Titanium vs Black Oxide Drill Bits

What to look for in either a Titanium drill bit or a Black Oxide drill bit?

Whenever you get to buying a set of drill bit, there is a number of important factors to be considered – What hole sizes will be drilled, and the type of materials that will be used for drilling.

Another factor to be considered is if you can DIY on the project or you will be requiring to hire the assistance of a professional. The outcome of your project is heavily dependent on the type of drill bits you have.

There are three types of drill bits but in this post, we are going to look at two types.

What are Black Oxide Drill Bits?

Black Oxide Drill Bits are manufactured through heating up HSS bits to a temperature of 950 degrees Fahrenheit.

The process results in a black oxide substance that is resistant to corrosion and rust, and will reduce friction between the material and the bit.  This means that the drilling process will be much faster.

Black oxide drill bits are designed to last for up to 2 times longer than the other common high-speed steel drill bits, offering you a premium speed and durability, not to mention that they are known to be the most suitable general purpose bits on sale.

What are Titanium Drill Bits

Titanium Drill Bits are mostly suited for general purposes of drilling in a construction or a production environment since they are very fast in drilling.

Being harder than cobalt drill bits, titanium coating is designed to assist chips – such as aluminum, which are known for sticking – to flow smoothly inside the flutes for more efficiency and a cleaner drill.

It will therefore, be a more cost-effective to replace them entirely than to have them coated again. If you would like to find out more about Cobalt drill bits, keep in mind that these type is made when high-speed steel (HSS) is blended and mixed with 5 to 8 percent of cobalt.

This type of bits is more resistant to high temperatures, which makes them the best option for drilling done in highly abrasive environments or working of the hardest of materials such as titanium, cast iron and stainless steel.

Unlike titanium bits which come coated using a titanium compound, Cobalt bits are made of pure cobalt all through the entire material – making them the best choice for hard production drilling.

How affordable are the two?

Although these two types of drill bits are highly durable, they are quite expensive. For this reason, most professionals no not use either of them for general purposes or daily use. Instead, they are preserved for high production assignment areas.

Main Differences between Black Oxide vs Titanium Drill Bits

The main differences between Black Oxide vs Titanium Drill bits are:

• Black oxide drill bits are ideal for hard and soft metals, whereas Titanium Drill Bits are excellent for drilling wood, metal, fiberglass, and PVC
• Black oxide drills have a decent heat resistance, whereas Titanium Drill Bits are superior and are better rated
• Black oxide drills are made when HSS is heated to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas Titanium drills are HSS that are coated with titanium nitride

Best uses for Black Oxide Drill Bits

Black oxide drill bits have a superior resilience plus speed designed many general-purpose drilling applications in metal, wood and plastic.

They have a triple tempered black oxide coat which brings about a high lubricity to reduce the accumulation of heat and extend the lifetime of the bit:

• Usually available in a 135-degree split point, that they can exhibit a fast starts as well as minimal skating or to walk
• Bit sizes are smaller than 1/8″ have 118-degree standard point

These are high-speed HSS steel drill bits that are accessorized with an extra finish to reduce friction between the work piece and the bits.

Black Oxide Drill Bits cab be sued to drill through the following materials:

• Steel alloy
• Steel carbon
• Composite board
• Drywall
• Plastic
• PVC materials
• Wood

Best uses for Titanium Drill Bits

Titanium drill are made with a speed and toughness suitable for repeated drilling procedures in steel, wood, alloy steel and plastic. The covering of the titanium bits can last up to six times longer than any other common high-speed drill bits.

Every titanium drill bit is equipped with a 135-degree split point to allow it to access minimal skating and quick starts.

Titanium covered bits are high-speed bits with a titanium nitride coating. They have a unique finish which offers the bits a high firmness surface area meant to assist in drilling through hard materials.

This feature also makes the drill bits highly resistant to corrosion and significantly lowers friction between the work pieces and the drill bits.

Titanium Drill Bits can be used to drill the following materials:

• Wooden materials
• Steels
• PVC
• Plastic
• Drywall
• Composition board
• Carbon steels
• Alloy

Drill Bits Buying Guide

Therefore, when you are selecting the most ideal drill bit for a job, it is important to think about the hole you will be drilling.

What surfaces need to be permeated? What is the ideal depth of the drill you are looking for? How many holes do you intend on creating? Having the correct model of drill bits will help you accomplish your target goal.

Via: @bldg_jones

Similarly, using the wrong drill model can damage your drill and may potentially cause harm to the drilled surface itself.

Different materials require different types of drill bits. For instance, if you are planning on making holes in concrete, you will need a masonry drill bit, which should be tougher instead of being too sharp.

Via: @neffthetech

If you are planning on drilling on wood, toughness is less required, and in its place, sharpness will be more appropriate.

In fact, if you try to drill wood using a masonry drill, there is a duller cutting edge used to break up concrete and stone surfaces precisely, and this will cause a lot of friction on the wood, which in turn, can combust or smolder.

Drill bits made for drilling metal are designed in a very unique way. Again, like it is in a wood drill bit, the technology for the sharpness of cutting for metal is as important, however, the drill itself should be made of an evenly hard material than the wood drill bit.

The two types are precision drill bits, with different features.

Metal and wood drill bits can appear to be very similar in shape and design. The most effective way to differentiate them therefore, is that most wood drill bits are available in a golden color.

Metal drill bits, on the other hand, are HSS and available in a dark bluish, gun-metallic grey and may contain some titanium or cobalt.

Via: @harddrillbits

Masonry drill bits are available in bright silver finishes. Although this is not always the case. It is therefore important to refer to the specifications from the manufacturer or the supplier.

In the same way, unlike metal and masonry bits, wood drill bits can sometimes come in a flat design with a head that looks like a chisel, and an elegantly sharp point.

Via: @thefaffer_diy

This will enable you to drill larger holes than you would have achieved when using a tubular or round designed bit.

Therefore, take some time to look around for the available alternatives. This is the only way to make sure that the drill bit you go for is ideal for the surface you intend to work on. Try as much as you can, to use the right drill bit for the right job.

Titanium vs. Black Oxide Drill Bits – Conclusion

Both black oxide and titanium drill bits are classified in the same ranks because they are made of the same materials. It is quite true that titanium nitrate coated drill bits are designed to outlive the black oxide layered drill bits.

For wood employees, however, it is possible to use the two alternatively, and the results realized will still be the same (this will mainly depend on the size of each drill bit or pitch and other factors mentioned above).