Surface engineering approaches are being increasingly employed for enhancing the effective life of twist drills with a view to reduce machining costs. The electro-spark coating (ESC) technique provides a promising means of depositing wear resistant coatings that can potentially enhance the performance of these tools. However, it is often necessary to also optimize the machining conditions for coated tools to achieve an enhanced tool life. In the present investigation, varying spindle speeds were employed at a fixed vertical feed to evaluate the performance of WC-8Co ESC coated HSS drills in comparison to bare HSS drills. The number of holes drilled before reaching a preset average flank wear (0.5 mm), or catastrophic failure of the drill, was taken as the measure of tool life. The drill flank wear, monitored at regular intervals, as well as the cutting torque and thrust measured for all holes, were considered to be the key criteria for optimizing the cutting conditions. Results indicate that the WC-8Co coated drill tool life can be increased by a factor of more than 5, depending on the machining conditions selected. Furthermore, flank wear of the drill was found to increase rapidly at the end of drill life. Cutting torque data was also found to provide a useful indicator for predicting the end of tool life. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.