
These types of drills/taps have been around for a while and I figured they've probably gotten better over the years. These special drill/tap combinations weren't so bad at first. I used a 1/4-20 drill and tap combo in a 1/4 impact driver because I thought the driver would slow down when it reached the tap section and I would have better speed control. I first drilled a 1/8 pilot hole and then used a drill/tap to finish the hole. This worked well for 2 of the 3 holes I drilled in 1/4 gauge steel pipe. Pipe is not the easiest tool for a tap because the thread is broken at first, which slightly increases the stress on the tap. The combination drill broke on the third hole. I won't blame the tool entirely for the break as I was hand drilling and may have tipped the tool before it broke. I can say that the 2 holes I cut before were no problem and after switching to a regular drill and tap I was able to cut 5 more holes with the same type of setup with no problems. My guess is that if I was tapping flat metal and possibly softer (or thinner) metal they would work fine, but I ordered them specifically for drilling and tapping steel so I used them. I will continue to use the rest of the set but will be a bit more selective in how they are used and what type of metal they are used on. When you get them make sure you drill a pilot hole first and they will cut much better.

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