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Pref not too expensive drill set (pref with individual replacements)that can deal with metal repeatedly, e.g. cleat removal (* first manky cleat took about 3 mins, second about 90 mins, hacksaw, punch, pliers, vice, a gawd awful mess)
Also do drill sharpeners actually work or any other tips for keeping drills working.
Ta
The wee Makita pack from screwfix is descent enough for most purposes unless you think you'll need to make very big or very small holes
I'd used the dewalt extreme bits previously but although they are great at starting a cut they are very prone to grabbing the work piece and snapping.
(pref with individual replacements)
If you need to replace anything - you don't need to replace like for like. Buy a little five-pack of what every quality you like of the drill bit size you use most. I used the pack above as the suits-all-occasions set and buy 5 packs of double ended twist-drill bits for the sizes of hole I drill the most (3mm and 5mm)
Makita.
any other tips for keeping drills working.
the word 'manky' might be a factor - grit is going to blunt drill bits. Other than that some oil on the drill bit / hole, keep the speed down and get a bit of weight behind it - the drill bit should be cutting not rubbing its way through the metal so you should be creating ribbons of metal as you drill, not fillings.
Cobalt all day long, tough as f***.
Cobalt steel.
For mild steel, brass, alu, or any other soft metal, a set of HSS and a bit of knowledge on how to grind them will see you OK.
If youre drilling anything with a hex head ( socket head bolt,countersink bolts, cleat screws, etc, ) or similar tougher material, then its Cobalt HSS all day long, dont bother with HSS.
Big thanks guys,
New cobalt drill, some chain lube, cheapie handheld drill at slowest speed, two cleats off in about 5 mins. Cheers. Oh yeah, it does create ribbons, nice one.