- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---- Note: Please see the end, because there IS an update to this story ---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -(unedited original)Wrecked a considerable pile of drill bits with this one. Mine went "ziiiiing-tick" instead of the "ziiiiiing" the video tells you it should sound like. Just a tiny tick, but since I've never even seen a drill doctor before, and not knowing the "tick" was evil, I continued on. First bits were OK, but got worse very quickly. The angle was getting worse and worse on every bit I sharpened. Which led me to believe I was doing it wrong... so I kept practicing and watching the video, and practicing for hours until most of my drill bits were short and wrecked. By that time, the "ziiiiing tick" was a "ziiing-TWACK", by the way.Being the curious guy I am, I removed the guard and side plug and put a strong light in front so I could see exactly why it was wrecking my drill bits, what was I doing wrong? Well, I found the grinding wheel was not firmly held down by the spring loaded twist-on retainer. I don't know if the retainer wasn't put on properly by the factory, or if the spring wasn't seated correctly... all I can say is I could spin it with my finger at first, then it was tight after I removed it and reinstalled it)Any way, the momentum of the wheel allowed it to start grinding each bit, then the wheel would stop in the mid turn of the drill bit, while the motor continued to turn full speed. It's quite loud, so there was no way to know this was going on without seeing it. The "tick" noise was cause by the shaft quickly spinning up the wheel when you finished the sharpening cycle of the bit and it pulled away. Of course every time the wheel was stopped, the shaft spinning it the middle of it ground some more metal away, making the wheel looser and looser, so the "tick" became a "twack". The wheel stopped sooner as it got looser, which is why the bits were becoming worse for me, not better, with practice, LOL. The bits were all sharpened with a backwards angle, because the wheel spinning would grind down the leading edge of the bit and then skid to a stop, leaving the heel of the bit intact.)So , I call the 800 number, nobody there. call again, left message with name and number, nobody returned the call. Left message with receptionist, nothing.I called pretty much every day, actually for well over a week. Left lots of messages. Receptionist left messages for them too. The receptionist was even saying "wow, nobody has phoned you back yet?? " after a week.Eventually, about 10 days later, I finally get a hold of somebody (note that they still hadn't returned a voicemail yet), and I explain it to them. They can't do anything about it, and all I get was another number to phone for the repair tech. sigh)So that guy only takes two days to get a hold of, and I explain it to him.All I wanted/expected was to send in my receipt (receipt dated about 15 days old now) and the wheel/retainer, which is now all stripped out, and get a new wheel and retainer on warranty (PS this machine is brand new). Nope. I have to mail the entire unit to them, they will "fix" it or send me a refurb. The guy says probably a refurb, since he isn't allowed to disassemble them in any way. (! The guy seems nice enough, and explains his hands are tied since Drill doctor won't mail him any parts either.Shipping the ENTIRE unit across the country costs almost twice than just going and buying the grinding wheel at a local store to begin with! Ugh. Phoned the original 800 number a bunch more times, nobody there, nobody phones back. Over a week later somebody actually calls me back (from the first voicemail I assume, 22 days prior), and the result is the same.No, I can't mail the screwed up wheel and retainer to them for warranty replacement. Mail the entire (brand new) unit in to Drill doctor (at my expense), and they'll ship you a refurb. They don't do "parts" at all, apparently.So, end result is, I bought a new wheel, fixed up the retainer a bit to properly hold it down, it works fine. Not "superb" or "like new" , but considerably better than hand sharpening for sure.My view of Drill Doctor as a company, and their customer support? I really *hope* I never need warranty again. That was a terrible experience. You really get the feeling that nobody really cares there, but the receptionist who unfortunately can't do a thing for you.Things break, that's a expected. And sometimes things are DOA, that's life. That's what warranty is for.But when your only warranty support is an 800 number with voicemail, and they can't be bothered to ever phone you back, that's really horrible.The fact that they won't send you a replacement part is not great either, but it was the total lack of customer service was the real disappointment here. Around 3 weeks waiting for them to return a voicemail was a bit extreme, while I have a brand new top of the line DOA Drill doctor sitting on my bench.I am giving two stars, since the machine works fine now, just like it's supposed to... but I can't give it more since it cost me several weeks of phoning, and 30 dollars out of my pocket to finally make it work, from brand new out of the box, and there is little to nothing for warranty support, parts, and customer service. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -< PS: Thanks commenters :- I AM just your typical DIY guy, not a shop, or a business... and your support is really appreciated, thank you :- >"Drill Doctor Marketing Guy" Matthew was true to his word in the comments section, and hooked me up with a very friendly Customer Service/Technical Support gal, Harmony, the following week after I emailed him.She very happily, rather than send parts to fix mine up, offered to simply replace my DD750x drill doctor with a current model. No kidding...There are a number of substantial things from my review that Drill Doctor has specifically addressed, which deserves an update.1 There are now real people manning the phones, and replying to emails. And friendly ones too. Their webpage ALSO has a direct link to Matthew's email right on the main page - Plus a web form to make a comment to the president of the company if you need to. I think there have been some tremendous efforts made here, to really grab hold of the concept of "customer service".2 On receipt of the replacement, the first thing I looked at - that loose springy clip-in retainer that caused the problem with the sharpening wheel in the first place... is gone! It is replaced by a screwed down retainer. And it is nice and solid - with two screws clamping the drum instead of the previous twisty/springy thing. Redesigned. Problem solved.3 Their web page Drill Doctor FAQ, first item, says "certain repair parts are available" now. I called specifically about that, *anonymously*, and it's true. Parts you can get at, IE *without opening the unit in any way*, are replaceable... and reasonably inexpensive. Thank you Drill Doctor !(Just for fun, I asked specifically to purchase a twist on springy wheel retainer too - as per the original problem. Nope. Sigh. Oh well, they still score 8/10 on that one, for at least offering latest revision parts.)Since the company has actually redesigned the problem part AND successfully worked very hard to improve every aspect of service I experienced,I'm pretty impressed right now with "new and Improved Drill Doctor"...both the company and the machine... and I'd not hesitate to recommend them to a friend..................... 2 Star ---> 5 Star ....................-- Randy- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -I did not think this would work. I still remember going with my grandfather to take his craftsman drill bit sharpener back to sears and it has always been in the back of my head they were a gimmick. My good drill bit set was drilling slower after every use. A new good set was almost 100 bucks. I bought this after a review by project farm and could not be happier. After 15 minutes of watching a company YouTube video and setting it up my good drill bits were cutting as good as new.After receiving the Drill Doctor I pretty quickly sharpened *every* twist bit in my tool box. Some of them hadn't been used for years because they were so dull drilling into paper would have been a challenge.Like anything, repetition turns into speed. What started out as a 10 minute job per bit fairly rapidly turned into a couple of minutes per bit. The freshly sharpened bits work as good as they did when brand new if not better. And it's no trouble at all to use one then put it in the Drill Doctor for a quick touch up before putting it away.This really is one of those things that I should have bought a *long* time ago!It sharpens good, watch some videos and you will get it. I think it should come with spare diamond wheels.Arrived on time works great you need to watch a bunch of youtube videos to learn to use it but when you do it brings new life to your old wore out bits.I bought lots of Work Sharp's products. Very novel design. Like it!sharpened several dill bits right after reading instructions and they all are sharp and accurateThis pricey gadget will sharpen bits to precise angles. I got the big one so my comments only apply to it. Use is not totally intuitive but there are helpful videos online. If you need small bits, now bits are cheap. But if you need to sharpen large diameter or log bits this machine earns it's keep. Be advised this sharpens twist bits only (not auger style). The 750x model lets you select the main drill angle as well as adjust relief (how aggressive it cuts). It could take several minutes to sharpen a bit, depending on condition but you'll never want to use a dull bit if you can have a sharp one in a few minutes. Also, you can tweak angle and relief for drilling specific materials; almost anything will do for soft woods but steel and soft metals are more fussy.I’ve owned a number of different drill sharpeners in the past, but the Drill Doctor is by far the best one so far. I spent ages watching and reading reviews, before buying and although pleased with this drill sharpener, it is a lot of money for what it is. But I guess you are paying for the clever design. With hindsight I would probably have gone for the next model down. Although the ability to adjust the amount of take off is very handy to have, the infinitely adjustable drill point angle is in my view pointless. Both of these additions cost peanuts in manufacturing costs and I could have modified one to do this anyway. Had it not been for the high price, and odd pricing structure, I would have given 5 stars. I mostly use drills for metal working and turning, and the drills I’ve sharpened so far cut as well as a new drill bit..Not a happy bunny. Purchased this rather expensive bit of kit (with 3-pin UK plug) to sharpen drill bits. Item arrived in good shape complete with 2 PIN EURO PLUG AND ALL INSTRUCTIONS/DVD IN DEUTSCH. Ich habe kein Deutsch. Well made but fairly complicated. I am now left to my own devices to change the plug (no problem) but more importantly I now have to find out how to set it up and use it correctly. I'm sure it is a good enough machine but right now it is nothing more than an expensive doorstop. Frankly pisses me off, please excuse my Deutsch..Super easy to use once you watch enough Youtube videos and follow instruction carefully. Always visually inspect the result and learn from it to maximize the tool. Buy the 180 grits stone as well this will give your drill bits a much finer smooth touch. For larger drill bits such as 9mm and above use 100 grits to sharpen first then use 180 grits to refine for best result. If you only use 100 grits you can see the marks on the bits when finished.The construction of the unit leaves a little to be desired, cheap looking plastic chucks and casing. The unit does however work very effectively once you have deciphered the manual & mastered the technique. There is some degree of finesse to the method but on the whole I am thoroughly pleased with the results, far better than doing it by eye on just my first attempt using the unit. Price is somewhat over the top though for a grinder and angled chuck.This is described as being sold with a blown plastic case, which would be very useful but unfortunately not true and should be corrected. Don't think for a minute that at this price you will get a case, just a zipped bag ...whoopee