Drill Doctor Drill Doctor DD500X Model 500X Bit Sharpener Pro Tool Kit

Works fairly decent September 12, 2010

Ideally, I would like to have gotten a professional bit sharpening system, but most start at the $1,000 level and go up rapidly in price. I figured I'd give something in the $100 range a try instead to see if could at least keep my bits in decent shape. For the most part, this machine has done just that. 

What I liked:

The machine is pretty easy to use, and the basic idea of aligning the bit and sharpening it with a rotating cam action is the same as much more expensive systems use. I like the alignment system because it goes off of the flute lower down on  the bit opposed to the very tip. If you have a bit with a damaged tip, you're aligning off a better portion of the bit. I tried out the tip splitting feature on the Drill Doctor just yesterday, and I liked the results. 

What I didn't like:

While it's a good, economy system of sharpening bits, I still think the fit and build of some components could be better. The alignment arms could be made a little heavier with more precision in their operation. Also the fit of the bit holder in the sharpening port could be a little better to prevent the noticeable wobble going on while sharpening. Cuts are usually good and even, but frequently the relief angle is off, and needs to be redone. 

All and all, I think it's a okay machine for it's price. I'm going to stick to using this for wood working bits opposed to bits I use for machining purposes. 

drill doctor 500x good build and easy to use September 10, 2010

I Recide overseas in India I recently purchased Drill Doctor 500X and Paid quite a bit on shipping and custom duty and to my suprise I found it had wrong voltage, sears should warn overseas customer regarding difference in voltage or provide correct voltage equipment, even after using (220 to 110)stepdown voltage adaptor the machine blew the inline motor protector and is unusable, also sears will not supply the spare grinding wheel as it says cannot be shipped overseas, this is ridiculous as machine can be shipped bur spare wheel,can`t be shipped overseas, sears should seroiuly look into this matter, its of great concern to international buyers,

Beats buying new drill bits July 15, 2010

I had four sets of drill bits, all were so dull that I couldn't drill through any metal (they just scored the surface). This bit sharpener not only sharpened all the bits, but it allowed me to change the angle on some, so they were much better at drilling throught metal. This sharpener will save me a bunch of money, since drill bits haven't gotten cheaper over the years. BTW, if you happen to break a drill bit, when using it, don't throw it away, this machine will sharpen it, making it as good as new (it'll just be a little shorter). Need self-centering drill bits, this machine does that too.

Incredible Product! June 13, 2010

I used this product to show it off during Demo Days in my Sears store. I retrieved several drill bits from the maintenance shop and had customers watch as I filed the cutting edge of the bit. I then tried to drill into a soft 2x4 and it just wouldn't do it. I would then take the bit out and put it into the Drill Doctor (very easy process) and after about 5 passes it had a brand new edge. I put it back into the drill and hit that same 2x4 and it was like brand new. This machine I used for Demo lasted 8 hours each weekend for about 4 months being used continuously the whole 8 hours, and never even sounded like it struggled. When we were done with the demo we had probably sharpened about 4000 bits, then we sold it off as used. The guy that bought it still comes in, and always talks about how great it is. The savings you can return from your investment of this tool is incredible, the small bits don't break as easily if they are sharp, and the large ones are expensive so resharpening can save you a load of money.