Customer Reviews

Drill Doctor DD300 3/32-Inch to 1/2-Inch Drill Bit Sharpener

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased a Drill Doctor drill bit sharpener a couple of years ago, and I've been really impressed with this machine. I don't do alot of drilling, but I do enough to wear down a few drill bits and even snap a few. I did have one of those crappy drill powered bit sharpeners, but unless a bit wasn't cutting at all I wouldn't dare put it on that thing - it would dull more than sharpen most of the time.

I know that a sharper cutting tool works faster, cuts cleaner, and is all around a safer tool to work with. Drill bits are no different. I saw this unit at the local home improvement store, and decided to take a gamble since I had never heard of Drill Doctor before. The drill doctor is so easy to work with. My unit came with a detailed video that quickly showed me all there was to operating this simple machine. Pop the bit in the special chuck, align & adjustment is easy & virtually automatic. Then turn the unit on and turn the chuck in the sharpening hole. Literally in a couple of minutes I had sharpened my first bit. Next challenge was to see what it would do with a broken off bit. I selected a 1/8" bit broken at a steep angle. I had to run it through for a few minutes, readjust the chuck a few times after I'd ground it down some and it wouldn't cut anymore, but in the end I recovered a bit that was completely useless. In my shop it will be a little while before this unit pays for itself in bit replacements, but I think it's already paid for itself in precision drilling and avoided frustration!

One note, if I were getting a Drill Doctor today I would probably look at the DD500 or DD750 units. They can sharpen bits at 135º in addition to the 118º standard cut, but you can sharpen any bit to the 118º angle without problem.

I work at Sears selling tools and with all the gimicy tools that are out there, I was skeptical of the Drill Doctor, until I tried it. It takes about 30 minutes to really get the hang of it, but after that, it is wonderful.

I was drilling through ratchet handles to make a display. I had taken a brand new cobalt bit off the shelf and dulled it after 2 1/2 ratchet handles. I pulled out the Drill Doctor as a joke. But the joke was on me. After about 5 minutes of figuring out how it works, I was able to finish the next three ratchet handles after sharpening the bit.

I have done tool demonstrations at Sears with the Drill Doctor. I have taken drill bits, ground them down on a grinder so they wouldn't drill into Jello, then sharpen them and go through 1/8 steel without a problem. I must have sharpened nearly a thousand drill bits at Sears and the unit is still working.

The price is a little steep, but you won't need to buy drill bits again.

Not as easy to use or as quick as I had hoped but still well worth the money if you drill lots of holes! It is a pleasure to sharpen a drill just before using on a jobsite and getting a first class hole drilled in quick time. We keep this on the jobsite every day.

This Drill Doctor is a great instrument. It does an excellent job, as advertised. I would highly recommend it.

This tool has eliminated the need to purchace new bits. It puts an excellent point on the sharpened bits. I would recommend this product to anyone.

The drill doc works well, but there is a learning curve. It does come with a DVD that you will have to view several times to fully understand the process. I had to reference it several times while learning. On well worn bits you need to run it through several times and reset the chuck as well. (These are bits that have a melted point.) Does not work well on tiny bits, but I seem to break them before needing sharpening, but these are cheap anyway.

Pros: Works well, relatively easy to use once you learn. Also fairly inexpensive.

Cons: Hard to learn, not a slam the bit in the chuck and go type. The particle bin does not catch most of the mess.

At first it was a little tricky getting the feel for it, but once you read the instruction and practice 2-3 times it is amazing what this thing will do. I only wish I would have got the highest end one to account for ALL my bits. I had a dozen or more bits I was going to trash and with this they seriously seem as good as new. The only thing I'll say is kind of obvious, but this device shaves metal off the bits...wear goggles and perhaps gloves and be sure to do it in an area where the metal shavings can be cleaned up easily. This is also not something you want your 4 year old to get in to - so be safe.

SOME TIMES IT SHARPENED BITS AND SOMETIMES IT DID NOT. DO NOT EXPECT THE BITS TO WORK VERY WELL ON METAL, OKAY FOR WOOD PROJECTS. SMALL BITS REALLY DO NOT SHARPEN. A BIT CAN BE SHARPENED ABOUT THREE TIMES, SO IT DOES BEAT GOING TO THE STORE OVER AND OVER.