Drill Bit Size - Model Railroader Magazine
- Member since
January 2004 - From: Canada, eh?
- 13,375 posts
I used to buy my drill bits at a nearby hobbyshop, and they would ask "Do you want Walthers, or the good ones? The "good ones" turned out to be from Maxon, and for many years, they were good, and lasted well (with care). Over the years, though, I sensed, as did others with whom I talked, that the steel used was becoming harder. While this helped to keep them sharp longer, it also made them more brittle, causing them to break in situations where the original ones wouldn't have done so.
On one occasion, the size I wanted was out-of-stock, so I took a Walthers bit instead. I don't think that it ever broke, but that was because the mild steel which was used left the bit extremely flexible - probably could have drilled around a corner if necessary. While non-breakable was good, the softer steel dulled quickly, and I went back to the Maxons as soon as they were available.
That hobbyshop, family owned since the '40s, folded recently, but several years prior to that I began buying my bits at a local tool supply store. The hobbyshop charged about $4.50 for the smaller bits (the ones we usually need to replace most often), while the tool supply place charges $3.50 apiece (when bought in packages of 10). The brand is NACHI (although the stylised "A" looks like a triangle) and is made in Japan. The label identifies them as "General purpose parallel shank twist drills" and notes that they're made of high speed steel. I generally get good service from them, although I've broken enough on first use through my own clumsiness or carelessness.
Wayne
