Knockout punch vs step bit for running wire through metal studs

I spent two years using a knockout punch set for every hole I punched in metal studs, thinking I needed that clean cut. Then a foreman handed me a step bit a few months ago and told me to just zip through them. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference in time?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor_hayes2526d ago

Started using a step bit for everything after I saw an old timer drill through a stud, then use the same bit to open a beer. That little jab to the finger he gave me when I asked about it was worth the lesson. Now I keep a step bit in my pouch and the knockout punch in the bottom of my box gathering dust.

betty_palmer26d ago

Five years ago I would have laughed if you told me a step bit was worth carrying every day. I was a knockout punch loyalist, thought step bits were for sheet metal guys. Then @taylor_hayes25 I saw a guy on a commercial job pop a hole in a metal stud, flip the bit over, and ream out a piece of PVC clean as could be. He didn't even swap tools. That was the moment it clicked for me. Now my knockout punch sits in the same spot your does, collecting rust while that step bit does double duty.

charlienelson18d ago

Step bit changed my whole workflow too. Knockout punch stayed in the truck after I realized I could drill and ream in one motion without swapping tools.