You’re not buying a spade bit for the first hole; you’re buying it for the hundredth. Alpha TurboBORE Spade Bits are designed for work that requires fast, clean holes in timber over and over again. Whether you’re running cables and conduit through wall studs or doing decking fit outs, you need a tool that can drill dozens of holes without breaking or binding.
A favourite for sparkies, plumbers, chippies, and anyone drilling timber all day, the Alpha TurboBORE Spade Bit excels in speed, control, and hole finish quality.
What makes Alpha TurboBORE different?
Alpha TurboBORE is designed to cut fast while keeping the hole clean and the drill steady in your hands.
- Clean holes with less vibration thanks to the double outside spurs
- Easy use in quick change setups with the ¼ hex shank to help reduce slipping
- Proven results in head-to-head testing across soft and hardwood
Testing is the foundation, not the finale
Alpha has a commitment to product quality and performance, backed by testing that proves what the gear can do before it hits the shelf.
Our approach is simple: benchmark against leading competitors, test in real conditions, learn what fails, refine and then test again.
Conducted by our Product Development team, testing was run as a head-to-head comparison of the Alpha TurboBORE Spade Bit against 9 competitors. Using a DeWalt 3-speed cordless drill, our team drilled into 88 x 88 DAR primed laminated pink pine (90 x 45) posts in softwood.
Hardwood testing followed, using 90 x 90 Merbau with natural oils and resins, which made testing harder for some samples.
Each bit was:
- Put through a durability run of up to 300 holes in softwood material and an additional 100 through Merbau hardwood.
- Speed was captured using timed holes, plus a “set of 10 holes” timing to show real-world throughput.
All bits achieved under 3 seconds per hole except two that were tested at 1300 RPM due to a 1500 RPM maximum recommendation.
The spade bit test results
After 300 holes in softwood, Alpha delivered the cleanest holes of all tested bits. According to the testing report, Alpha produced the most consistently cleanest holes and completed the full 300-hole softwood run, while one competitor’s sample only reached 260 holes. This matters when you want neat drilling for cable and pipe; less tear-out means less time cleaning up.
In the timed softwood holes, Alpha averaged 2.87 seconds per hole. Alpha placed in the faster “under 3.0-second” group, with two branded competitors exceeding 3.0 seconds per hole (3.47 and 3.58 seconds).
In Merbau hardwood, Alpha averaged 2.72 seconds per hole and was the fastest bit. Alpha was about 0.99 seconds per hole quicker than the next-fastest competitor at 3.70 seconds, and about 2.08 seconds per hole quicker than the slowest competitor at 4.79 seconds.
In Merbau hardwood , Alpha’s “set of 10” time of 51.88 seconds was the quickest result. Alpha beat the next-fastest competitor at 56.93 seconds by 5.05 seconds per 10 holes, and it completed the full 100-hole Merbau run. Alpha’s hardwood result is significant because it was achieved after the bit had already completed a full 300-hole softwood durability run. It maintained cutting performance rather than dropping off after heavy use and stayed sharp after significant load.
Why Merbau hardwood matters in testing
Merbau is not a gentle material; it is dense and can be high in moisture, oil and resin. Merbau is exactly the type of material that can expose poor-quality tool bits.
If a bit can maintain clean cuts and control in dense materials like Merbau, it’s a strong indication that it will handle any other timber you use.
The testing report identified several notable issues with some competitor samples. One competitor, for example, needed significantly more force to cut through the material than the others.
Another competitor bit broke during the hardwood run, and a third competitor repeatedly jammed, placing a heavy load on the tool and user, raising a potential safety concern. Moisture content may have been a factor, but no other bit behaved the same way.
All test data is available on request. Competitor brands have been anonymised for professional courtesy, but full results can be provided for independent review.
Watch the Alpha TurboBORE quickly punch through wood below:
Other Alpha observations and takeaways
Alpha TurboBORE showed strong depth control and reliably punched all the way through Merbau. This matters when you’re drilling repeated holes through studs and need consistent results without the bit losing control or jamming as it breaks through.
Alpha TurboBORE also avoided the “hang-up” behaviour noted with some self-feeding screw tip styles. Performance can change once the tip breaks through, affecting control and the finish. In testing, Alpha TurboBORE was controlled and kept the cut smooth.
If you are ready to put Alpha TurboBORE to work, find your nearest stockist below.
Where to buy Alpha
Store locator is loading from StoreRocket Store Locator App..