Irwin Industrial Tools 3041006 Speebor Max Spade Bit Set, 6-Piece

Reviews of Irwin Industrial Tools 3041006 Speebor Max Spade Bit Set, 6-Piece

1.) Fantastic for running wire/pipe in a remodel
Reviewed by: S. Levick Cincinnati, OH United States
Rating:
If you just want to bust through SYP#2 in an addition, or basement remodel, throw one of this bits in your corded drill and watch out! Man, I've never drilled a faster hole, even with Milwaukee auger bits in a HoleHawg. So goodbye to burning through regular paddlebits....these are time savers for real! Buy the six pack---you'll know out the job faster than ever before, and want be tired from fighting the drill all day!

2.) Clean, rapid cutting
Reviewed by: If you can't win, change the rules. Research Triangle Park, NC USA
Rating:
These are a tremendous improvement over the standard spade bits.

They drill much more quickly because they are spiraled like a bit, rather than just chipping away. They also drill perfectly round, smooth holes without splintering the surrounding wood. Once you see this in action, you'll never go back to the old spade bits again.

Sean P. Logue, 2007


3.) Great!
Reviewed by: R. Brome Philadelphia, PA USA
Rating:
These are fantastic bits! SPEEDbor indeed!

I had some old two-blade bits that did not have the "self-feeding" screw at the tip, and it would take at least a minute of difficult labor to get through a large (old) floor joist.

With these bits, it took less than ten seconds to get through the same joist, and the bit did all of the work. That's with a cordless drill, too!

The case is a tad large and has a stiff latch, but the important part - the bits - are great!

4.) Awesome
Reviewed by: Love Science Now Guy Denver, Co
Rating:
Worth the wait I had with buying them from Amazon. They leave a super clean hole.

5.) One of the best
Reviewed by: Benjamin A. Minshall Michigan, USA
Rating:
These are some of the best bits I've ever used for rough electrical boring in wood frame construction. They last much longer than spade bits and are easier to handle than a traditional auger which tends to bind up pretty bad and give your wrist a twist when the drill is not perfectly straight. The larger sizes should be used in a corded drill with a handle, but unless you're drilling through butter that's a requirement of any bit larger than 1/2" anyway.

These bits won't cut a nail, but they also won't be destroyed by it like a spade bit. You can touch up the bit with a file or dremel to extend the life. The shaft can take some serious abuse without bending to the point of being unusable.

6.) Lowes
Reviewed by: keeping it real dallas, tx
Rating:
this are great bits bought the same ones at lowes for 19.99 last week. would suggest them to anyone who installs wires through studs and need to get the job done quick.

7.) Vary nice, but not quite tough enough
Reviewed by: Mr. DIY NC
Rating:
***Revised 1/7/07, not made for thick material see bottom***

I bought a 5/8 for my cordless drill for your standard hole to run electrical wires through. And found it puts less stress on my motor and drills a lot smother than a standard auger bit (it doesn't "chew" the wood, it drills it out) so I bought the set. They also leave a pretty clean hole, witch I've found to be useful when drill a 2x4 diagonally. So far they have not slipped or ripped they're selves away from work where I don't have full surface contact. It stays pretty sharp I've probly drilled well over 400 holes with the 5/8 I mentioned and is still plenty sharp to be useful.o

Bad things:

Not all precisely made, many I've tried out seem to be bent or warped a little. They still work fine though, it doesn't seem to effect they're performance at all.

NOT a nail eater, if you hit hard metal like a big nail or a cable staple (or masonry) you will have to touch it up with a file (a rounded file, that most don't carry with them). It's got good tempering and toughness for wood and wood like materials but it's just not a vary hard/metal. Try out Greenlee's auger bits, the nail eaters seem to have the best ware resistance and toughness.

Not made for deep holes. Every time I drill DOWN/SIDEWAYS through something thicker than a 4/4 the bit sort of get`s stuck behind the waste martial. Though most bits like this do that.
As long as you're not drilling blind all the time and in 2x4 or less type wood they are well worth the money, if they where made out of some harder metal, longer flutes and made truer they would have gotten a five star review at this price easy.

*Revise*
All but the biggest 3 ("7/8, "1 and "1-1/4) want to get stuck on anything thicker than a 2x4 if you're not drilling upward. Also my Dewalt DC988 drill can make holes with the "1 and "1-1/4 bit, but puts it in a good strain (first gear of corse). If your going to be making multiple holes with the largest two I'd bring low spead (geared/high torque ) corded drill.

8.) capable and quick
Reviewed by: aptpupil79 oakland, ca United States
Rating:
i used the 3/4" drill for drilling through two pieces of wood that were sandwiched together for a total width of about 2.5 inches. i used a dewalt 18v on the low speed/high torque setting and it didn't have much trouble getting through the wood. the self-feed really does do the work for you, much better than the regular spade bits.
update: if i could i would rate this as a 5 star product. it goes through everything i've put it up against. vertical grain fir, old growth wood, etc. it just burns right through. awesome for running wires, plumbing, etc.

9.) well worth the $$
Reviewed by: J. Paul Boston, MA USA
Rating:
These bits work well for me in my job as an electrician. Good for drilling softer woods, not too thick. Good idea to frequently back it out and watch out for nails.

10.) Nice until you hit a nail.
Reviewed by: Brad Bonner
Rating:
These are okay. They work well until you hit a nail and then the are done. Unlike the flat spade bits I don't know how to sharpen these. Im sure you can, but I cant. So I went back to cheap $2 ones that I just treat as disposable.

11.) Nothing Special
Reviewed by: James Bond Newport Beach, CA
Rating:
I have tried these and they are nothing special. No advantage over a spade bit was seen.

12.) Bosch Litheon PS20 not powerful enough.
Reviewed by: Leo Burghoffer HEWITT, NJ USA
Rating:
I bought these drills for use with the Bosch litheon PS20 cordless drill.
The bits seem to be of high quality. The self feeding feature pulls the cutting face into the work much too fast for the Bosch to handle. It stalls out even with a fresh charge. They would probably be good for a corded or more (much it would seem) powerful cordless.

13.) poor quality
Reviewed by: Tool man
Rating:
One of the reasons this set appealed to me is the box, I am a neat freak and my tools are all kept clean and organized on the truck.

Tried these bits twice so far and found them to be of " Fair quality"

Blade tip is very rough. BOX BROKE THE FIRST DAY. Box hinges are made of extruded plastic and is very thin and brittle.

14.) incorrect product description
Reviewed by: B. Stenman
Rating:
Irwin makes both Speedbor auger bits and Speedbor spade bits. The pictures are for a auger bit but the description states that these are spade bits. Big difference between the performance of the two types.

As noted the Irwin Speedbor bits die if they hit a nail. Better if is this is a concern to use one of the Greenlee Nail Eater auger bits. One of the advantages of a hole saw or big gullet hole cutter is that all the material is not removed and the chance of hitting a hidden nail head is greatly reduced. Big gullet hole cutters also require a less powerful drill - important if drilling through very hard wood like oak or ipe.

Irwin auger and spade bits like these also have relatively short shanks which limits their use. There are "installer bits" that can be 30" long or longer and are awkward to use but a few companies are also making 17-18" long auger bits which provide excellent cutting depth and are easier to use than the installer or bell hanger versions.



15.) Pass on these bits
Reviewed by: Fletch Salt Lake City
Rating:
In brief. . .

Pros:
- Center nicely (especially when comparing to paddle bits)
- Hex shank for quick load/unload
- Simple case to open/close and clear well marked bits makes them easy to use with gloves, in less than optimum lighting, with eye protection on, etc.

Cons:
- Simply not designed for material thicker than approx 1.5"
- Flute design doesn't evacuate chips well. . . constantly clogs with junk where a paddle bit wouldn't
- Dulls quickly. I think a razor sharp edge and harder metal might solve some of the inherent problems to this design.
- Could be a tiny bit shorter to ease punching holes in joists/rafters that are 16" OC. Current size doesn't work with either my Makita corded drill or LXT cordless, I'd have to use a right angle drill.
- Not what I would call clean entry/exit holes. I am curious as to what other reviewers that have had the opposite experience are drilling through or how many holes they have actually drilled with the bits.

I'm returning these and will probably try the Bosch Devil Spade.

16.) Review
Reviewed by: Hector D. Iglesias
Rating:
My advice to you is that unless you have a very large and powerful drill you DO NOT buy this set. The problem is with the four larger sizes. They grab too much wood and literally stops the drill, and I am talking about DeWalt and Makita ELECTRIC 1/2 inch drills here. After you start the hole it will lock immediately, even if you back off for a split second until the drill achieves full RPM's again, and then ever so gently try to easy your way into the wood, no good, and I was working with regular redwood.
My advice is you buy DeWalt better quality bits that will last you for very long time and will not loose their sharpeness, AND you can ease your way into the wood without ever locking.
I thought these "speedbor" bits would be a great addition to my tools but in reality they just frustrated me.
One last detail (I really don't like these ones, can you tell?): If you are lucky enough to cut a hole, it will have a very rough surface.

Features of Irwin Industrial Tools 3041006 Speebor Max Spade Bit Set, 6-Piece

Tri-Flute design allows for faster chip ejection, making this woodboring bit the fastest Speedbor bit ever! Max Life cutting spurs have 3 cutting edges for added durability. Grooved hex shank prevents slipping in drill chuck or bit extension (fits all standard 1/4in. quick-change chucks). Max Ease full screw tip allows bit to self feed.

1.) The Fastest Speebor spade bit ever;
2.) Tri-Flute design for faster chip ejection;
3.) Cutting spurs have 3 cutting edges for added durability;
4.) Full screw tip allows bit to self feed;
5.) Grooved hex shank prevents slipping in drill chuck or bit extension;

Package Height x Length x Width: 10.8 in. x 10.8 in. x 10.3 in.
Package Weight: 1.7 lbs.

Accessories for Irwin Industrial Tools 3041006 Speebor Max Spade Bit Set, 6-Piece