Product Review: Drill Doctor XPK
Ease of Use, Performance: 23/25
Look & Feel: 23/25
Features 25/25
How much I enjoy 25/25
Total: 96/100
The Drill Doctor has been around for awhile, since 1997 Professional Tool Manufacturing has been manufacturing the Drill Doctor line and you can get the model you want with the features and at the cost you need. I have been wanting one of these beauties for as long as I have heard of them and can remember my dad in his workshop trying to do this kind of stuff to his drill bits.
The expense of a project is nothing compared to the cost of the tools to do the job. To get a job done right you need sharp tools and nothing does a worse job than a dull drill bit. Trying to drill through tough steel or hard concrete blocks with a dull bit is annoying and you don’t need the added frustration of using several bits to get one hole drilled.
The Drill Doctor comes to the rescue of every shop with a complete line of Drill Doctor models for every budget and feature set. The basic Drill Doctor does the basic job of standard size drill bits the average home owner would need. The better models include features like larger bits, special points and even a carrying case.
The model I received for reviewing, thank you very much, is the Drill Doctor XPK. I have just taken a picture of five drill bits, ran downstairs to my shop/basement and sharpened the five of them in less than five minutes. I have used the Drill Doctor several times but am in no way an expert but it does not take a lot of experience or practice. The first couple of times I used some very old and dull bits that I did not care much about and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use.
This model came with the Drill Doctor, the sharpening chuck, the grit tube, a wrench for removing the abrasive wheel, a fantastic DVD and the manual in several languages. The DVD is a fantastic guide that explains the complete process of how to sharpen your bits using the Drill Doctor. It also gives a great understanding about the anatomy of a drill bit and how it uses the various parts to do its job so you understand how the sharpener is supposed to work and how better to use it. The DVD is a great companion to your Drill Doctor and also shows other models so you can dream about the ones you want to purchase later.
The instructions will not only guide you through the use but show you the correct way to do things as well as common problems and how to correct them. The whole concept of the Drill Doctor is simply a vise to hold the bit and a guide to align it for sharpening. The sharpening is done against a diamond abrasive wheel spinning inside the Drill Doctor that you use for both the sharpening of the tip and a special sharpening called split pointing.
To regularly sharpen a bit you simply clamp it in the chuck and push it into the guide while holding down a button. The button releases two spring steel clamps that align the bit so the proper surface is facing against the abrasive wheel when inserted into the sharpener.
You align the bit for masonry bits by using the hole for sharpening which is just as easy to do. The actual sharpening is simply done by pushing the bit chuck and holder into the sharpening hole and twisting the bit against the wheel. After sharpening a few bits you will get the feel of where the bit heads are and where the sharpening will occur. It is really a very simple process and just as easy to sharpen any kind of regular bit.
Like I said I took the before picture of the five bits and sharpened them all in less than five minutes. I have several bits lying around that need sharpening and now have the tool to do it. The Drill Doctor is so very easy to use and saves you so much money. I have recently worked with my son on making fishing lures for selling and he uses smaller bits that are easy to break or dull. Using the Drill Doctor will save so much money by just sharpening the bits instead of having to buy new ones.
You can also use the side split pointing so that you create a tip that does not walk around before biting into the material. It uses the corner of the abrasive wheel against the tip at an angle so that the tip gets a smaller point for better biting. This also just takes a quick press into the side of the Drill Doctor after removing the cover to create the split point.
If you don’t get it correct simply sharpen the bit and try again. The one thing that is great sharpening bits with the Drill Doctor, if you mess up just keep trying until you get it right or run out of bit. You can keep sharpening bits until they are too short to use again and The Drill Doctor works equally well on masonry bits until you run out of the metal inserts on the tip.
You can at least get one more use out of a really dull masonry bit using the Drill Doctor as well as several from any other bit regular bit you use. You can even bring new life to those brad point wood bits that you thought were garbage by grinding off the pointy tip and using the rest for a regular wood bit.
The model I received sharpens regular drill bits as well as masonry bits and spilt pointing the bits. The sharpener has a cover over the side where you split point the bits to keep sparks and debris from coming out. You can also remove the front cover to clean out the debris that will accumulate over time and use.
The Drill Doctor is so easy to use you will not be wanting to put this away in some drawer, it will stay on the work bench in easy reach for use anytime you need a quick bit sharpening. The Drill Doctor is a must have for any workshop or do it yourselfer and I cannot think of a more important tool to have if you have any kind of shop or garage. I highly recommend the Drill Doctor for anyone that uses drill bits for anything, this will truly save you money and frustration.
