Drill Doctor DD350X Drill Bit Sharpener - 3/32" to 1/2" - Electric Sharpener - High Speed & Portable - for Steel, Masonry, Carbide & Tin-Coated Bits

After well over 50 years of replacing dull bits with new ones and never throwing the old ones away, "WHALLA", I finally did something worth while. I bought the 350X. Did not want to spend a bundle of money so I went with the least expensive one after reading so many positive reviews. It came today and I sat here and sharpened every one of my old bits. Probably at least 100 to 150! 1/2in and smaller. Mostly smaller. I'm very impressed with the results. It took the first 2 or 3 bits to get the procedure down pat, but after that it was a sinch. I expected there to be significant wear on the grinding wheel but it was almost unnoticeable. When I finished I still removed the wheel and reinstalled it 180 degrees. This was a very simple process with instructions in the manual. Probably will never have to do it again. For cleaning I took it out into my garage and used my compressor to blow the grit and dust out of it. Again, a very simple process. Unless you are using this for a business where you are constantly going through drill bits, I can see no reason to buy the more expensive units. The only thing you have to remember is that this unit will not take anything larger than 1/2in. Well worth the money spent.

I gave it 5 stars because it is as advertised. It is difficult to master. For the price it is a fair bargain. I am a retired machinist with no idea how many bits I have sharpened with and without machines in 35 plus years. My vision decline caused me to seek a machine like this.

Works great after you learn how to use it. First insert bit tightened just enough to hold it in the chuck. Make sure the alignment fingers in the chuck on both sides are against the edges of the bit flutes and again, on both sides. Align the white triangle with the cam guide and push bit into machine firmly. Then tighten chuck as much as you can, remove and tighten more. The tip of the bit should be sticking out no more than about 3/16". If it's sticking out more, redo the above. Turn the machine on and line up the straight line mark on the chuck with the cam guide on the machine. Now, this is IMPORTANT! Keep mild pressure UPWARD AGAINST THE CAM GUIDE as you turn the chuck to the right or clockwise to the double line mark on the chuck. Turn chuck to the right to the single line and again, keeping mild upward pressure on the chuck against the cam guide. Keep going from single line mark to double line mark and back again until the grinding of the bit sounds mild, smooth and uniform or just follow the guidelines in the instruction booklet. Also don't worry about pushing down on the chuck, just let the grinding wheel do it's job and AGAIN, keeping mild pressure UP against the cam guide.All this sounds somewhat complicated but once you get the drill down, (no pun intended), it's about as easy as operating a pencil sharpener. I sharpened around 120 extremely dull bits that thankfully I had saved instead of pitching them. To test some of the bits that before sharpening could barely cut into wood, I tried drilling the sharpened bits into mild steel and they cut into it like butter. Good job Drilldocter!I would have given this DD350X sharpener 5 stars as this is advertised to sharpen bits down to 3/32" but the alignment fingers in the chuck in my example seem slightly out of alignment and won't clamp on to the tiny bit flutes of 3/32" bits. Even so, I highly recommend this bit sharpener.

As a retired mechanical engineer I've tried a number of drill bit sharpeners over the years. Some were highly technical and some were simply plastic junk. This sharpener really surprised me. It was simple to use and left the bits in like new condition. I tested a few of the bits I sharpened and they cut very well. I definitely recommend this device, it's worth the price.

with consistent results. But one minor negative I wasn't expecting. It's somewhat messy. It doesn't capture or trap the metal filings and diamond dust very well. The wheel spins fast and blows most of it out the slot in the bottom. And if you turn it on before putting in the chuck & bit it blows some out of the opening. I started wearing a mask when using it. It does feel solid and well made and runs strong with little vibration. I found it will handle sharpening bits a 32nd above or below the range claimed by the company, no problem.

It isn't as easy to get the job done as it might seem from the materials they present. I've carefully followed the written and video instructions, and... sharpened one drill bit and basically destroyed two others. It does work, I have one bit like new, maybe even better than new. At the cost of two others. There is a definite learning curve involved, at the least.Also -- and maybe this was my total misconception from the outset -- but be aware that it sharpens the tip only. Not the grooves. I was, honestly, a bit disappointed with that. But, to be clear, I admit freely that even needing to sharpen the grooves may be my misconception from the get-go. The tip is what does the heavy lifting, I suppose, and that even makes sense when you think it through. After thinking it through, I'm now thinking that the grooves basically just form a channel for the drilled out wood to be pulled from the hole you're drilling. Still, from all I had read I still wasn't clear about... that's all it does. If you manage to do it right, in the first place. I genuinely had the impression, and, again, in all fairness, maybe just in my head and not through some kind of advertising misdirection, that you basically... mount the drill bit and run it through the machine, and the whole deal was sharpened. That isn't the case, and it is absolutely not as easy as they make it sound. And you can as easily destroy drill bits as sharpen them with this device; this I know from personal experience.So my honest review is mixed. It does seem to sharpen the tips of drill bits, but there is a definite learning curve to achieve that result, and you will likely lose at least a few bits while learning. So I'm not suggesting you don't get one, just be aware of these issues and prepared to deal with them if you do.