What Drill Bits You Actually Need at Home

A 30-piece bit set is mostly fillers and duplicates. Six bit types cover every household drilling job.

Twist bits in 1/16", 1/8", 3/16", and 1/4" handle most pilot holes for screws and hanging anchors. Buy cobalt or titanium-coated rather than basic HSS — they cost a couple of dollars more and last 5x as long, especially when you nick a finishing nail by accident.

Add a set of brad-point bits in the same sizes for clean exit holes in wood — useful for through-bolting furniture or drilling shelf-pin holes. A countersink bit makes screw heads sit flush with the surface, which matters for trim and shelving.

For walls beyond drywall: a 1/4" carbide masonry bit drills into brick and concrete with a hammer drill. A 1/2" hole saw drills cable pass-throughs. A self-centering hinge bit (Vix-bit) is a $10 game-changer for installing cabinet and door hardware — it perfectly centers the pilot in the existing hardware hole.

Skip the spade bits, full-length augers, and 1" hole saws until you need them for a specific job. They take up drawer space and dull fast.

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