An operator drilling through highly interbedded conglomerate sandstone in Austria had challenges to maintain a sharp cutting structure for as long as possible and to drill the horizontal section according to the directional plan. Using an 8 1/2-in StingBlade conical diamond element bit, the operator achieved three fewer bit trips than the average offset wells at an on-bottom ROP that was 159% faster. The solution saved 6.2 days compared with average on-bottom days.