On July 7, 2017, we achieved a milestone that has been twenty-six years in the making: our 100,000^th Melfred Borzall blade rolled off the assembly line and into the world.

Weighing in at a robust 35lbs. and measuring a healthy 15” in length, this special UltraBit 3™ is one of the most popular tools in the Melfred Borzall quiver. Ideal for hard, compact soil and gravel, conical carbide cutters will allow this blade to chew through the tough ground with minimal complications. Specially-designed tapering minimizes drag that can compromise torque. Finally, this little guy is built to last for the long haul, with chunky carbide facing covering its entire length. Like all of our directional drilling bits and blades, this particular tool has undergone plenty of improvements since the days of its grandfather, the original UltraBit. Thoughtful design updates ensure that while this bit performs well in soft or hard conditions, it really stands out in the solid ground. The UltraBit3 is engineered to produce a rocking motion that allows drillers to carve through rock without stopping the rotation of the drill. With other blades in hard conditions, drillers run the risk of popping off carbides or shearing the piece off entirely.

This blade is the result of design and engineering improvements continually applied to our directional drilling bits and blades since we manufactured our first in 1991. From the time a blade is unloaded from the truck as raw American-made steel to the time it is inserted into a crate for shipping (or overnighting, in some cases), at least nine different pairs of hands have touched it, including our on-site factory robot, affectionately named “Megatron.” Each of these individuals applies their expertise, care, and oversight to make sure that every piece of HDD tooling we produce meets the real-world needs of directional drillers.

Like all our HDD tooling, our 100,000^th blade was produced in our state-of-the-art modern facility, nestled in Santa Maria, the heart of California’s central coast wine country. The blade was born in a plant dedicated to efficiency, powered by solar paneling and flood with natural skylight illumination. Not a bad place to place to call home. For such a landmark event, Blade #100,000 deserved special treatment. Not only did it receive a one-of-a-kind metallic powder coating in our iconic Melfred Borzall red, but we also etched the signatures of our company’s leadership onto its surface, reminding drillers that our products are meticulously designed and manufactured by real people (and one robot) who truly care. Our 100,000^th blade will be on display at the Melfred Borzall booth (#1926) during the International Construction & Utility Equipment Exposition (ICUEE) taking place in Louisville, KY, October 3-5. We’ll be presenting the blade to one lucky driller at our annual invitational dinner during the trade show. Hope to see you all there!