I stopped blaming the tools.