Bigmikez Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 I saw the makita gold bit kits for $12 yesterday at HD I think there usually around 14-15$ couple bucks off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffmcmillan Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 I saw the makita gold bit kits for $12 yesterday at HD I think there usually around 14-15$ couple bucks offSeems like there's always a sale on one or another of those. It's like they're trying to give out free crack and get everyone hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nalu Rash Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 Looking forward to your test results BMack!I dont have extensive knowledge about bits but I like the DeWalt Max Fit bits. I have also used Bosch bits and I like the DeWalts better. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 I picked up the Makita and looked for the gen 2 Shockwave but they didn't have it, so I lucked out. I had decided to buy one, get you the fit and just plop the guy in my impact driver, drive a couple and break it(presumably). VERY impressed with the Makita, glad you guys talked me into trying it...I didn't know it was made in Japan! I also got the Blue Point bits in yesterday. Early award and a COMPLETE shocker for best machinging goes to the bit from Taiwan. It's machined nicer than my Snap-on Instinct screwdrivers! If the steel is as good, this may be the early favorite, was not expecting these to be even half as nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Bmack, that wera to the right of the Irwin looks crazy!! It looks like it should be a #1 or #0 bit instead of a #2 with how thin that shank is.I'm curious to see how it holds up.. I would think you would loose a lot of torque to to torsional movement of that thin shank, maybe even premature snapping of the shank.. Humm. Interesting none the less! I don't imagine it's going to hold up too well. It's easily the weirdest bit I have ever seen, it's a little short for me and I don't think it will last but I just had to see the thing. It's supposed to be rated for use in "Sheet metal and metal" but so is the other similar colored Wera bit (851/4 Z)...no idea what the thinking of the shape or shaft really is but I imagine it's going to snap on anything above 18 on my clutch...but stranger things have happened. I'm going to try to keep this one alive and test the ultimate ability to wear on the tip before I put some torque to it...at least that's the plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NERemodeling Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 I don't imagine it's going to hold up too well. It's easily the weirdest bit I have ever seen, it's a little short for me and I don't think it will last but I just had to see the thing. It's supposed to be rated for use in "Sheet metal and metal" but so is the other similar colored Wera bit (851/4 Z)...no idea what the thinking of the shape or shaft really is but I imagine it's going to snap on anything above 18 on my clutch...but stranger things have happened. I'm going to try to keep this one alive and test the ultimate ability to wear on the tip before I put some torque to it...at least that's the plan.Looking forward to the results! Why is it that your only into 4" bits? I use a bit holder and 1" bit 95% of the time. Only when I have a specific need will I reach for a 2, 4 or 6" bit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Looking forward to the results!Why is it that your only into 4" bits? I use a bit holder and 1" bit 95% of the time. Only when I have a specific need will I reach for a 2, 4 or 6" bit It's for my current job, doing electronics repair. I have to reach through to recessed screws. I want to be able to find one bit and/or line(or at least brand) that can do most of what I need(So I can buy at one place/time). 1" bits are easy to find, everyone has those in every available option. So limiting myself to the longer bits gives me a starting point and I can go from there with my 1" bits...so if I like the Wera bits I can try the Impaktor bit for my short bits(not available in longer lengths). Basically, it limited me to 11 bits instead of 30+ !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryNY Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 The makita gold ones is pretty good. Haven't been able to break/shatter the head, and they don't wear down very quickly. However, I'm able to warp/bend the "fins" on the Torx head with the impact driver. The philips head is just fine though.The bosch diamond bits kinda fits/sticks better, and is also very good, if not even better. But have not tested them too long, too know if the 'diamond' layer will stick in the long run.I've noticed the same thing with the makita golds; the PH2 are very good but the Torx tips seem to twist into swirls a little too easily... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazzman Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Dewalt flextorq and Bosch are what ive been using for the last year or so,Id like to try the new shockwave bits. I have some Wera kits but not the newer impaktor styles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Rebel Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 I usually use Ridgid bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted November 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 I didn't even know Ridgid had bits. I seem to have found something that should have been apparent but I didn't consider in the fitment test...apparently phillips and JIS screws have a noticeable variance in how they're cut into the screws. Also I found a few surprising things; I discovered the fitment issue with the Milwaukee Shockwave bits...they're JIS(Japanese philips) not Phillips and they fit those JIS well. Another surprising thing, the Makita gold, the ONLY bit from Japan, is Phillips and not JIS. My preferred (and a bit I've recommended numerous times) Bosch bit is now far from my favorite bit. I'm having trouble figuring out a way to come up with a way to measure fitment other than by feel. I found that I'm really good at blindly feeling out the better fit in screws. My first blind test was checking fitment in a phillips screw head and three came out to be what I considered the same...turns out they were the three Wera bits. Then I tried another good condition phillips screw and got sightly different results. What I can tell you is another surprising result, every single bit fits into one of the four screws I tested better than my Klein screwdriver fits in ANY of the screws. I wanted to also add the Klein into the fitment test because pretty much everyone has one...Snap on, Witte are also in the test. That is if I can find a way to measure the fitment, it's really difficult when the tolerances are a fraction of a millimeter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Rebel Posted November 7, 2015 Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 Yeah Ridgid bits are awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted November 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 Yeah Ridgid bits are awesome! Chinese I assume? That's not a knock btw, Bosch, Dewalt and Irwin are also Chinese and are just fine. I just checked Home Depot online and it doesn't seem like they have a lot of options. A couple of sets and two philips 1" packs. Even Ryobi has more items...makes you wonder if either are mostly-unfound gems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Rebel Posted November 7, 2015 Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 I use the Ridgid with the torque zone, they work hard and I love them! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiltiWpg Posted November 7, 2015 Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 No Wera love? The Impaktor bits are quite good.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted November 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 No Wera love? The Impaktor bits are quite good.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Most of the bits mentioned are from Lowe's/HD. This is why I wanted to do this, almost all of these bits are Chinese, with Makita being the exception(Japan). The Germans, Czechs and I'm finding the Taiwanese are pretty damn good at making bits. The machining on the Chinese bits can be pretty good but when it comes to other tools, I've noticed the main issue with Chinese tools is the metal strength...which is damn important in bits. The thing is that we can't just assume that all Chinese metal is poor quality, I'm more familiar with quality of carbon fibre and there is a HUGE discrepancy in Chinese carbon fibre from plant to plant...I can only assume this extends into other areas of material manufactering, including metal. I've found the Chinese do a wonderful job at making items for a specific pricepoint, expensive items can be made damn well. These Chinese bits are not cheap, they're comparable to European pricing, so the metal may very well be good quality. I wish I did more impact driving so I could nail the strength thing down quickly but that kind of thing is left for the weekend for me and I don't really have any wood projects right now. BTW, not sure if I've mentioned it but I've been buying the German/Czech bits from KCTool for very reasonable prices. The shipping cost isn't even that bad and it's free shipping over $50. The Wera(Czech), Wiha(Germany) and Felo(Germany) bits are all quite nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted November 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Here are the high-ish resolution pics of the bits. I limited width to 1000 pixels so it was forum friendly.This is a pretty poor picture of the anti-cam machinging so here's further pictures:Blue Point compared to Snap On screwdrivers:Anti-cam out bit comparison: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted November 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Here are the other 10 bits: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboS1ice Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Which one is your favorite so far and which do you like the least?JimboSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted November 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 I really like the Blue Point(though it's not rated for impact). Wiha, Felo and Wera(Haven't really messed with the Harpoon) are all hard to pick from, it's like comparing apples to other apples from the tree next to it. My favorite that you can find in HD/Lowes is the one I almost didn't buy; the Makita. My favorite was Bosch coming into this and it's now far from the top, near the bottom. Dewalt seems pretty good but it doesn't seem to fit as well as the European and the Makita bits. Milwaukee is still my least favorite, though I've found it fits better in JIS screw heads which nearly solves the camming out/quick wear problem. One thing to note is that EVERY SINGLE ONE of these bits fits better in either phillips or JIS better than a Klein screwdriver fits in any of the same screws, was not expecting that. I've come to prefer the smaller head bits, they seem to fit better into a wider range of screw heads. The Dewalt doesn't seem to fit as well in smaller sized PH2 screws, it really prefers the deep PH2 screw heads. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrull Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 One favorable detail with the makita is its gold color. It's easy to find them between all to other bits and stuff. A small and unnecessary detail, but I like it. So you quickly can find the quality ones, and not the el cheapo backup ones. I miss som ridges at the tip though. My wera screwdrivers and one from bosch have them, and I feel like they stay just a tad better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redmed Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Kobalt, this one I need to test more.Do a followup on Kobalt you probably will be surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted November 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Do a followup on Kobalt you probably will be surprised. They seemed very similar to the basic Bosch bit, though obviously not the same finish. I'll probably buy some, need to go any try to find gen 2 Milwaukee bits also. I have tomorrow off so I might hit up HD and Lowe's for these bits. Also need to look if Ryobi and Ridgid have any bits that will work for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrull Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Looked a bit closer on the milwaukee bits, and noticed all the "fins" on the torx head was gone, execpt one and a half. Haven't used them more than perhaps 20 screws. Lol. Just as low quality as the free cheapo ones (Use and toss) you get when phurcasing new screws. And they god damn cost me 5 dollar a piece (2 inch) (10 dollar for two-pack). Worst buy in history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Looked a bit closer on the milwaukee bits, and noticed all the "fins" on the torx head was gone, execpt one and a half. Haven't used them more than perhaps 20 screws. Lol. Just as low quality as the free cheapo ones (Use and toss) you get when phurcasing new screws. And they god damn cost me 5 dollar a piece (2 inch) (10 dollar for two-pack). Worst buy in history.Are those the new Improved Milwaukee bits the sales rep was saying we're made here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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