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I just used 2 different brands on my build. The 1" Milwaukee worked great on 1/4". The 2 1/2 Starrett seem to work well, I made 5 holes with it. The pilot bit warped on hole #2 so it had to be replaced. The 1/4" stainless I attempted to drill is a different story!! I made it about 1/8" and then used my plasma to follow the groove.. Thats some tough metal!! One difference between the two hole saws is the method they secure the pilot bit. Milwaukee uses an allen head set screw while the Starrett uses a straight slot screw. I could never get the screw tight enough and the bit constantly fell out.. It became frustrating
I switched from Milwalkee to Lennex, they last 3 times as long. One saw cut 6 holes in 1/4" and 6 holes in 3/16" using a little 3in1 oil on it. And it still had all its teeth when I was done.
I've always used Milwaukee in the past with no issue but for some reason they sure aren't liking working on smokers! I'm down 3 already and I am still not done with two simple drain holes. So, I picked up a Lennox from Lowes yesterday after reading about RW's success. We shall see...
Have you guys tried Tap-ease? They came out with it in a stick form recently, I haven't bought one yet, I'm still working on the liquid Tap-ease can I bought years ago. I haven't found anything that makes for better drilling, tapping, and general cutting than this stuff. It runs cooler with power tools and I've never broken a tap using it. You can get it on Amazon.
We use only the lenox hole saws at work and they hold up great, it is all I will use at home as well now. (if I don't pull out the plasma cutter and circle template to make the holes)