Starborn Pro Plug System for 300 Square Feet Ipe Wood Decking with 1050 Stainless Steel #8 X 2-1/2" Screws

I'm really enjoying this product as I finish my deck. I saw reviews in which tips break, and they do, but I expected that and ordered extra. If you're going to plug your deck, this system is quick and the finished look is clean. I highly recommend using a corded drill if you're drilling hardwood.

I knew I was in trouble when the very first hole I drilled in an ipe board with a brand new never-used bit started smoking right away. The drill bit included in this set is OK -- it's the steel countersink bit that is the problem -- it's not made of cobalt or even high speed steel. While the auto-depth feature of the bit works well, the soft steel in the countersink bit is a total non-starter, at least when used to drill in ipe wood. I don't know how well the bit would work in softer wood species, but in ipe it's not up to snuff. I have used cheap Ryobi countersink bits that worked much better than the fancy bit included in this kit. The bits are quite expensive,and should be cobalt for the price. For a 200 square foot deck I used four bits (but none of the included replacement central drill bits). The ipe plugs included with the kit were OK, but had two problems: about 5-10% of the plugs were too big for the holes they were supposed to fit, and about half of the plugs are made from very light-colored wood that stands out from the wood decking (not in a good way) after you have finished. That's just poor quality control at work. The stainless screws are good (only had one break). With a little tweaking and attention (e.g., cobalt countersink bit and better color/diameter/quality control for the plugs) this kit would be worth its high price. Without these improvements, I do not recommend buying the kit.

The system is great but the drill bits are on fire.. Literally. With a 3100 rpm corded drill, we got 30 holes in garappa when it started smoking and left some burn marks on the wood.What you should consider instead is a milescraft drill block, a couple of 1/8th bits, and a couple of 5/16th bits with stop collar. And for fun, an impact driver to drive the screws in.I will post pictures once the deck is done and after it gets a light sand and oil.

I am finishing a large (48 feet long by 12 feet wide for most of the length) deck with Garapa using the Starborn plug system. This is the same system as listed here except for the fact that the plugs are Garapa and not Ipe. Ipe as well as Garapa is quite hard and abrasive so the Pro Plug countersink bits do not last very long before they begin to smoke. I am 75% completed and have used 5 "Smart Bits" so far; I expect to need two more to finish (at $22 or more a pop). They do not last very long before they begin to burn and smoke. At that point the holes become fuzzy. When that happens it becomes very hard to get the plugs into the holes and to get them to fully seat. The plugs in my package seem to be too large (about a 32nd larger than the hole) as they split the wood at the butt joints and ends.While good in concept this system appears to not be fully worked out. I would advise a different approach until the problems are fully addressed; other posts have noted the same issues.Here is an update: The Starborn folks were quite helpful after an email asking for advice. They stated that a cordless drill should not be used because the demand of the countersink was too much and would slow the drill down quickly. This is not noted in their instructions and they should know that most folks will use cordless drills and that many will not even own a corded drill. We switched to a corded drill with 2,700 rpm max (they wanted 2,500 min)) and things improved a bit though we still got "fuzzies" pretty quickly. We are now up to 9 countersinks (ProPlug bits) and will need three more to finish. The plugs are very light even when compared to the lightest boards and they stand out quite a bit. The plug fit is poor and all will need to be cut off with a chisel as they do not go in flush. That is a lot of work for what will be 3,000 plugs when we are done. I would never have chosen this system had I known the problems.I will talk with Starborn tomorrow and perhaps they can further enlighten me.