Milwaukee Hole Dozer vs Lenox vs Diablo Hole Saws (2026)
You are cutting steel, not concrete. Hole Dozer, Lenox, and Diablo all sell bi-metal hole saws that thread onto a standard arbor. The difference is tooth life, how fast the slug comes out, and which kit matches the diameters you actually drill.
This is a spec and job-fit comparison from manufacturer product lines and how shops use them. It is not a lab test. Confirm the current kit contents, warranty, and price on the listing before you buy. Stainless and carbide-tooth saws are a separate decision: bi-metal vs carbide hole saws for stainless.
SDS-plus, SDS-Max, and concrete core bits do not belong in this comparison. Those are hammer-drill tools. A bi-metal hole saw in a rotary-only drill is the setup for mild steel, tubing, and sheet.
Quick comparison
| Line | Tooth | Slug removal | Buy it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Hole Dozer | Bi-metal, cobalt-enriched | Side slots so you can pry the plug | You already run M18 and want one kit for steel and wood |
| Lenox Speed Slot | Bi-metal, variable tooth | Speed Slot on the cup | You want a slug out without wrecking the teeth |
| Diablo bi-metal | Bi-metal, variable tooth | Knockout holes on the cup | You want a mid-price saw for occasional steel and wood |
Default pick for a welding shop: Milwaukee Hole Dozer if you cut steel often. Lenox if slug removal is what slows you down. Diablo if the saws sit in a drawer between projects.
What actually differs
All three are cups with a toothed rim, not a twist drill. You need an arbor, a pilot bit, and cutting oil on steel. None of them is a carbide-tooth saw. Push a bi-metal cup through thick stainless and you burn the teeth. That job is on the carbide page.
Hole Dozer. Milwaukee’s bi-metal Hole Dozer line uses cobalt in the tooth and a published lifetime tooth-break warranty on those saws. Access slots in the cup let you knock the plug out. The warranty is Milwaukee’s, on tooth break, not a promise the saw lasts forever if you overheat it. Read the current warranty card.
Lenox Speed Slot. Lenox bi-metal hole saws with the Speed Slot put a staggered opening in the cup so the slug levers out. Variable tooth pitch is the usual Lenox pattern for mixed thickness. The slot is the reason people keep this brand after they have dug a plug out of a closed-back saw with a screwdriver.
Diablo. Diablo’s bi-metal hole saws use a variable tooth and knockout openings. They cost less than a pro Hole Dozer kit at most retailers. Fine for fixture work and the odd hole in angle or plate. If you are drilling holes every day, spend the money on Hole Dozer or Lenox and keep Diablo as the spare diameters.
Which job gets which saw
- Mild steel plate, angle, and tubing: Hole Dozer or Lenox. Use cutting oil, low speed, and let the tooth cut. Forcing the drill overheats every brand the same way.
- Thin sheet and one-off brackets: any of the three. Diameter coverage matters more than the logo. A kit beats three loose cups.
- Wood, plastics, and the occasional metal hole: Diablo or a general Hole Dozer kit. You do not need carbide.
- Stainless, cast iron, or abrasive stock: stop. Bi-metal is the wrong tooth. Use the carbide comparison.
Kit vs loose cups
Buy the kit if you do not already own the diameters. A 10- to 19-piece bi-metal kit covers the holes most fab tables need (clearance holes, pipe pass-throughs, fixture bushings). Buy a single cup when you already have the arbor and you are short one size.
Check the listing for the arbor. Some kits include it. Some are cups only. A cup without a matching arbor does not cut anything.
What we are not claiming
No shop hours, no tooth-count shootout, no “lasts 3x longer.” Prices move. Kit piece counts change. Warranty terms are whatever the manufacturer publishes on the day you buy. Match the model number on the box to the manufacturer page before you trust a marketplace title.
Related
- Bi-metal vs carbide hole saws, plus arbors and pilot bits
- Cordless drills for a home welding shop — the drill has to have a clutch and enough low-speed torque. A hole saw is not an impact-driver job.