Festool 500174 ZOBO Forstner-Style Bit Set, Imperial

Expensive but very high quality. I believe it is an item that most would not want. It cuts clean holes with no deflection. High quality furniture production is enhanced with the use of this set. I have done some inlay work also - besides it is cool.

Festool forstner bits are not cheap, and I resisted buying them for several years. After accidentally melting a forstner bit of inferior metallurgy, I finally forked over the money for the metric version of this set. It was so good that I ordered this imperial set the following week. These Festool cutters are so superior that I will probably throw onto my scrap metal shelf the almost-new forstner bits that I was using previously. These Festool bits drill crisp, clean holes almost effortlessly. I was accustomed to cheap forstner bits that required a lot of coaxing and produced ragged, uneven holes. In contrast, these Festool bits are a dream. I had no idea results this good were even possible. These forstner bits include removable points and a twist bit that can be inserted in stead, for drilling at angles up to 70 degrees. A typical forstner bit cannot perform this operation at all. The cutter diameter is laser-etched on each drill bit for convenience. The bits are housed in an sturdy, modular container, which will be worth keeping even after the bits themselves finally wear out. Festool advertises that these bits can be resharpened up to 30 times, which improves the value/price ratio. These cutters are so much better than the average forstner bit that I will consider them a good value, even if I fail to re-sharpen them. These drill bits are excellent. I recommend them without qualification. EDIT: Just to be clear, these drill bits are primarily designed for use in wood.