Hinge drill bit set buying guide
Updated: 23 October 2026
A hinge drill bit set on amazon.co.uk mixes a spring guide for a screw countersink with a 35 mm cutter for a cabinet cup. Both titles say hinge. They do not cut the same hole. Name the hole, then the sizes, the shank and the stop, then what the price is buying. Scores for the eight listings sit on the [hinge drill bit comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/hinge-drill-bit). Those listings were read on 21 October 2026. There is no lab test. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A hinge drill bit set on amazon.co.uk mixes a spring guide for a screw countersink with a 35 mm cutter for a cabinet cup. Both titles say hinge. They do not cut the same hole.
A hinge drill bit set on amazon.co.uk mixes a spring guide for a screw countersink with a 35 mm cutter for a cabinet cup. Both titles say hinge. They do not cut the same hole. Name the hole, then the sizes, the shank and the stop, then what the price is buying. Scores for the eight listings sit on the hinge drill bit comparison. Those listings were read on 21 October 2026. There is no lab test. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Job | Sizes in the box | Shank | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Trend Trend QR/DBG/SET 3-piece guide | Self-centring pilot for hinges and lock plates | No.6 2.4 mm, No.8 2.8 mm, No.10 3.6 mm | 1/4 inch hex | 9.0 | about £15.95 | View offer |
 WangLaoWu WangLaoWu 35 mm hinge jig set | 35 mm jig and cup bit | 35 mm. Fence claimed from 3 mm to 7 mm | Straight on the spec line | 8.5 | about £6.59 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Ancable Ancable 2.4 / 2.8 / 3.6 mm set | Self-centring pilot | 2.4 mm, 2.8 mm, 3.6 mm | 1/4 inch hex | 8.5 | about £9.99 | View offer |
On this page
Two holes, two tools
A self-centring guide sits in the countersunk hole of a butt hinge, a leaf hinge or a lock faceplate and drills a short pilot on that centre. It does not place the hinge, and it does not cut a cabinet cup.
A 35 mm boring bit cuts the cup. Depth comes from that hinge’s sheet. A plastic fence is a claim about edge distance, not the drawing. Wolfcraft’s hinge-hole set, B09MM9K12R, was £16.30 at 4.6 from 505 reviews and bundles a 35 mm Forstner with a 2.5 mm self-centring bit. That box is not a row here. WangLaoWu is a 35 mm cutter and a fence, with no self-centring bit.
Sizes are a maker’s column
There is no single UK chart for a No.8 pilot. diydata.com lists 2.0 mm in softwood and 2.4 mm in hardwood, squote.app about 2.8 mm in hardwood, and woodcalcs.uk 2.5 mm and 3.0 mm. Those are public calculators, not a British Standard. Check the column on the packet.
Trend kits already disagree. Snappy is 2 mm, 2.75 mm and 3.5 mm for No.6, No.8 and No.10. QR/DBG/SET prints 2.4 mm, 2.8 mm and 3.6 mm. PTI runs 2.4 mm to 3.5 mm and claims No.6 to No.12. KAHEIGN says 17 pieces, then lists about eight bits plus a key.
What to read on the packet
A 1/4 inch hex suits a cordless drill. Trend, Ancable, Qianeffort, Bubuny and LYZHZHIUONGEI use it. A bullet that says impact driver means the hex may fit. It does not mean hammer mode. HPHOPE is a round shank. WangLaoWu’s spec says straight.
Read the sleeve before the stars. Reviews on Trend and Ancable say dust seizes the sleeve and travel is short. Then the conflicts: Ancable’s surface field says Glass, Bubuny’s material field says Metall, LYZHZHIUONGEI is listed at 18.3 g with a unit count of 1, one HPHOPE review measured 36 mm, and WangLaoWu’s included line says Hinge. The line you can measure wins.
What the price is buying
Entry on these captures is about £6 to £8, and the crowded band is about £10 to £16, with Trend QR/DBG/SET at £15.95. Outside the list, Sealey was £9.95, PTI about £17.50, Axminster from £54.98 and Trend Snappy with the chuck £55.30. A £6 jig is not that durability story.
Section 9 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 judges quality against the description and the price. An unrated £5.59 set is not a proven bargain. Spend more for labelled gauges, a large review count or spare bits. The pilot shortlist is the best hinge drill bit page.
Common questions
Is a hinge drill bit the same as a 35 mm Forstner?
No. In UK search results it is often a self-centring guide for a butt-hinge or lock-plate screw. A 35 mm Forstner bores the cabinet cup. One Wolfcraft kit sells both and is not scored here.
What size do I buy for a No.8 screw?
Buy the size that maker prints for No.8. Trend Snappy uses 2.75 mm and QR/DBG/SET prints 2.8 mm. Public tables run from about 2.0 mm in softwood to about 3.0 mm in hardwood. Test one hole in scrap.
Is a 17-piece set better than three bits?
Only if the size list contains bits you will use. KAHEIGN’s title says 17 pieces and the bullet lists about eight bits plus a key. Bubuny’s title says 9 and a bullet says 8. A larger fraction is a larger hole. One review says the larger KAHEIGN noses do not seat in a standard internal-door countersink.
Do I need a 1/4 inch hex?
You need a shank your drill will hold square. A 1/4 inch hex is the usual fit, and most self-centring sets here use it. A bullet that mentions an impact driver is about the shank, not hammer mode. HPHOPE is a round shank and WangLaoWu’s spec line says straight. Those cutters are not hex guides.
Will a £6 set last as long as a £16 set?
Nothing here measures life in holes. Section 9 of the Consumer Rights Act compares the description and the price, not wear. Axminster, from £54.98, includes spare bits. Judge a cheap set by whether the sleeve returns.
Can one kit do door hinges and cabinet cups?
Only if the box contains both tools. Wolfcraft’s hinge-hole set is sold that way and is not scored here. A self-centring guide will not bore a 35 mm cup. A 35 mm bit will not sit in a hinge-screw countersink. You still set cup depth from the hinge sheet.
What if the spec says Glass or Metall?
Read the bullets beside the spec field. Ancable’s surface line says Glass while the bullets describe hinge pilots. Bubuny’s material field says Metall and the bullets say HSS for wood. Neither line is a lab result. Do not buy Ancable as a glass drill, and do not treat Metall as proof it will drill steel.
Related pages
Sources
Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 21 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.
- Trend Snappy drill bit guides (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Axminster professional hinge drills (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Hart Wholesale, Blum CLIP top BLUMOTION 71B3550 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Hettich Sensys 110° hinge (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- DHF and GAI code of practice, hardware for fire and escape doors (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- BWF Fire Door Alliance, fire door hardware (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 21 October 2026)