13 Best Drill Bit Sets for Every Job (2024)

Use: Wood |Type: Brad point |Number of bits: 25 |Size range: ⅛ inch to ½ inch

If you’re getting interested in woodworking, this inexpensive brad point bit set is an easy choice. The sharp tip on these bits make it easy to start the bit exactly where you need it, and their geometry—somewhere between a twist drill and an auger bit—makes for good chip ejection.

Use: Wood |Type: Spade|Number of bits: 17|Size range: ¼ inch to 1½ inches

Spade bits are made for quick-and-rough holes in construction lumber. They don’t leave a particularly clean exit hole, but in most cases that doesn’t matter. Of all the spade bits we’ve tried through the years, we keep coming back to Irwin Speedbor. They’re inexpensive, tough, and can be sharpened with a file. One set will last for years, maybe decades, depending on your use.

Use: Wood |Type: Self-feed|Number of bits: 7|Size range: 1¾ to 2 9⁄16inches

If you’re gearing up for your first big wiring or pipe job, or if you’re a seasoned pro looking for faster and cleaner hole-making ability, then self-feed bits are the way to go. The lead screw pulls the bit through the lumber while an interior plane shaves the wood as the bit turns. The result is a fast hole and a clean one. For the sake of longevity, the plane blade is sharpenable and the kit includes two removable, replaceable feed screws, because you’re bound to hit fasteners and chew through knots.

Use:Wood and metal |Type:heavy-duty twist drill |Number of bits: 15| Size range: 1⁄16 to ½ inch

These twist drill bits are built to withstand punishment. They’re machined out of high-speed steel and finished with a wear-resistant coating. Yet their tips can be resharpened. All that is good. What’s even better is that they’re made in America and yet are priced reasonably, especially when you account for the cost of the nice sheet steel bit index that they come in. We tried them, liked them, and thought enough of them to award them our coveted annual Tool Award.

Use: Metal, wood |Type: Hex-shank, Impact-rated twist drill |Number of bits: 14 |Size range: 1⁄16to½inch

Okay, by now you might be saying to yourself, “All I want is a basic set of bits for wood and metal. Got any of those?” Yes. For less than $20 you get a high-quality hex shank bit with a highly wear-resistant titanium nitride coating. And if you up your game some day to include working with an impact driver, these bits will work with it.

Use: Concrete, brick, mortar, concrete block |Type: Hammer-rated carbide-tip twist drill |Number of bits: 7 |Size range: 3⁄16 to ½ inch

If your drill driver has a hammer setting, chuck in one of these bits and make a clean and fast hole in concrete, brick, concrete block, or mortar. You don’t need anextensive set of masonry bits; a basic carbide-tip kit like this one is a great choice. Its German-made quality should provide years of use, and its slim, vinyl wallet enables it to slip into a crevice in your tool box. Carry this and you’re prepared for tough, masonry drilling jobs without having to make a quick run to a hardware store or home center.

Use: Concrete block, mortar, brick |Type: Rotary (non hammer) carbide-tip twist drill |Number of bits: 14 |Size range: ⅛ to ½inch

Suppose your drill doesn’t have a hammer function or you lack a dedicated masonry drill, what do you do then? Well, if your masonry hole drilling is confined to brick, concrete block, or mortar, you can use these inexpensive carbide-tip rotary drill bits for masonry. They won’t stand up to use in a hammer drill, but they work perfectly well, if slower, in a standard drill or cordless drill driver. Bonus: Their double-flute design allows better clearing of dust and chips compared to a single-twist type. This way youcan use the drill’s high-speed setting to get through the job faster. Note that there are multiples of the smaller diameters, such as the 3⁄16-inch size, which are more frequently used with masonry screws.

Use: Ceramic tile, glass |Type: Carbide-tip spear point |Number of bits: 4|Size range:⅛ to 5⁄16 inch

The only sure way to make consistent and clean holes in glass and ceramic tile is with a carbide bit designed for those materials. These simple and inexpensive little bits work great. The carbide tip is diamond ground to a sharp pointthat enables a fast and sure start, putting the hole right where you need it, instead of the bit skating off and leaving a nasty mark. The three flats ground onto the bit’s shank prevent it from slipping.

Use: Wood with embedded nails|Type: Spade bit with nail-cutting geometry|Number of bits:6 |Size range: ½to 1¼inch

It’s almost a sure bet that when running pipe and wire in an old house, you’re bound to hit embedded nails when boring the holes. That’s where these bits come in. They’re thicker than the typical spade bit to resist bending,and they have a bevel on their cutting surfaces suitable for both wood and metal.

Use:Wood, steel, aluminum|Type: Bimetal hole saw |Number of hole saws: 9 |Size range:¾to 2½inch

These hole saws are known as bimetal types because they're made from two types of steel. The body is made from spring steel and formed into a cup. Around the front edge of that cup isbrazed a circular row ofcutting teeth made from a narrow band ofhigh-speed steel. The result is a light weight anddurable accessory tough enough to make big holes in wood or metal. Suppose you need to make a door knobhole in a wood door; turn to these. Use them again to make holes in steel, for a tool rack, say.