"Unibits" at Harbor Freight tools, $6.99

[hubble]

just a heads up.  figured i'd get on the bandwagon and get my first step bit.  this thing rocks! i dont know how long it'll last but its not bad for 7 bucks.  its the 1/4'' to 3/4'' which is all i need for now.  they also have other combos with more options. 

[svstee]

They had a 3-pack on sale for 10$ a couple of months ago. I have never used any other brand, but I've drilled out hundreds of hole with these.

[cb]

+1 on unibits. My standard drill bits seemed to wander, thus rendering my enclosure a prototype. My unibit didn't, so it became my fav. Here's a tip tho- wrap masking tape around the next section larger than the size you want to drill. This will prevent drilling one step too far, i.e. making the hole too big and ruining your enclosure.

[hubble]

they also have a pack of 9 one foot long heat shrink tubes $1.49

[.Mike]

Another nice thing to know about Harbor Freight is that they will usually match their online price in-store if you bring in a printout of the item. Well, my local store does at least.

It's worth a shot if, for example, you want to get the 3-piece step drill kit for $9.99 instead of the single bit (which is included in the kit) for $6.99.



Mike

[darwin_deathcat]

a couple of months ago Harbor Freight had a sale on and I got a pouch of THREE DIFFERENT unibits for $5! They are of good quality too. The nice thing is that one has many increments, one is long with fewr increments but easier to control with a handheld drill, and one has very wide diameter increments... It all came in a nice velcro pouch too! Great deal all around!

[hubble]

i dont have any regular drill bits larger than 1/4 inch so i figured a unibit was the cheapest option to get those holes for stomps/jacks.  i think a small set of regular drill bits and a 1/4-3/4 unibit is perfect combo for stompboxes.  id like to get a bigger unibit for amp builds/tube sockets eventually

[SpencerPedals]

3 Piece Titanium Nitride Coated M2 High Speed Steel Step Drills  8.99
7 Function Digital Multimeter  2.49    

Looks like it's time to see what everyone's raving about...I almost bought the three pack last night, decided against it, and today it's a dollar cheaper.  Hell yeah procrastination!  I do enjoy a drill bit that doesn't wander halfway across the room prior to actually drilling, though.  I have a multimeter but need something to check hfe.  You can't get a bad tasting fast food burger for that price. 

[grathan]

still 6.99 the 3 pack is 9.99 I wonder how these compare to the carbon Irwin unibits.




this looks like another good buy at 5.99
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42101



or this one for 2.87
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=36143

[panterafanatic]

for wire striping i prefer to just use a utility knife, i have better luck with it personally.

[aziltz]

i'll be ordering a unibit soon, as i finally have access to a machine shop. but let me say this.  INVEST IN STARTER BITS!!! zero wandering after you use a starter to center the hole for the drill.

[earthtonesaudio]

I use this one for stripping insulation off fiber optic cabling at work, nothing else works.  Works well for wire too!

[doitle]

You have to make sure it goes down to the guage you use though. I use 22AWG and I have one of those that won't strip it... :/ Back to stripping with the thumbnail.

[earthtonesaudio]

True, but for the really tiny stuff I just use the soldering iron tip.

[jacobyjd]

This is where it's at for stripping wires. Hands-down the best tool I've ever used for it (not necessarily this actual model...just the format). After doing assembly for 7 years, then building stompboxes, I've never found anything more dummy-proof and durable/consistent for wire stripping.

[MoltenVoltage]

Those step bits are perfect for drilling MIDI jack holes too.

The also sell 10 packs of 1/8" and 1/4" bits to make your guide holes for $1 or so.

One of the best things they sell that is occasionally on sale is the little hobby vise with a suction cup on the bottom.

The dental hooks are really useful too - and the tweezer variety packs - each less than $5 when on sale.

[SpencerPedals]

Since I posted that I've used my step drills exclusively for box-building and they're incredible.  So much faster than changing bits and they bite in faster without walking.  I don't even bother using a punch now. 

The multimeter is a piece of junk (as priced) and the first one had a hfe tester slot that wouldn't read anything.  They sent another and it works sometimes but it annoying as hell to get to the 'sometimes' point.  Now that this has become a full-fledged addiction, I plan on getting a decent multimeter.

[trixdropd]

still 6.99 the 3 pack is 9.99 I wonder how these compare to the carbon Irwin unibits

Compared to irwin unibits, the harbor freight ones are toys. But the irwin unibit I use on my job as an air duct Cleaner (1") costs around 60$, but lasts months of heavy use 6 days a week. I'd destroy the harbor freight within a week probably.

So all in all buy them for making pedals, but if you want an everlasting but an irwin is a better investment.

From the 3 pack, I've found the long 6 step bit the coolest. 2nd step is the palstic led holders i use. Step 4 is metal 1/4' jacks. Step 5 is the plastic marshall style jack I use. Step 6 is the stomp switch and dc jack. it does damn near everything and is easy to maneuver and control and not over cut.