I recently picked up a kimball midwest drill bit set to see if they actually lived up to the hype in my shop. If you've spent any time at a workbench, you've probably experienced that specific kind of frustration where a cheap bit glows red, smokes, and then dulls into a useless nub after about five seconds of contact with stainless steel. I got tired of throwing money away on "disposable" bits from the big-box stores, so I decided to step up to something that people in the industry actually swear by.
They aren't the kind of tools you just stumble across while browsing the aisles at Home Depot. Usually, you find out about these through a sales rep who stops by a professional garage or a high-end maintenance shop. They're built for what's called MRO—Maintenance, Repair, and Operations. Basically, that's just a fancy way of saying these bits are designed for people who have to fix things that are already broken, often in the worst possible conditions.
Why the Quality Actually Matters
Let's be real for a second: for most homeowners hanging a picture frame, any old bit will do. But if you're trying to drill out a snapped Grade 8 bolt or get through a thick piece of frame rail, the game changes completely. That's where this specific set starts to make sense.
The first thing I noticed when I started using the kimball midwest drill bit set was the "walk." Or rather, the lack of it. Most cheap bits have a point that wants to skate across the metal the moment you pull the trigger. You end up with a nasty scratch across your workpiece and a bit that's now off-center. These bits usually feature a 135-degree split point. In plain English, that means the tip is designed to bite into the metal immediately without needing a center punch for every single hole. It just stays where you put it.
The Secret Sauce: Cryo-Nitride and Heat Resistance
If you look at these bits, they have a distinct look—often a dark, almost iridescent finish. This isn't just for aesthetics. Kimball Midwest is pretty well known for their "Cryo-Nitride" treatment. I'm not a scientist, but the practical application is pretty straightforward. They freeze the bits to crazy low temperatures to realign the molecular structure of the steel, then they coat them in nitrogen.
What this does in the real world is simple: it handles heat better. Heat is the absolute enemy of a drill bit. The moment a bit gets too hot, the steel softens (it "loses its temper"), and once that happens, it's basically garbage. You can try to sharpen it, but it'll never hold an edge the same way again. Because of that treatment, these bits can take the friction of high-speed drilling through tough materials without turning into a melted mess. I've used them on stainless steel, which is notorious for work-hardening and destroying bits, and they just chewed through it like it was pine.
Understanding the "Super Primalloy" Branding
You'll often see these marketed under names like "Super Primalloy." It sounds like something out of a comic book, but it's really just their proprietary blend of cobalt and other alloys. Most high-end bits use cobalt because it has a higher melting point than standard high-speed steel (HSS).
The downside of cobalt is that it can be brittle. If you tilt the drill slightly while you're mid-hole, a standard cobalt bit might just snap. This is where the Kimball Midwest stuff seems to have a bit of an edge. They've managed to find a balance where the bit is hard enough to cut through the tough stuff but still has enough "give" that it doesn't shatter the moment you lose perfectly vertical alignment.
How the Set Is Put Together
When you buy a kimball midwest drill bit set, you aren't just getting the bits; you're usually getting one of those heavy-duty steel indexes. I know it sounds like a small thing, but the metal cases they provide are actually built to last in a service truck.
I've had plastic cases from other brands crack the first time they got knocked off a bench or left in the bed of a truck during a cold snap. These steel indexes keep everything organized by size, and the labels are actually legible. There's nothing more annoying than squinting at a tiny bit trying to figure out if it's a 7/32 or a 1/4 because the markings wore off.
Common Sizes and Specialized Bits
Most of the sets come in the standard 29-piece configuration, ranging from 1/16" up to 1/2" by 64ths. However, they also offer "mechanic's length" bits. These are slightly shorter than your standard jobber-length bits. If you're working in a tight engine bay or trying to get a drill into a wheel well, those extra couple of inches you save by using a shorter bit can be the difference between getting the job done and having to pull the whole assembly apart.
The Cost Factor: Is It Worth It?
Let's address the elephant in the room: these sets are expensive. You can go to a discount tool store and buy three or four sets of "titanium-coated" bits for the price of one kimball midwest drill bit set.
But here's how I look at it. If you're a professional, or even a serious hobbyist, time is money. If you're in the middle of a project and you break your only 5/16 bit, you have to stop what you're doing, get in the truck, drive to the store, buy another cheap bit, and drive back. You've just wasted an hour of your life and $10 in gas for a $5 bit.
When you buy the high-end set, you're paying for the confidence that the bit is going to work every time you pull the trigger. It's the "buy once, cry once" philosophy. I'd much rather spend the money upfront on a tool that I know can handle a mistake or a particularly tough piece of alloy.
Maintenance and Longevity
Even though these bits are tough, they aren't magic. If you want your kimball midwest drill bit set to last for years, you still have to treat them with a bit of respect. Using a little bit of cutting fluid goes a long way. It carries the heat away and keeps the cutting edge sharp for much longer.
I've also found that they respond really well to sharpening. Some of the cheaper coated bits are only good as long as that thin layer of titanium nitride lasts on the surface. Once you sharpen them, you're down to the soft steel underneath. Since the Kimball Midwest bits are high-quality alloy all the way through (and cryo-treated), you can touch up the edge on a grinder or a Drill Doctor and they'll keep performing like new.
Final Thoughts from the Bench
At the end of the day, having a kimball midwest drill bit set is about reducing frustration. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from watching a spiral of metal ribbon peel out of a hole perfectly because your tool is actually doing its job.
If you're just drilling holes in drywall to hang a shelf, honestly, don't bother spending the money on these. But if you're the person people call when a bolt is stuck, or if you're working on anything made of stainless steel or hardened alloy, these are a game changer. They've earned a permanent spot on my primary tool cart, and I haven't had to run to the hardware store for a replacement bit in months. That peace of mind alone is worth the entry fee. It's just one of those things where once you use the good stuff, it's really hard to go back to the cheap junk.