8 Best Drill Bit Sharpeners

Buying a Drill Bit Sharpener

High-quality drill bits aren’t cheap. And once they become dull, they’re ineffective and more likely to “walk” around and damage your workpiece.

Luckily, a good drill bit sharpener can not only get them back in shape, but reinvigorate bits that snapped in half during aggressive use.

If you do a lot of drilling, a drill bit sharpener a smart buy. It saves you time, because you won’t waste minutes struggling to drive a dull bit through your workpiece. And it saves you money, because you aren’t throwing out dull bits all the time.

There are more types of drill bit sharpeners than you might think. Some are more useful than others, depending on your specific bits and experience level. Make sure you’re choosing the best one for you. Here’s what to look for:

• Type of sharpener: There are two types, a dedicated sharpener or a basic bench grinder. Dedicated sharpeners are specifically made for drill bits, and they’re easy to set up and use. Bench grinder drill bit sharpeners are made for general tool grinding; they’re not as intuitive and take more practice to use correctly. Bench grinders have much more room for user error, and I wouldn’t recommend them for inexperienced DIYers.

• Drill bit size: Make sure your sharpener can adjust to all the bits in your collection, or at least the ones you use most frequently. Most sharpeners can handle most commonly used bits. But once you get into larger bits — anything more than 1/2-inch — pay close attention to the maximum capacity of your sharpener.

• Drill bit material: Materials and finishes vary, so make sure the sharpener you choose can effectively work with your bits. For carbide bits, make sure your sharpener features the appropriate diamond grinding element.

• Drill bit type: Wood and metal bits use different angled tips, so your sharpener needs to adjust to handle both. The most common angle of general-use bits is 118 degrees, so your sharpener should accommodate those. Split-point bits require a specialized sharpener to create their tips.

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