Drill Doctor DD750PK Precision Drill Bit Sharpener
Instead of throwing away old, dull bits, give them a checkup with the Drill Doctor and extend their life. Although drill-bit sharpening systems often fail to live up to our expectations, we're here to bear witness for the truth of the Drill Doctor's claims: it really does sharpen old bits in just a couple of minutes. The 750SP (also known as the Professional) works on conventional, split-point, and masonry bits from 3/32 to 3/4 inches in size. If you don't plan on sharpening anything larger than 1/2-inch bits, we recommend getting the 500SP instead; it's basically the same machine, minus the cost of the 3/4-inch chuck that comes with this model. Both models--the 500SP and the Professional 750SP--allow you to choose between a 118- and 135-degree sharpening angle. Operation is fairly simple, but to make sure no one has trouble figuring it out, the Drill Doctor comes with a how-to video. Anyone who frequently wears down drill bits is going to appreciate the savings this handy machine can offer. Using sharp bits instead of dull ones also increases the life of your drill, because sharper bits require less work to make the same hole. We only wish we'd found the Drill Doctor sooner.
--Brian Trinen
Futures
Sharpens conventional point, split point, and masonry drill bit at 118- or 135-degree angles;Two chucks accept 3/32- to 1/2-inch and 1/2- to 3/4-inch bit shafts;Long-lasting Diamond wheel sharpens carbide, high-speed steel, standard, cobalt, and more;Comes with how-to video;
Customer Review:
Solid Tool, Economically Sensible!
I wasn't truly convinced I needed a drill bit sharpener until I saw Drill Doctor's infomercial one night during a bout with insomnia. Anyway, I started thinking about the times when I have been in the middle of a job and had to resort to bearing down with all my might to force a "once-sharp-but-now-dull" drill bit to make a few final holes in order to complete a job. Anyway, bearing down like that is hard on your drill and hard on yourself, so I thought I'd try the DD750PK, and ordered mine from Amazon.
First up, I grabbed a handful of old bits that I had inexplicably saved, and sharpened a few. I was impressed with how easy and accurately the DD750PK sharpened these bits. I sharpened bits from 1/4" on up, and all went well. The tool really is easy to use.
The lasting impression was made late one Sunday night in my home shop, however. I accidentally demolished the tip on an odd-sized bit. I'm going to skip the particulars about the stupid thing I did to demolish this bit, but the end of it had no taper left whatsoever. It was completely flat. I thought there'd be no way to restore a point to that bit, but I was wrong. With the home centers all closed, finding another bit was not an option, so out came the Drill Doctor. Within just a few minutes, I had that bit back in service -- and even though it was 1/4" shorter than it had been (because of the damage -- not because the Drill Doctor takes that much off during sharpening), it actually cut better than when it was new. I was totally impressed at that point. It may not sound like much, but without that Drill Doctor, I would have had to postpone completion of my project until I replaced the bit.
This was exactly the situation I had imagined when I bought the Drill Doctor. I'm a believer in it now, for sure! Plus, if you sharpen enough bits, the thing pays for itself!
The ability to sharpen masonry bits should save me a lot of wear and tear on my drills as well!
My only complaint, and maybe it doesn't merit knocking it from 5 stars to 4, is that I would like to be able to sharpen up to a 1" bit. Those darned things are expensive, and naturally, the bigger the bit you can sharpen, the more money you can save.
I highly recommend this tool!
Drill Doctor DD750PK
I ordered my Drill Doctor on Friday, 01-28-05 and received it on Monday, 01-31-05. What wonderful service from Amazon.com!
I watched the included video and read the manual and then decided to give it a whirl. My first bit, a 1/2 inch, was perfect! I even checked for accurate centering using my depth micrometer. It was right on. I proceeded to do 24 more dull bits down to a number 40. All came out perfectly. This took about an hour or so.
The only problem I experienced was with small shorter bits. They do not pass through the end of the chuck far enough to turn them with your fingers for proper alignment. I overcame this problem by leaving the chuck not seated on its flats and closeing the alignment paddle gently while slightly rotating the chuck until proper alignment was achieved and then carefully seating the chuck and then tightening it. That took a little practice but the number 40 bit only took three attempts to get it right. I would recommend using a magnifying glass to inspect bits under 1/8 to be sure that they are sharpened correctly. Perhaps the Drill Doctor folks will come out with an additional chuck to handle the smaller sizes better.
Overall, I would recommend this precision tool to anyone who drills many holes and always should have a sharp bit. Well, back to sharpening more bits!
Works as advertised
My sharpener is used mostly for small bits. The instructions say that when the grinding wheel wears down, take it out and turn it over. However, the wheel on my unit wouldn't come off, so I called Drill Doctor's Hot Line. They advised me to put the whole thing in the freezer for 30 minutes -- no kidding -- then it would pop off. Sure enough, it did. Great customer service.
Like so many others, I had collected hundreds of dull drill bits. After "mastering" use of the tool, which took all of 30 minutes, I sharpened them all. Almost as good as having new bits. Now, I can pull out the DD and sharpen a single bit, in just a few minutes. Since sharpening a bit shortens it a tad, the only reason for replacing drill bits now is when they are too short, or I break one.
One reviewer complained that the tool is mostly "plastic". So what, it seems plenty sturdy to hold up for years of use.
"Sharp" means nearly razor sharp. Not like new bits, which are typically blued or otherwise coated. After shapening, bit ends are finely honed at the proper angle. I've had a Drill Doctor for a couple of years, and have used it dozens of times -- this is definately a 5-star tool.
Keywords: Bit Sharpeners;
