Review on Viking Drill Tool 44150 Premium by Mark Green

I've been a home/DIY/designer weekend warrior for over 50 years. no contractors wish me luck ;-P ) I've been disappointed with two sets of bits I've bought since 1998. the existing hole is slightly larger. Also, I hate the hard plastic indices they come with. Too heavy to release the latch. They must have engineered them to be dropped onto a concrete floor and the index didn't open. As for me, I've never dropped an index full of bits and I find very strong locks really annoying at times, especially with oily or sweaty fingers. Although I still have all the sizes in my old drill indexes, I will admit that I have damaged a few small parts over the years. That's why I ordered them. I've spent twice what I would have spent on a 'decent' set from a national brand and so far I'm glad I did. When I opened Revain's packaging and noticed tiny smudges of oil on the manufacturer's box, I was intrigued. . Old-fashioned oil film? .to provide tool steel? The idea made me happy. When I removed the stamped tin index from the box and opened it to reveal dozens of tiny oil stains on the inside, I was stunned by the sheer beauty of the bit! As I took one out and picked it up, I was even more impressed by how razor sharp the Lands' leading edges were. This is more than a collection of bits in the index, it's a matter of pride and beauty! (see photos). I tested 3/16 by drilling 32 holes in the very hard wood of my ten year old 18v cordless Makita. The results were perfect and I was pleased to find that it cuts much easier than my 8 year old 3/16 DeWalt bit (of course I kept blunting the old bit). I can't comment on the durability of these bits as I've only just received them but I can tell you I'm very satisfied, proud to have a truly vintage set of quality bits and would highly recommend them to anyone who is considering buying a new set of bits. After a few days of using these bits I'm still impressed. I just "messed up" one of the smaller bits (5/32) by running it completely dry for 28 holes in a 1/8" x 1-1/2" corner iron from Home Depot. I usually use cutting oil, but I didn't feel like cleaning up the oily shavings and scraping the oil off the fixture I was making. I just added a photo of a long, curled chip (sharp blade!) after the 28th hole. All holes were very clean on both sides of the workpiece with no burrs. Very satisfied. (Look for a cheap drill chuck, drill bit and photo chips.)