In this review
Most homeowners do not pick between these two DeWalt sets the way a trades buyer would. The real question is which one rides in the drill bag and which one stays in a drawer on the workbench. I have used both, on real jobs, across the same twelve months. The 14-piece DWA1184 has been my daily driver since the stair rebuild last winter. The 21-piece DW1361 showed up later when I got tired of hunting singles at the hardware store.
Short answer. Neither one is a full kit. The DWA1184 is a tight, honest wood-and-soft-metal set that forgives you for losing a bit. DW1361 is a wider fractional run with a better case and a marketing asterisk you need to read. Same engineering tier, different coverage, different storage, different lean of work.
If you want the longer view that puts these two next to an Irwin cobalt upgrade, see the best drill bit sets for homeowners guide. This comparison goes deeper on the DeWalt-versus-DeWalt question alone.
The spec sheet
| Feature | DWA1184 (14-piece) | DW1361 (21-piece) |
|---|---|---|
| Bit count | 14 | 21 (with 5 doubles of the smallest sizes) |
| Size range | 1/16 to 1/2 inch | 1/16 to 1/2 inch |
| Material | HSS with black-gold industrial oxide | HSS with TiN (titanium nitride) coating |
| Tip geometry | 135-degree split point on all bits | Pilot Point on the 8 largest bits only (3/16 and up). Standard 118-degree tip on the 13 smaller bits |
| Shank | 3-Flats on bits larger than 3/16 inch | Round shank across the set |
| Case | Plastic index, adequate | Thick plastic case, latch holds, bit-bar grips each bit |
| Typical street price | Around $30 | Around $45 to $55 |
| Best use | Wood, drywall, soft metal, light steel | Same materials, wider fractional coverage |
Both are HSS at the core. Both will bog down in stainless or hardened steel. Neither belongs in an impact driver. Those are the shared limits, and they matter more than anything else the boxes print on the front.
The 14-piece: DWA1184
DEWALT DWA1184 14-Piece Titanium Drill Bit Set
Fourteen-piece HSS set with 135-degree split-point tips, 3-flats shanks on bits larger than 3/16 inch, and a black-gold industrial oxide coating. Sizes laser-etched on every shank. The set that lives in the drill bag.
What the DWA1184 gets right is consistency. Every bit in the case has the 135-degree split-point grind, which means you can grab the 1/16 for a pilot hole or the 3/8 for a cabinet cup and both start cutting on first touch. No center punch needed for anything reasonable. That is the feature buyers think they are paying for with the “titanium” label, and on this set, they actually get it top to bottom.
The 3-Flats shank is the quiet win. Three ground flats on every bit larger than 3/16 give the chuck jaws a mechanical grip instead of a friction grip. On the cabinet install for a face-frame kitchen last spring, the 1/4-inch bit never slipped in a Milwaukee M18 Fuel chuck across the whole job. My old round-shank set used to spin in the chuck about one hole in six. Over a day that difference is real.
The gap is coverage. The 14-piece skips 7/32 and 15/64, which are the pilot sizes for a #14 wood screw and a few specific hinge layouts. If you only own this set, you will end up buying those singles at the hardware store. Most weekend work does not notice the gap. Dedicated trim and cabinet work does.
Rating breakdown
Full breakdown in the standalone DWA1184 review.
The 21-piece: DW1361
DEWALT DW1361 21-Piece Titanium Pilot Point Drill Bit Set
Twenty-one-piece TiN-coated HSS set running 1/16 to 1/2 inch with doubles of the five smallest sizes. Pilot Point tips on the eight largest bits. Hard-shell case with a latch that actually latches.
The DW1361 covers more fractional steps and throws in doubles of the five smallest bits. Two 1/16, two 5/64, two 3/32, two 7/64, two 1/8. That matters the first time you snap a 1/16 in a knot of oak at 8 a.m. on a Saturday. The 14-piece only ships with one of each small bit and a few spare slots. You are trading storage space for redundancy, and on the small sizes, the trade is worth it.
Read the fine print on the Pilot Point before you pay. Only the eight largest bits get the self-starting Pilot Point tip. Everything 5/32 and smaller is a standard 118-degree grind on a round shank. The product listing admits it. The box photo does not. If you buy the 21-piece assuming every bit has the fancy tip, you will feel conned. For most of the jobs I do, the smaller bits live in pilot-hole duty where you already have a punch mark or a scribe line, so the difference is smaller than it sounds. But it is a difference, and it is worth knowing before you pay.
The case is the sleeper. Thick-walled plastic, a clip that actually locks, and a bit-bar rack where each drill snaps firmly into place. I have flipped this case upside down in a tool bag and dumped nothing. My 14-piece index is fine after two years, but the label sheet inside faded to guesswork, and the plastic hinges do not have the same feel. On a set that gets tossed in a tailgate, the case is half of why you buy it.
Rating breakdown
Full breakdown in the DW1361 review.
Where each one wins
Pilot holes for deck screws in treated lumber. Tie goes to the 14-piece. The 135-degree split on the 1/8 bit bites cleanly on rough stock and tracks straight even on wet framing. The 21-piece 1/8 is a standard tip on a round shank. It still cuts, but on the deck build last fall I felt the 14-piece walk less when I got careless.
Cabinet hardware and concealed hinge installs. Edge to the 14-piece, and it is the 3-Flats shank doing the work. Hardwood face frames grab bits under torque, and the flats keep the jaws from slipping. The 21-piece round shanks will spin in a chuck on a bad hole, same as any round-shank set.
Light sheet metal and 11-gauge steel brackets. Edge to the 21-piece, but only at 1/4 inch and up. The Pilot Point on the big bits bites steel without a center punch better than the split-point grind does. I drilled roughly sixty 1/4-inch holes through 11-gauge bracket stock with the DW1361 last summer for a garage utility rack. Bit came off warm, not blued, and the holes came clean enough I skipped the deburr on most of them.
Wood-heavy projects with a lot of fractional pilot sizes. Win to the 21-piece. Workbench builds, trim jobs, door hardware. The moment you need a 7/32 for a #14 wood screw, the 14-piece sends you to the hardware store and the 21-piece does not.
The occasional larger bit up to 1/2 inch. Tie. Both sets top out at 1/2 inch and neither one is built for running a 1/2-inch hole through hardwood for production lag-bolt work. Both will get you through a handful of anchor holes and then want a breather.
The buy call
The daily DIYer who mostly drills wood and drywall with an occasional steel bracket should buy the 14-piece. Thirty dollars, tight index, 135-degree split top to bottom, and the 3-Flats shank that keeps the chuck honest. Add three spare 1/16 bits and get on with the year. This is the DeWalt DWA1184 at Amazon.
An occasional weekend builder who wants coverage and storage over pure tip consistency should buy the 21-piece. The fractional range closes the gap on trim and cabinet pilots, the small-bit doubles save a run to the hardware store, and the case survives the toolbag. Just read the Pilot Point fine print before you pay. This is the DeWalt DW1361 at Amazon.
If size coverage is the whole reason you are shopping, the 21-piece is the obvious pick and the 14-piece will feel thin inside of a month. If chuck grip and first-touch cutting in every size are what you want, the 14-piece stays ahead and the 21-piece will feel like a half-finished idea on the small bits.
The kit-completer buying both is not a bad outcome. I own both. The 14-piece rides in the drill bag for service-call work and quick jobs. The 21-piece stays on the workbench shelf for shop days where I want to pick the exact pilot size without walking to the truck. Together they cost less than one cobalt set and cover ninety percent of the jobs a homeowner actually runs. Neither one replaces a cobalt kit for hardened steel, and neither one belongs in an impact. Match the bit to the job.
For more handyman coverage, see the DIY reviews.
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