I do not mind spending more if the extra price will result in cleaner holes. I want to make sure that the wood does not splinter.
That's not the drill. It's the property of the drill bits. The sharper they are, the cleaner the hole. The cheapest $13 drill from Harbor Freight will make perfect non-splintering holes if you get high quality bits, and let those bits do the work; you do not force them through.
https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-631-Brad-Point-Pieces/dp/B000H7D3QE
Titanium coated, good steel, and brad tipped. A nice bit for the money.
If you are in America, it is hard to find metric drill bits/screws. Try Amazon uxcell 3mm Drilling Dia HSS Cobalt Metric Spiral Twist Drill Bit Rotary Tool 5pcs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071FG75SX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-Y0XCb7NT8VBF
This. Brad points will drill a nice clean hole.
I recently bought a set on Amazon, a short bit of research showed that these are good.
Fisch FSF-328094 3, 10mm Set of Chrome Vanadium Brad Point Drill Bits, 8-Piece https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B007G4MX4Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_DXS9749Q3CBEF3YZ31P5
Marine Gun Builders website recommends these.
they're... short little drill bits. lol. i carry them in this case for putting anchors in drywall, so i can roll with only one tool. they're probably these ones? i need to get a 1/2" that fits in here for putting in snaptoggles.
I did something different... instead of marking the pilot holes with a pencil/marker... I just drilled them directly with the base on the table...making sure the table would never move in between marking the holes. To do this I used extended drill bits
wesleydrill Extra Long Brad Point... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VHYNVT7?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Mine was vertex pro
I used the 10mm
Fisch Brad Point Drill Bits (10mm x 133mm) - Premium Drill Bits for Soft, Hard, Veneered and Laminated Wood, MDF and Acrylic Glass - Beveled Edge for Fast, Easy Cutting - FSF-004097 - Made in Austria https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CE94BDC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_80E51WWH8NFZS4H994JC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
did 6" as well, but staggered. I also pop in t-nuts randomly as needed. (unsolicited advice) I've had good luck with this bit.
Montana Brand is made by Jore Corporation in Ronan, MT USA. They stock a multibit set at Menards for ~$30. They sell direct online:
http://www.montanabrandtools.com/collections/x29-bradpoint-drill-bits/products/brad-point-drill-set
but it looks like Amazon is less expensive: https://www.amazon.com/Montana-Brand-Brad-Point-Drill/dp/B002HO38DI
I'm having good luck with the points on this Dewalt set staying sharp over time (2 years now). The half inch bit drilled 1000 holes in red oak for a set of Christmas presents, and it still cut 48 clean holes in 3/4 birch ply for another project.
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW1720-Brad-Point-6-Piece/dp/B005GOM3VO