Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Upon receiving the Drill Dr., I immediately opened the box to find both an instruction manual and a DVD. The instruction manual is clear enough that, given you're already a "handy-person", a couple of reads is sufficient to get started. I have not opened the DVD. It takes ~20 minutes or so, after opening the box, to sharpen your first bit. The process, as described, begins with an overview of the machine, chucking the drill, setting the depth of material removal, setting the angle of the grind, and determining if the grind was properly achieved. Afterwards, you can perform a 'split-point' operation if desired. A few caveats. First, this is NOT a precision machine to be used for sharpening precision machine tools. Setting up the EXACT angle for grinding is difficult, and took me a few attempts. The two most common angles are 118-degrees and 135-degrees, for which the Drill Dr. has pre-set positions. Some of my drill bits are 130-degrees, made from HSS-Co. I suggest you start with a lesser drill bit that you can 'sacrifice' for the learning process. Second, during the sharpening process, you rotate the chuck (containing the drill bit) in the bushing that sets the angle. There is quite a bit of 'play' during this process, so it takes some care to ensure you are consistent during this operation. With more practice, it should not be a problem. Third, think twice before you do the 'split-point' operation. The radius of the split-point grind is OK for large drill bits, but will consume most of the drill-bit surface for anything under ~1/4-inch. Finally, it would be useful to have a rubber pad underneath the Drill Dr.. The grinding wheel is spinning ~20,000 RPM, and the Drill Dr. 'walks' across a hard surface. I do have some very expensive, precision HSS-Co bits that I won't sharpen in this machine. Those bits I will take to a professional for sharpening. However, I do have some bits for general use, wood and steel, that will greatly benefit from this. My $150 set of general purpose HSS-Co bits can be rejuvenated, which will pay for the Drill Dr. immediately. Overall, highly recommended. I gave it 4/5 stars because of the difficulty in setting up the 'non-standard' grinding angle. After learning on a sacrificial bit, the process worked well. You can sharpen a bit in a few minutes, and they DO come out sharp. It works well for my all-around bits. I should have purchased a Drill Dr. years ago.