Comments on: Preview: Milwaukee Shockwave Bits

By: SK

SK — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:30:51 +0000

I can’t see how a small little 1″ bit tip will flex. Maybe the 2″ or longer. But I’m not going to pay for the longer bits that “MAY” work. Rather just keep using may holder and dewalt tips.

By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:25:31 +0000

I wonder if these are made in China. It seems that more and more of their products come from there, sad to say.

True of just about every American tool brand as well.

By: Electron

Electron — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:28:47 +0000

I’m not going to weigh in on whether or not the design’s an improvement on standard bits (at least in the real world), but there’s sound logic to the bare metal in the machined portion. The idea here is that the thinner cross section will deform elastically. In a nutshell, a thin, hard, brittle coating that doesn’t have mechanical properties very similar to the substrate will produce small cracks that can nucleate much larger fractures, ultimately causing the bit to fail. Google “crack tip propagation” and you can find much more detailed explanations.

As in interesting aside, this same phenomenon created some major headaches when GM decided to put deformable plastic body panels on the Saturn line. The paints they were testing in the pre-productions phases kept causing panels to fail in minor impacts because they nucleated fractures. They went through many formulations before they found one that flexed with the plastic without cracking.

By: D

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:16:56 +0000

These torsion bits are not all that new. Wera has had both the bits and a matching torsion bit holder for some time.

I saw Irwin torsion bits at Grainger a few months ago. As I recall, I saw some DeWalt torsion bits at Home Depot as well.

It really would be nice to have a truly independent test of bits.

By: fred

fred — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:23:48 +0000

We have found that the Dewalts seem to last longer than some others.
Maybe what we need is a bit made like an old sword. Hard metal at the tip, a softer more resilient shank and then a good rear-end material that not too hard to messup the chuck if its over-torqued. Maybe a Japanese balcksmith can make these - but probably at some price no one would spend.

By: John E

John E — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:42:03 +0000

I would definitely use the tapered area as a finger guide, usually I hold the top of the phillips head.

By: Bob The Drywall Guy

Bob The Drywall Guy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:08:21 +0000

I’ve seen hilti bits that look quite similar. After checking, my Hilti #2 phillips drywall bits are a tiny bit tapered like these.

That said, I can’t stand those Hilti bits! I’ve had two shatter as I over-torqued a screw, one came very close to lodging serious chunks into an eye! I think the particular problem with those is they are over hardened. Their screws seem to be the same way, I find their coarse thread screws sometimes have an issue driving into wood, I’ll break one in 50, instead of, maybe 2 in an 8000 pc. box of grabbers. Those those have started to suck lately too. Thanks China.

If they’re reasonably priced, I’ll check’m out… I’ll wear my safety glasses, it can’t hurt

As far as it goes, Dewalt seem’s to be the standard bearer for bits, reliable and well priced. I find Bosch to last a fair bit longer, but there’s a price difference. The ones you get in the big Ryobi bit kits are decent, but don’t hold up to serious work.

By: MeasureOnceCutTwice

MeasureOnceCutTwice — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:13:58 +0000

Here’s a swag as to why the torsion area is free of coating: Perhaps if they had coating on the area designed to flex, the coating would tend to fail due to the flexing. Also, that’s an area where many people rest their fingers as they start the screw - certainly don’t want flaked-off coating spinning into flesh.

By: Benjamen Johnson

Benjamen Johnson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:02:21 +0000

Nick asks:

Are you crazy…

Yes, a little. Thanks for asking.

Like I said, I thought Phillips were designed to cam out before breaking the screw, I guess I have broken the heads off screws though with a Phillips driver, so that’s not always true in the real world.

I’m still having a little bit of trouble understanding why the bits shear vs. shearing the head off the screw. If it’s a one time over-torque thing you’d think the screw would break, or does it have to do with repeated stress on the bit building up and weakening it until it finally shears.

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:39:17 +0000

Are you crazy I shear #2 bits all the time using them high rev on my drywall gun, screwing down 5/8th ply into steel stud.

Will I buy these, no, ill just keep buying the 50packs of #2 bits and keep them in my bags, unless these are like only a buck or two more for a 50 pack

By: Mr P

Mr P — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:13:42 +0000

Re:Benjamen Johnson

Sure if you use an impact driver. I have done it a few times while installing sleeve anchors.

By: Benjamen Johnson

Benjamen Johnson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:46:33 +0000

You’re telling me that you’re going to shear a bit before the Phillips tip cams out.

Come on, has that ever happened to anybody?

By: woodworker01

woodworker01 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:14:47 +0000

Marketing Guy: we made it different so it’s better.

Engineer: But it takes another manufacturing step so it cost more

Marketing Guy: but it’s different, so it’s better, people will pay more. Not to mention look at the size of the package for a single, we’ll sell millions!

Wera did this with BiTorsion, then Irwin copied it with Torsion, then…

everyone is just solving another issue that doesn’t need solved

By: mramseyISU

mramseyISU — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:02:54 +0000

The taper looks ground, not machine (even though grinding is machining but that’s another story). I’m guessing to get a better surface finish. Not only will that make it “look better” it will make it stronger.

By: Pepster

Pepster — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:55:21 +0000

Probably so it’ll look cooler.

I imagine the marketing types made the call.

By: KMR

KMR — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:35:52 +0000

Why would you machine the taper after the bit has already been black oxide coated?