Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Best countersink drill bits depend on the screw you are seating

Updated: 2026-10-23

Best countersink drill bits is how the round-ups are titled, and they do not mean the same job. A cabinet door that needs a plug, a short woodscrew in pine, and a hole that already exists are three purchases. This page uses the amazon.co.uk prices and review themes checked for the [countersink drill bit comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/countersink-drill-bit) on 19 October 2026. Products Compared did not lab-test the bits. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The comparison gives the EZARC 12-piece the top pick: 1,306 reviews, an 82° combined bit and £17.99, after a deduction for stripped clamps. Makita's four-piece takes best value against a 247-review file.

Best countersink drill bits is how the round-ups are titled, and they do not mean the same job. A cabinet door that needs a plug, a short woodscrew in pine, and a hole that already exists are three purchases.

Our top picks

Makita Makita D-73455 4-piece countersink set

Best overall

Makita Makita D-73455 4-piece countersink set
7.5/10about £7.92
View offer
EZARC EZARC 15-piece tapered countersink set

Alternative

EZARC EZARC 15-piece tapered countersink set
8.7/10about £25.97
View offer
EZARC EZARC 12-piece countersink set

Rank 3

EZARC EZARC 12-piece countersink set
9.0/10about £17.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What best can mean here
  2. 2.A combined set for ordinary wood screws
  3. 3.Plugs, hinges and the larger kits
  4. 4.Who should buy a £4 chamfer instead

What best can mean here

Amazon's best-seller list is a sales rank. When it was checked, the EZARC 12-piece, ASIN B0DSBW4M6S, sat at the top at £17.99, shown as 4.3 from 1,330 ratings. The figure used in this comparison is 4.3 from 1,306. A 5.0 from one rating does not outrank a 4.3 from a thousand. Kaquxibix is 5.0 from 1 with no review text. If you want the buying order before the names, use the countersink drill bit buying guide.

A combined set for ordinary wood screws

The EZARC 12-piece at £17.99 is five titanium-coated HSS countersinks from #4 (2 mm) to #12 (3.6 mm), spare drills and a case, at 82°. Reviewers describe a clean one-pass hole, grub screws that strip, pilots that snap, and a countersink blunt in chipboard after about 40 holes. Take it if you will tighten the key and keep a spare pilot. Makita's D-73455 at £7.92 is four alloy-steel bits labelled No.6 to No.12, with 4.5 from 247 reviews. The same file includes snapped tips and bluntness in chipboard after about 30 holes. The angle string is 6E+1 Degrees, which we do not convert. It is the best value pick if four short-screw sizes under £10 are the whole job. It is a poor pick if you need to tell a client the cone is 82°. DECKRKAT at £18.98 adds a 4 mm pilot, labelled through #14, at 4.6 from 82 reviews. Gauge against Screwfix is the countersink drill bit for wood page.
Makita Makita D-73455 4-piece countersink set

Testsieger

Makita Makita D-73455 4-piece countersink set
7.5/10about £7.92
View offer

Plugs, hinges and the larger kits

Pay the extra only for a piece you will use. The EZARC 15-piece at £25.97, 4.4 from 1,618 reviews, adds two plug cutters. Praise clusters around a sharp cut and a stop that holds when the Allen key is tight. Complaints cluster around snapped pilots, loose collars and loose plugs. The listing wants a bench drill for the cutters. Choose it when plugs are part of the furniture. TOLESA at £28.97 and NORTOOLS at £26.99 are similar 82° kits. NORTOOLS has 4.5 from only 9 reviews. The EZARC 22-piece at £31.97, 4.2 from 232 reviews, is the one to open for hinges. Three self-centring bits, #6, #8 and #10, sit with the tapered countersinks. Reviewers also report springs that fail early. If you do not fit hinges, the 12-piece at £17.99 does the countersink without that failure mode.

Who should buy a £4 chamfer instead

Torveen at £4.19 and Kaquxibix at £3.98 are 12 mm, 16 mm and 19 mm high-carbon cones with no pilot. Buy either only when the hole exists and you want a 90° chamfer you can afford to bin. Kaquxibix is 5.0 from one rating and no text. ATOPLEE at £13.99, 3.7 from 96 reviews, is the chamfer set to skip for a cordless drill. The shank is round, and the listing forbids hand drills. Nothing here is carbide. A production run of MDF carcasses is outside this sample.

Common questions

Which set has the most reviews, and does that make it the top pick?
The EZARC 15-piece has 1,618 reviews at 4.4. The EZARC 12-piece has 1,306 at 4.3. Volume is evidence of use, including snapped pilots and loose grub screws, not a certificate. The comparison's top pick is the 12-piece because the score weighs that large file together with an £17.99 price and a stated 82°. The 15-piece scores close behind if you need the plug cutters. A larger number alone does not erase the complaints.
Is the £7.92 Makita set enough for short wood screws?
It can be, for No.6 to No.12 screws, if you accept alloy steel, no case, and review reports of snaps and off-centre pilots. The 4.5 from 247 reviews is why it is the best value line, not because the angle is clear. The listing prints 6E+1 Degrees and a No.6 minimum of 11m. Use it for short screws in a home kit, and keep a spare if the tip snaps on the second hole.
When is the 22-piece EZARC set worth more than the 12-piece?
When you will use the three self-centring bits for #6, #8 and #10 hinges, pulls or brackets, and you have read that those springs fail early in the 232-review file. At £31.97 against £17.99, you are paying for that mechanism and a larger case, not for a more reliable countersink. If the job is ordinary woodscrews, stay with the 12-piece.
Why do people say pilots snap on well-reviewed sets?
Because the review text and the star line describe different moments. EZARC's 12-piece and 15-piece both sit above 4.3 with more than a thousand reviews, and both files include pilots that snap after a few holes or on first use. A high average can hide a thin tip on the smallest size. The practical response in the reviews is a spare pilot, not a claim that the star rating was wrong.
Should I ignore a 5.0 from one rating?
Yes, as a reason to prefer that listing. Kaquxibix at £3.98 and, to a lesser extent, TMBMLPP at 5.0 from 8 reviews with two texts, do not outrank sets with hundreds of reviews and a lower average. One rating has no sentence about a blunt edge or a loose screw. Read the file, then the price.

Related pages

How to use a countersink drill bit

Countersink drill bit

82 or 90 degree countersink: match the screw in your hand

Countersink drill bit buying guide: type and angle

Countersink drill bit for wood: size the pilot first

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE WIS23: wood dust (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE: cutting and sanding wood (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HSE L25: eye protection (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 20 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Screwfix: screws buying guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. BSI: BS EN ISO 10642:2019 (retrieved 19 October 2026)