I had some trouble going through stainless. I have cut one pilot hole and it was difficult. I tried the 2nd one going fairly slow and using cutting fluid.. The bit never got hot at all but still will barely make a dent in the stainless. Maybe I just got a bad one, but I wouldn't recommend it for stainless steel. There are plenty of positive reviews on this bit, that's why I bought it, but it's not working very well for me.