Carbide Tipped vs Hole Saw vs Annular Cutter - Which is best to drill thick metal - steel - iron 

Thank you man . You really rescued me of buying these types of hole cutting tools . And i am going to buy the first type you have used . You rescued me of lossing my money because these tools are very expensive

Have bought these and have used on a regular belt driven pillar drill, have cut 16mm hardened steel plate but used up 2x25mm of these cutters for one hole . The carbide teeth just don’t stay the distance, they’re ok for soft iron but need constant lube and air to keep cutting channel clear of chips. But then for a few $ and made in China you can’t expect to get top notch cutting, best stick to annular cutters, may be more expensive but they’ll stay in your bit box and not in the scrap bin. 👍

I've used hole saws in the 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" sizes, run them probably too fast, but got excellent results using water as my continuous lube. Got very little degrading in teeth as well. Was able to make many holes in 3/4" steel

The second holesaw is more for thin metals like electical panels and boxes. As an electrician I use 10 different sizes of these on a regular basis. Usually 3/4 inch , 1 inch, 1.25 inch, 1.5 inch, 1.75 inch, 2inch , 2.5 inch , 3 inch and 2 that are specific to metal race for cutting metal studs to run MC through . Ive had my kit for 5 years and have no problems with it. Using it to cut .5 inch plate is not the best idea.

I like them. When I discovered the beauty of annular carbide cutters, I went on eBay and got a bunch of Milwaukee steel hangs for an average of $5 each, now if those could hold up, $25 is an awesome deal. For me, the steel hawgs work great. I even did a video on how to use them like 6 years ago.

Thanks for the review, you saved me from throwing money away!

I have found using compressed air blown directly on the cut without using cutting oil works best. We use annular cutters and Milwaukee, and both seem to last longer and cut faster.

I have used champion brand carbide hole saws and have been very impressed with the hole being +/- 5 thou of nominal dimensions.. For semi precise holes in the mill they are a cheap way to make a few to a hundred holes depending on coolant.

Thanks for the vid. Im looking to cut a 2 inch hole on a couple of 3/8 steel plates at home. --One time deal, kind of thing, and this really helped.

This pretty well confirmed my thoughts on those carbide cutters,....maybe they're ok for thin sheet metal or wood, but not for steel, as some of the advertising would suggest. I guess for a cutting depth only 1/2 inch ( 13 mm ) this should tell us all we need to know.

I use 3/4” Weldon size shank annular cutters in my mill. The arbor for these costs about $75-$100. If you want internal cutting fluid, the ones with that attachment go for about $120 - $160. There are more expensive arbors, and less expensive. The cutters from a high quality maker, such as Fein, go from about $20 for small sizes to about $75 for large ones. These do cut very well, and smoothly. A mill at a slower speed works very well. Smaller drill presses, with less than about a 1 Hp motor, and a not so solid column, not so well. You need power, and speeds below about 400 rpm for 1” cutters, 2” cutters prefer 250. These carbide cutters are really meant for sheet metal, and thinner plate. Even 1/4” can be a problem. By the way, why does your mill have those chunky sounds, even when you’re not cutting?

I have some of those The Carbide hole saws, bought them off eBay and found the same thing. However, they do work great for sheet metal up to about 1/8 inch material. Anything thicker they will fail miserably. Annular cutters are one of the very best means to cut large holes in thick material. But you pay for a good set. The typical hole saw works if you buy a good one, and not the cheap Chinese knock-offs. Most everything is made in Asia now, BUT they also make the top quality tooling, for North American or European Companies. You really do get what you pay for most of the time.

I think the first hole with carbide hole saw stopped because that spring on the center bit was pushed solid, not allowing it to go down any more.

It would be interesting given the comments to see what the higher priced carbide tipped saws do. Someone may have it on yt somewhere. Thanks for sharing, I've wondered about carbide tipped hole saws. I won't waste my time with cheap ones.

Very helpful video...we were facing the same problems with the carbide tip cutters.Now we will use the annular cutter.

We use the tct holesaws all the time cutting holes in 316 stainless, theyre 1000 times better than a standard bi metal holesaw. But theyre designed for sheet metal usually only up to around 3mm thick, you can cut larger i cut a 20mm hole in a 25mm thick pice of stainless half one side flip half the other side but it took forever and had to stop and clear chips out of the teeth all the time. They do leave a very clean cut with no burrs though, fantastic when drilling for glands into electrical panels. Would love some annular cutters but we dont have a mill and most of the time the holes i need to cut are machinery and being used in a cordless drill which deffinately rules out an annular cutter lol.

thanks for the link.. i borrowed a carbide tip hole saw from a tradesmen working on the farm that work on, it had only 2 carbide tips left (the rest had broken off/worn down) and he said be careful as the cost around 200 bucks (nz dollar) well as luck would have it... or murphys law... i broke another tip off.... then his pilot drill bit.. was worried it was gonna cost me a lot...

i used these already enough to realise i have to turn the workpiece upside down when its about half way trough the workpiece. The pilot hole will be there to help. I Use plenty cold water-lubricant mix and keep it cool as much i can. The water also helps to remove the shivers out of the way. 5-10 mm steel no problem. I made plenty holes into C-profiles. Used it with hand drill, low rpm, high torque.

Thanks,I recently bought some on eBay but guess I’ve got nothing to look forward to but I have learned in the past couple days of searching that the annular cutters are probably my best bet so not a total loss.

I have good results using Milwaukee hole saws or equal on 1" steel. On larger holes I drill 5/16" holes on the inside edge of the hole to allow the chips to escape from the saw. Slow the drill press down as far as it will go and go slow with lots of coolant. It's takes times and patience but it works. One saw will cut two or three 3" holes. Great video. I always wondered about those carbide saws??

The closer your piece is to the quill and the less you have to travel will reduce chattering also having a stable set up will help immensely… With annual cutters you want to have constant oil for constant cooling for constant cutting Performance. It will also have the effect of having your tools last longer…. Cool presentation…. Keep on rockin…

I use (more expensive) carbide tip hole saws quite frequently and they work quite well. I use them in a hand drill though. I find they work best with light pressure. I drill primarily 1/4" aluminum with them bit have drilled 1/2" to 3/4" cast iron as well.

Pretty sure that chatter you are getting with the annular is from you bowing the plate from the force of you pushing down on it with a cutter since you are only supporting 2 sides. Put a board or something under it so it is fully supported and try it and see if it doesn't behave better.

Yes, it looked to me like it was choked with chips before I saw you remove it and take it back to the bench. While the annular cutter is just HSS, it was designed to pull the chips out along the entire length.

Dear Sir, good demonstration. I was considering buying a set of the first set of cutters but your first cut put me off. Clearly annular cutters are much better and also more expensive. Cheers.

My brotha let me tell you a couple of things to consider on use of TCT cutters. #1 depth of cut on the cutter you used is about 3/16". Your material looks to be 1/4". #2 need to use a mag wand to pull the chips away from the cut. The chips are getting caught up and the cutter is literally trying to recut the chips. If you don't have a mag wand use a blow gun.

I expect those carbide bits are only intended for sheet metal, aluminum, plastic or wood. Save them for your woodworking, but again they would only be good for something rather thin... Good test, Gary

I have never used cheap carbide cutters like you demonstrated, but have used trade grade brands for years for cutting electric panel holes with excellent results. I wouldn't consider matching a trade grade tool against a machine shop grade tool and expect the same performance. In the machine shop, I would only apply the trade grade tool where I couldn't justify the expense of the annular cutter. I have a drawer full hole saws, because they are inexpensive. I have few carbide cutters, and I treat them with respect, because they are life savers on the electrical job site, but more costly than hole saws. I own twist bits for the machine shop and covet annular cutters.

I a am from South Africa.. unfortunately if I have to buy Angular cutters for my home use, it is going to cost alot, luckily we have those carbide tipped hole saws at every Hardware store and more.. I use them in a hand drill to cut steel sheet metal up to 8mm thick.. use cutting coil to lube.. and again with fair pressure and decent speed technique.. I drill alot of holes by hand.. the hole saw last me very long time..and it doesn't take me that long either..

Excellent video. I would have probably bought one of these, before I saw it in action. Thanks

You have to grind out the gullets on cheap cutters to allow chips to clear, this works well.

A pilot hole may have made it easier to get further down on your work pieces. I agree with your fist drill bitnthat takes out materials fast. We get what we pay for. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy. PS. THE Anual cutters are definitely the way to go and great presentation on your video.

I always wondered how to use a carbide tipped hole saw WRONG. Now I know. Thanks

interesting test. I would never use hole saws on steel but have on aluminum several times. Recently I cut 2- 2" holes and 4-1 1/4" holes in 1/2" aluminum plate. Worked fine and Milwukee hole saws still like new. Used my mill head to drive it and used a steady stream of coolant fluid bathing the work. Also used the peck system and cleaned the teeth frequently. i have used hole saws to drill holes in work so I had more room to than use my lathe to bore the hole larger. I would like t get a couple of annular cutters but seems I always put it off and than when I need to make a hole i resort to the hole saws.

It would be good to see you try a more expensive Carbide tipped hole cutter to see if that performs any better.

Anuallar is best. I use a Jancey Slugger and a English built Rotobor magnetic drill. Since the split point is developed they really make quality mirror finish holes Make sure a good supply of oil is used.

The carbide tipped hole saw, ya, what’d anyone THINK would happen! “I’m gonna pretty much pull down as hard as I can, no idea what the feed rate is....” Ya, That is specifically what you’re NOT supposed to do drilling anything. Secondlyness: HEAT is the enemy of all cutting apparati (the plural of apparatus). So, the larger diameter, the slower the rpms and feed rate, have a brass bristle brush to clean the gullets as you go on thicker material. Now something to note here, if you payed $25 dollars and got a goddamned pack of TEN assorted “carbide tipped” hole cutters on Amazon then you’re pretty much guaranteed they will fail. PERIOD. Actually I think the seller didn’t post those for sale thinking anyone would buy them! It was just a troll! A joke! Not to be taken seriously! Anyone that knows how to do anything of real intrinsic value would have seen the “ad” on Amazon for those cutters and known immediately it was just poking fun at crappy tools and manufacturers! It’s the year 2022. Literally nothing costs $25. Especially not a tool that is designed to be used for ANYTHING! So, the next time any of you are drilling holes in metallurgic compounds, keep it slow and keep it cool. “I’m gonna pull down as hard as I can” he says!😂

I got a cheap set of those carbide tipped hole saws - not even tried them yet. Can't see them lasting long and yours did pretty much what I am expecting!. I very much like an annular cutter whenever feasible but a good bi-metal hole saw can do OK quite often.

I use a 56mm carbide holesaw at 275rpm to cut 5mm and it works fine using the same lube as you do. Cheers

Great video and info, but that first holesaw you demonstrated are only rated for 3mm (1/8") depth of cut. Otherwise the teeth break off

Nice vide0 n0w we knows annular cutters best..

Hello Gary, I don't own any of those carbide but it looks like that ejection spring would two block the cutters once it collapsed down. That would lead me to believe they are for sheet metal only. Nice test though. I like the comparisons like this. Take care. Doug

Not all holesaw are made for lubricant there are some in the industry that are dry and the reason why is lubricant tend to clog up certain areas of the holesaw preventing the proper use of it so you might well want to check with your manufacture if it requires lubricant or not and also the speed that it requires to drill a hole with the holesaw

i should watch this video before buiying the set ! i use the little 15mm on inox tube of 5mm thickness with a cordless drill, all the teeth melt despate using cutting oil. i'll kept the remaining 11 bit for very thin metal, aluminium, etc. and buy classic hole saw.

Years ago I used a Greenlee carbide hole saw for a bunch of holes in stainless, I want to say they were around 1-1/2 and the material was 3/16 thick. I remember it worked really well. Have a look how the reliefs are cut in that tool compared to the ones you have. You may want to try more rpm but I doubt those things will work at all. Not trying to be an ass Gary but your mill does not sound too good.

I use these kind of hole saws a lot we have to keep lube on it or the bit gets dull. also slower work better

You didn't do anything wrong, those carbide hole saws are only useful for thin sheet, the standard hole saw is good for wood. But the annular cutter is the ducks guts for plate, perfect no question.

if I only have an ordinary drill press, can I use an adapter to use the annular cutter to cut metal? Thanks

I use hole saws all the time cheap and expensive. But that said a shell mill is beast no pecking just coolant and pressure very fast

Think about the spring... The totale deepht of the saw was 0.5 inch but the spring on the center of the saw were compressed down and jeep away space in the cutting deep

25$ for ten cutters? No test needed actually... Maybe carbide would need more rpm as well.

I know this is way off topic for the video, but your Mitutoyo digital caliper is fake. Genuine Mitutoyo calipers have 4 places after the decimal when reading inches (with the last digit being either 0 or 5) and the locking thumbscrew is of a completely incorrect style.

Great video.. Thank you for the post!

I was curious about the cheap ones. The brand name carbide hole saws do work good under 1/2". I'm definitely not going to replace them with the Chinese ones.

This was helpful. I have seen that other set on Amazon. Maybe they are good for sheet metal? I just got an old school B&D Mag Drill and have been looking in to annular cutters. The price of that set is tempting but I think it would just put me $25 away from having somthing that works. Have you looked in to a tool holder that puts the coolant in to the pin that goes into the middle of the Annular cutter? Are you using those pins? For about $40 Amazon has a tool holder that goes from MT3 to 3/4" Weldon coupler. It feeds the coolant in to that pin that goes into the middle of the annular cutter. What annular cutters do you recommend? I assume Tungsten Carbide Tipped (TCT) is the way to go? Thanks!

You can avoid those birds nests by pecking or even just pausing for a half-second.

On a positive note. The carbide hole saw did not cut the hole bigger than it was rated. lol

I thought metric is standard since the entire world uses it,well almost the the entire world

From what I can see, it seems they should not be used for anything thicker than the "notches" where the carbide blades are placed. Maybe 1/8" max. Otherwise there is nowhere for the shavings to escape??? *********************************************** I have had a set of Ideal brand carbide knockout cutters and have used them for THOUSANDS of 7/8 & 1" holes in electrical panels - But we're talking about soft, thin metal. I don't think they would do well drilling through 3/8 plate either. I can tell by looking that the the Ideal cutters probably have quite a bit more weight to them than the FEEbay bargain basement model... You get what you pay for. The Ideal set of 3 was $100 / I'm sure the first cutter you used cost a bit more! than any of these ~ Thanks for the video. This inexpensive set might be good for soft, thin metal & plastic - but nothing like what you were cutting.

Which Milwaukee are you using? Is it the bi-metal or carbide?

I can love any person who can assist me with these.

I put the body of my hole saw arbor in a collet to hold it more rigid the few times I’ve used a hole saw in my mill.

I saw as you did that only one or two teeth were cutting. I would be interesting to check the cutter tip heights to see how much off they are. I suspect a lot.

Give amazon a big miss. They make billions. Good video and very informative. I think the amazon carbide bits can be used to drilling masonry. Although not very deep. You probably cannot cut any steel thicker than 2 mm. Although it doesn't seem suitable for cutting any steel. The first cutter is superior. The holesaw isn't so bad and can get you out of trouble as long as you you spend a bit of time and be gentle. Oh on the promotion holesaw. Perhaps drilling clay tiles earthenware tiles.

Take out the drill and do a shave test on aluminum. See how fast and smooth it can level a surface.

How will an annular cutter go in enlarging a plasma cut hole? Will it be destroyed like regular hss drill bit?

great video is it possible the spring in the cutter is compressed too much after it cuts a bit

Lucky you I have been on RU-vid for 11 years and put about a video a month on all that time and have never gotten any offers for free stuff.. On top of that now RU-vid is going to take the 25-30 bucks a month I have been making because I don't have enough subs, although I have plenty of watch minutes... Thinking of quitting RU-vid all together, but there are some channels like yours that I really do like and get some good information on...

With the carbide cutter you measured the depth not accounting forcthecrelease spring. Any chance your bottoming out the spring before you can cut through the material. I wonder if there only designed for thinner material

That carbide is for doing circular groves on ceramics or concrete and insert stainless pipes with some epoxy and use them as handrails columns.

I noticed that you didn't use lube on the first attempt with the carbide hole saw (unless you cut out the shot where you lubed it). I wondered if that was the cause of the carbide wearing so fast, but you got the same results with the next carbide hole saw, and you lubed that one right away. So they probably just can't handle steel. Good vid though.

I am not sure but I think this carbide tools are for masonry and concrete

It's meant for cutting sheet metal. Like 14 Ga.

very helpful video thanks!

Those TCT cutter's Centre drill bits are Crap or at least the ones I purchased years ago, 5mm off memory ,definitely a twist drill twist right off and mangle the ejection spring! they may have improved them since then, doubt it though. some of the TCT are brazed on and others are Cemented on the Brazed last better. Defiantly for Wood, plastic soft metal and non ferrous type metals. They are relatively inexpensive but save your money unless your want to use on Sheet Metal and save up for Annular Cutters.

Very late to the party, but I can't help but wonder of those cheap ones are meant for much softer stuff, like maybe aluminium or wood?

why would metric not be good for "right on" measuring hole? confused as to why you said that a metric would not be good for getting a certain size....

next time read the directions... the morse cutter is only designed for 1/8" depth of cut. They make different versions that can evacuate the chips for deeper holes, but that is not one of them. not really comparing apples to apples here, so it's pretty obvious that an annular cutter in a milling machine is going to be the champ

I believe you are exactly right. Also do you believe that speed has something to do with the failure? To slow?

10:24 I thought carbide is carbide - how come they deform? 13:13 Are they holding up for wood? 14:10 Hm.. no smoke emissions at all. Damn it.

Those are not made to cut 1/4 plate the plunger spring deal is probably bottoming out, one would purchase these for use on sheet metal up to 11 ga at best, really common for electrical enclosures for knockout annular cutters are your best bet, if you have the equipment to chuck them up just buy the size you need they last really well, if you need holes in sheet metal buy the 25 dollar set or a nicer one hougan makes a good set evolution are ok

Due to I don't have a mill and do cut a lot of holes in thick stuff , the cutters with the carbide tips is way to shallow, how ever they may work good in thin stuff, I prefer the hole saw bits with a deeper cut with a lot of cutting fluid, also then the hole can be trued up in the lathe if need to. Like you said in the beginning of the video if its free and seems to good to be true , it usually is ,(no good) after your video I will leave them in the store.

Dang, I was pulling for the cutter. I use a hole saw to cut circles that I end up welding together to make wheels for my hand forged barn door hardware. The hole saws work but I sure would like something better and not sure that I can fit an annular cutter into my Delta drill press.

Where can I purchase the first one you use or can you recommend a good brand

First hole chattering. Isn't that too fast? From what I have been hearing from some others, 50 or 60 RPM may be smoother and less heat??? Can you get annular cutters for use in a drill press or a geared down hand drill? 3 flats?

Cheers Gary, I know what I wont be buying to make holes

Depends what you're cutting. If like me you're drilling a car chassis through thin gauge sheet metal in multiple layers. Then you need a fine tooth holesaw...Nothing else comes close. Ruko are the best

Cool good job, Thanks, politically correct answer, I get it, I have seen other videos on these same style of bits they dont work. Because of people like you, I know what to buy and not what to buy. Can I buy an annular cutter that will fit a a half inch chuck ?

Some carbide tips are quality and will cost $20 plus for 1 1/2" and even with a expensive one you have a delicate POS that will be in the trash after a few uses.

Are you sure its not the cutting fluid causing the problem? I thought it was a great idea to use alumitap for a die grinder on aluminum but it clogged like crazy, 100x better performance with wd40.. I know its a different metal but something about using tapping fluid for everything.. try with normal 3in1 oil IMO

thank you for opening my eyes

Thanks for the video. Which Milwaukee hole saw are you using? Is it BiMetal or Carbide? Do you have the model?

Use compressed air gun when cutting it cools the tool and blow the chips away try it what a difference

I thought these are for thin metal like vehicles, steel doors and stainless steel, etc!

thanks for the informative video...you saved me $25.

Those carbides are only made for sheet metal since the gullets are not very deep

The TCT (Tungsten Carbide Tipped) Hole saw you used is not designed for metal hole cutting, its for concrete or brick only. If you do want to use a TCT hole saw on metal, you need to use a multipurpose TCT hole saw which is for concrete, wood, sheet metal. for multipurpose the brazed TCT's are at a specific angle of 118 deg for metal cutting.

It's just cheap junk. A single carbide tipped saw should cost more than that. I agree with another post, best reserved for softer materials except you stated you'd put a pin in the chuck to check it and I didn't notice you doing that. The saw itself is probably off but if it doesn't cut anyway, what is the real point to it since a regular hole saw will do softer materials?

Ramsey, you should check out Project Farm, he also does a video on hole saws.

Were is demo I can't see it