Along the way I had to drill a 7/8" hole into a previous 3/4" hole in 1/4" thick steel plate. I thought beat #5 would work well since it's the last and biggest step - 7/8. All I had to do was drill the hole from 3/4 to 7/8. I use a good cutting oil and made the first 3 cuts great. Then at 4 it only got worse and by 5 I was getting nothing but smoke. I think they're probably good for thinner, softer metals and wood, but not anything thicker. UPDATE: Banyan contacted me about my issue. I explained it to them and they did well. Customer service has always been the most important aspect of buying and selling and these guys come out on top. They believed their product should be better and said they would check quality control to make sure their product would last better. This will make me want to buy their products in the future.