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Bronze is nonferrous but often harder and more work-hardening than brass, so a bit built for wood or drywall dulls fast against it. Nobody sells a bit literally labeled “for bronze” — what actually works is a standard cobalt, titanium-coated, or carbide-tipped metal bit, matched to how hard your specific alloy is (soft bearing bronze drills easily; manganese bronze work-hardens quickly) and run slow with cutting oil. Below are ten real, currently sold bits and sets spanning HSS, cobalt, titanium-coated, and carbide-tipped options.
| # | Product | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guhring 135° Cobalt Jobber Drill Bits | $8-$25 per bit | Amazon · eBay |
| 2 | Drill America M42 Cobalt Drill Bit Set | $50-$90 | Amazon · eBay |
| 3 | Milwaukee RED HELIX Cobalt Drill Bit Set | $60-$110 | Amazon · eBay |
| 4 | DEWALT Pilot Point Titanium Drill Bit Set (DW1361) | $25-$45 | Amazon · eBay |
| 5 | Bosch CO21 Cobalt M35 Drill Bit Set | $40-$70 | Amazon · eBay |
| 6 | IRWIN Cobalt HSS Drill Bit Set | $45-$80 | Amazon · eBay |
| 7 | Norseman / Viking Drill & Tool Cobalt Jobber Set | $50-$150 | Amazon · eBay |
| 8 | Champion Cutting Tool 705CT Carbide-Tipped Jobber Drills | $12-$35 per bit | Amazon · eBay |
| 9 | Chicago-Latrobe 550 Series Cobalt Drill Bits | $10-$30 per bit | Amazon · eBay |
The picks, in detail
Guhring 135° Cobalt Jobber Drill Bits
German-made M42 8% cobalt bits; Guhring’s parabolic-flute cobalt line is widely cited as the benchmark for cutting hard alloys including manganese bronze.
- M42 8% cobalt HSS
- 135° split-point tip
- Parabolic flute geometry for chip clearance
- Sold individually or as fractional sets
- Handles work-hardening bronze without dulling quickly
- Precision German manufacturing
- Priced per bit rather than as a cheap set
Drill America M42 Cobalt Drill Bit Set
Budget-friendly 8%-cobalt jobber set that tests well against hardened and hard nonferrous metals — a practical everyday choice for bronze fittings and bushings.
- 135° split point
- 29-piece fractional set, 1/16″-1/2″
- Gold-oxide finish
- Made to ANSI specs
- Strong value for cobalt bits
- Full range of sizes in one case
- Storage case quality is basic
Milwaukee RED HELIX Cobalt Drill Bit Set
Milwaukee’s cobalt line with a steeper flute helix for faster chip evacuation — resists the coil clogging that dulls cheaper bits on bronze.
- Steep-helix flute for faster cutting
- 135° split point, self-centering
- Four-facet tip
- 15- or 29-piece sets available
- Widely stocked at hardware stores
- Sturdy case and warranty support
- Costs more than generic cobalt sets
DEWALT Pilot Point Titanium Drill Bit Set (DW1361)
Titanium-nitride-coated HSS with a self-centering pilot tip — one of the fastest options specifically on softer nonferrous metals like brass and bronze.
- 135° pilot point, won’t walk on smooth surfaces
- TiN coating for wear resistance
- 14-piece pilot point set
- Also sold as individual bits
- Excellent on softer bronze alloys and brass
- Self-centering tip needs no punch mark
- Titanium coating wears off eventually; core is standard HSS underneath
Bosch CO21 Cobalt M35 Drill Bit Set
5%-cobalt M35 bits in a toughbox case — a mainstream, easy-to-find cobalt option for shops that don’t want to special-order tooling.
- M35 cobalt alloy
- 135° split point
- 21-piece set, 1/16″-3/8″
- Impact-resistant storage case
- Good value, stocked at most hardware chains
- Reliable on general hard-metal jobs including bronze
- 5% cobalt is less heat-resistant than 8% M42 bits
IRWIN Cobalt HSS Drill Bit Set
IRWIN’s cobalt line, a shop-drawer staple for decades of metalworking on bronze and brass parts.
- M35 cobalt
- Split-point tip
- 29-piece fractional set
- Turbo Point styling for faster starts
- Trusted industrial brand
- Wide size range in one set
- Bulkier case than some competitors
Norseman / Viking Drill & Tool Cobalt Jobber Set
USA-made cobalt bits out of St. Paul, Minnesota. Worth knowing before you comparison-shop: Norseman and Viking are the same tools from the same plant, branded for different buyers — Viking sells to manufacturing, Norseman to maintenance and repair. Buy whichever is cheaper on the day.
- 135° split point
- Gold-oxide surface treatment
- Jobber length
- Sets from 13 to 29 pieces
- Made in USA
- Long-standing industrial supplier, not a consumer-only brand
- Smaller retail footprint — mostly industrial suppliers and Amazon
Champion Cutting Tool 705CT Carbide-Tipped Jobber Drills
Solid-carbide-tipped bits built for exactly the case cobalt struggles with — hard, abrasive, work-hardened nonferrous material such as manganese bronze bushings.
- Tungsten-carbide tip brazed to a steel body
- 135° split point
- Sold individually by fractional size
- Industrial-grade brand
- Outlasts cobalt on the hardest bronze alloys
- Purpose-built for abrasive nonferrous drilling
- More brittle than HSS if flexed or side-loaded
- Priced per bit, not as a set
Chicago-Latrobe 550 Series Cobalt Drill Bits
A century-old American drill brand, still US-manufactured. The 550 series is its cobalt line — gold-oxide finish, built for the heat of hard alloy work. (Don’t confuse it with the black-oxide 150 series, which is plain high-speed steel.)
- 135° split point, M42 cobalt
- 150 Series jobber length
- Bright or black-oxide finish
- Sold as singles or fractional sets
- Long U.S. manufacturing pedigree
- Favoured in professional metalworking circles
- Costs more than hobbyist-grade cobalt sets
Buying tips
- Bronze varies a lot: soft bearing/leaded bronze drills almost like brass, while manganese bronze work-hardens fast and eats plain HSS bits — match the bit to your actual alloy.
- Run slower than you would on steel and use cutting oil; heat buildup, not bit hardness, is what kills most bits on bronze.
- A pilot-point or center-punched start prevents a bit from wandering on bronze’s hard, smooth surface.
- For repeat production work on hard bronze bushings, carbide-tipped bits last far longer than cobalt despite the higher up-front cost.
As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner, toptenpick.com earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability are subject to change.