The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Drill press opinions

Everyone has an opinion, right? So, I want to hear yours. I am buying a drill press which I will use infrequently. For months I tried unsuccessfully to find a quality used one and finally came to the conclusion that a less expensive one will fill my limited needs. Now the question: Which unit would you recommend; Sears or HF? Both are very similar, 3/4hp, 16 speed, 5/8 chuck, floor model. The Sears unit costs $370 and has a 1 year warranty. The HF unit costs $200 and has a 90 day warranty. I understand most folks would rather have a better drill than either of these, but these are what I have narrowed my search to.

Opinions?

My Harbor Freight drill press is several years old and it has done all that jobs that I needed it to do.

I have a Delta press I got maybe 6 years or so ago at Lowes, think it was about $300 at the time. It is made in China like most of the stuff now. I don't use it a lot but it seems to work fine. My 2 cents.

Steve

I have a Korean Enlon brand drill press and its really about the same thing as the HF model. Does everything I need and does a very accurate job. Sure I would like to have a better one, but can't justify it.

My opinion on warranties with those kinds of tools is they are pretty limited in their worthiness. Meaning if it starts and runs at the time of purchase, and legally for 30 days they have to allow you to take it back, it will work for years. Get the 115pc drill bit set and a Drill Doctor and you will be set for life.

You can get some really good drill presses on Craigslist if you are near a fairly big town. You must be if you have Sears and HF.
Also I have a bench top unit and have often thought I should have gotten a floor unit to reclaim the bench area and be able to move it around. HF stuff is better than it used to be. I have no problem with them. I have bought nothing but electrical garbage from Sears in the last 10 years. I don't shop there anymore. Hand tools are nothing better than Home Depot, Amazon and sometimes HF. None of them are Mac or Snap-on Quality. The Ridgid brand of tools used to have lifetime warrantee. I buy them when I can. Drill presses are all about high amp motors and Jacobs chucks. You can buy a good used one for $75-$100. Many people never use them much and they stay in good condition. It's definitely an item to buy used. Just check it out before buying (spindle radial and axial movement, motor size, chuck size, brand name, throat, Jacobs brand chuck....and a clean sellers shop!) After 90 days a new one is no safer than used. There are 6 on Decatur CL for $100 or less. Just FYI, do what you think is best. I love a bargain but new smells nice.

I have a couple of drill presses that came of of these tool sale trucks that come around ever so often. They are fine for just drilling holes. I use a Clausing drill press that I picked up at an auction a long time ago. I put an Albrecht keyless check on it. It really does a lot better job than any Jacobs chuck I have ever seen. For drilling heat treated steel, nothing compares to a magnetic drill press. I bought my first one 30 years ago. Wore two of them out and still have 3 of them. Jancy was recently bought out by Fein and I think their quality got better. The last one I bought is their USA http://www.jancy.com/en_us/jhm-series/jhm-usa-5-06/

I bought a bunch of 5/8 and 3/4 cutters, coolant and cutting cream when Zoro tools had their 30% off sale a few days ago. 30% off was a heck of a deal on stuff that normally never goes on sale.

HF tools are generally one step above junk. I have a 40-something year old Delta floor model drill press that I have modified with a second motor to have 24 speeds. I have fitted it with a 5/8" capacity chuck. It is adequate for all my drilling needs, up to and including stepped-shank drill bits over 1 inch in diameter through 3/4" steel plate. It also does light-duty milling with a cross slide table. The second motor has a 3:1 speed reduction and drives the high speed motor as an idler when running in low speed. I also have a Sprag clutch fitted to prevent overspeeding the low speed motor when the high speed unit is running. The total investment in the unit, including the purchase of the original used drill press, was under $250.00.
Jerry

best drill press is a Bridgeport knee mill, only down side is they do take up a fair amount of floor space.
up side is you can also do some milling.
round ram models can be found cheap.

one of the big things on drill pres quality is how much run out there is on the chuck.
HF is going to be hit and miss.
Sears will be better most likely.

new a truly good drill pres will not be chaep

I would continue to look on craigslist and ebay. I am a Delta fan for most major tools, planer, drill press lathe, table saw etc. Problem is Delta is or has disappeared into the corporate buyout world. They are not being made anymore, acording to a local tool supplier. Parts are NOS or aftermarket.

One trick you can use is to search e-bay and find any large tool and then search who posted it. There are many places that sell old machines, big and small. You can also look at various government surplus programs. Always be careful to check for three phase stuff. Conversions may be costly

Bought my 1/2" Craftsman in 1985 and paid $179 for it back them...which was a lot of money "back then". Its an upright 15 speed and has worked flawless for me all these years. I do check spindle run out ect every now and then and so far I'm amazed. Not sure where this one was made. While I don't go in Sears anymore most of the stuff in my shop, all the wood working saws/routers ect, were purchased back in the mid 80's. Only problem has been one motor on the table saw.
If you can find an estate auction, like 2-ton goes to, you may find a good deal.

Oh, I use to like Sears because they had a "shop" at ours where you could get parts, get repairs and even get super buys on "reconditioned" new stuff that was returned. However, they closed that service years ago and I gave up on them and moved on.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the input and the variety of opinions and experiences. I continue to watch CL for a good used drill press. If that doesn't pan out I will buy one of the chinese models.

I have a craftsman benchtop drill press that I got for 60, only 10 years old and was used once before I got it, and since i got it in May I've put about 10 years of use on it . I prefer Sears because I can still take it in if something happens to it and they will fix it for me for free, at least my local sears does.

I doubt that most people know what to check for on a used drill press, or could tell you what makes a new press bad, the speeds for metal vs wood.

Most people will jamb in a dull drill bit, and crank on the handle till it smokes and then blame the drill press for not having enough power. Most drilling issues can be fixed with a $5 bottle of oil. I've read that people complain about run out ON A DRILL PRESS. Like a drill press is gonna have class 2 bearings. More likely a bushing and anything close to .010 is really good... like a chuck is a precision tool to begin with hahaha

Even so, how many are going to take the time to replace anything.. assuming parts are even available?

Get the HF model, use it. Buy the 2 year warranty (which is very good.. I have used it and its very painless.. call the phone number, get an RMA go back to the store and swap it out). Enjoy the money you saved on beer and pizza.

Yeah, I think equal focus should be placed on the drill bits. Not the quality of them so much.. the sharpness of them. I purchased the 115 pc drill bit set from HF several years ago. I use a Drill Doctor to keep them sharp and serviceable, and I get no smoking, or overheating. They cut like butter. Another tip is to use PAM or even the generic brand cooking spray oil for drilling and using a Dry Cut saw. Its amazing the difference just taking a little more time to think and take precautions makes in protecting your tools.

I have yet to buy a drill doctor.. when a bit get dull I turn it upside down so I know not to use it again.

They really need to have a $50 version. I'd buy one in a heartbeat. But $100+? I don't drill that often to need justify that kind of expense.

What do you know.. they do!

http://www.lowes.com/pd_129482-13261-DD350X_0__?productId=1010329

I have a friend who is in his early 70's and has just tossed the dull bits over the years in a drawer. When he got his, he said he couldn't imagine being without it. He has a whole drawer to put more junk in now! It doesnt help when you break them, but it
sure makes for a very sharp bit when you forget to spray the PAM on the bit when drilling.

....mine has saved me many gallons of gas going to get bits plus the time to go get them. Love my drill doctor and luckily I had a friend that use to work at Grainger who got me a good discount.
I've already saved many dollars and the one I have does the different sizes/angles/ and all that fancy stuff. Besides, I like toys.

What about the Black Bull drill presses at Tractor Supply? Any good?