Very disappointing. The small conical "screw" in the center of the blade, which is designed to pull the blade through the wood, was useless. After a few seconds the screw threads completely clogged with sawdust. After that, it didn't pull the blade any more; I had to push with all my might to keep drilling. Even if I cleaned out the threads with a wire brush, the screw was effective for only a fraction of an inch before it clogged again. Just another gimmick that doesn't work. These bits are really no better than an ordinary flat "paddle" bit.

This is certainly a SPEED demon and one needs to be prepared for its speed. Unfortunately, it was too fast for me so I had to return it. I'm used to the old fashion spade bits and this one was too difficult for me to change operation of it and I ended up drilling too deep. Then I had to remember to reverse the drill to get it to retract from the hole. I just thought I'd share this anecdote for others who might be interested in upgrading from the old fashion tools. ;-)

Not good at all. Bought this to drill hole through floor to run cable. Needed to go through natural wood floor and subfloor. As soon as the threaded screw tip fully enters the wood, the spade portion jams and drill cuts out which led to splitting some of the board and pulling it up. I had to remove drill from the bit and use an impact driver to finish it. It throws wood shavings all over. Very messy and not a clean cut like you’d get from the typical spade bit with the sharp point versus the screw tip like this one. I’d stick to the old fashioned style. “Clean wood” is just a sales tactic and couldn’t have been any more messy. Threw the package out so can’t get a refund. Wouldnt use this style again.

Be careful with this.

Bought this Diablo spade bit to create a light, one-inch diameter recess for pontoon boat floor bolts. In an era of cheap steel and under-considered workmanship, this is the most wicked, aggressive, overbuilt piece of equipment I've seen in some time. Note the spiraled tip. It grabs the wood surface immediately and dives in like a pit bull on a bunny, sending those wicked little corner tips right through whatever stands in the way. That lightly recessed effect I was trying to create? Forget it. I was through the floor and into the dirt below the boat, ripping bedrock, halfway to hell in the split second it took to remove my finger from the drill trigger.This is an amazing drill bit. Seriously. It was the wrong tool for my project, but for a project where I was ... MoreBought this Diablo spade bit to create a light, one-inch diameter recess for pontoon boat floor bolts. In an era of cheap steel and under-considered workmanship, this is the most wicked, aggressive, overbuilt piece of equipment I've seen in some time. Note the spiraled tip. It grabs the wood surface immediately and dives in like a pit bull on a bunny, sending those wicked little corner tips right through whatever stands in the way. That lightly recessed effect I was trying to create? Forget it. I was through the floor and into the dirt below the boat, ripping bedrock, halfway to hell in the split second it took to remove my finger from the drill trigger.This is an amazing drill bit. Seriously. It was the wrong tool for my project, but for a project where I was tired of messing with traditional spade bits and maybe angry at the thing I was putting a hole in, I would reach for this bit with confidence.

Does not grasp / self feed as intended

I got the 2 pack version of the 1 1/2 inch drill bit because I had to install a home theatre projector etc, and needed to fish a lot of wires. I used the long auger bits to make minimum number of drywall cuts.First couple of studs went fine, as soon as it reached the third one, the drill bit just kept spinning and spinning. I wondered if I had hit a nail or some metal clamp etc. so I back tracked and tried to reposition and retried... same thing. After cutting open the drywall I noticed the wood had a nice conical share drilled in from the tip, but it wouldn’t feed any further no matter how much pressure I put on the drill. Self feed is a complete failure over long distance. Note that this was with the flexing auger bit and three studs in, so you can’t apply ... MoreI got the 2 pack version of the 1 1/2 inch drill bit because I had to install a home theatre projector etc, and needed to fish a lot of wires. I used the long auger bits to make minimum number of drywall cuts.First couple of studs went fine, as soon as it reached the third one, the drill bit just kept spinning and spinning. I wondered if I had hit a nail or some metal clamp etc. so I back tracked and tried to reposition and retried... same thing. After cutting open the drywall I noticed the wood had a nice conical share drilled in from the tip, but it wouldn’t feed any further no matter how much pressure I put on the drill. Self feed is a complete failure over long distance. Note that this was with the flexing auger bit and three studs in, so you can’t apply specific targeted pressure like you could directly.Unfortunately due to late evening work, I couldn’t go back to HD to get new bits (i didn’t have 1 1/2 inch spade bits other this). I switched over to my cheap 1 inch spade bits after several more attempts (the HDMI cable needed at least 1 inch and I preferred to have slightly larger hole as I had several wires to run).Anyway, I do not recommend this product. Perhaps if you are a pro and know some special trick, you could work with it, but as a consumer I need the tools to work correctly every time, especially when it’s a brand new one

Not if you want a hole

This is the worst excuse for a paddle bit I’ve ever run across. It will definitely screw into the wood, and after that you’re dead in the water. It does not drill a hole with the paddle; it simply stubs and grinds the motor of your drill. It is a waste of your time; it is a waste of your money. I am hard-pressed to understand why Home Depot would even consider this item in their inventory.

Over the years I have bought plenty of Diablo products. From saws all blades to holesaw’s to spad...

Over the years I have bought plenty of Diablo products. From saws all blades to holesaw’s to spade bits From circular saw blades to Tile cutting hole saws. I’ll have performed admirably up until the latest batch of products I on. I’m very careful with my tools has any contractor has to be that way we don’t spend too much on tooling and we can keep profit in our work. I purchased the inch and a quarter spade bits three times over the last two weeks. The shafts on the speed minutes we’re not impact rated like the state they are they kept jamming up in my drill and twisting. On one occasion on the first hole I drilled the speedboat came apart in pieces through clean wood no nails at all. I would much rather prefer to buy Milwaukee extensions instead of the Diablo ... MoreOver the years I have bought plenty of Diablo products. From saws all blades to holesaw’s to spade bits From circular saw blades to Tile cutting hole saws. I’ll have performed admirably up until the latest batch of products I on. I’m very careful with my tools has any contractor has to be that way we don’t spend too much on tooling and we can keep profit in our work. I purchased the inch and a quarter spade bits three times over the last two weeks. The shafts on the speed minutes we’re not impact rated like the state they are they kept jamming up in my drill and twisting. On one occasion on the first hole I drilled the speedboat came apart in pieces through clean wood no nails at all. I would much rather prefer to buy Milwaukee extensions instead of the Diablo extensions since the Diablo extensions now have a tendency to drop and lose your spade bits in the wall and cause undue repairs by having to open up more drywall to retrieve The lost spade bit.I hope Diablo reads these reviews as it would certainly aid in their quality control that seems to of been lacking on this particular batch of spade bits that I bought.

Super Aggressive Drill Bit

the aggressive feed screw on here is really good at pulling the bit into and through whatever material you are drilling. I find it a bit too aggressive for my liking. I find that the bit binds up very easily when drilling holes through thicker pieces of wood. This is annoying and somewhat dangerous. I tried drilling through a piece of perspex with it recently and the feed screw was so aggressive it shattered the piece. A good tool perhaps for some uses. Maybe not for all uses.

Worst spade bit in every adpect

Impossible to start on hard surface (melamine laminate for instance) without pre drilling, due to dull tip.Extremely aggressive guide screw drives forward so hard that my brushless drill stalls. Impossible to do high rpm / slow feed for clean holes. Entry edge is chipped no matter how careful you try, and exit edge looks just like after explosion.So if you have to use it, suggest predrilling with ~3/8 and going as careful as you can.Returning, and never again.

point broken off, tears up wood

I tested this on a pine 2x4. The bit went in about 1/4", then just would not budge. I tried it on a 1x2---it split the board along the grain immediately. I did notice before I even opened the package that one of the two side points was not sharp at all. I looked at it with a loupe to make sure I wasn't seeing things---nope, totally dull, like someone tapped it with a hammer.I had better luck after pre-drilling a center hole but I'm going to return it.