Craftsman Professional 17 in. Drill Press 179.99 (normally 529)

[jarhead]

The location that I specified for pickup did not have the DP in stock even though the email said "ready for pickup". If I find another location which has stock, can I pick it up from there?

[Uncle Cracker]

The location that I specified for pickup did not have the DP in stock even though the email said "ready for pickup". If I find another location which has stock, can I pick it up from there?

Depends upon whether they got the same memo that your first location did...

[LCHIEN]

OK, so I sold my HF DP for $100 (originally was $199 minus whatever coupon I had) so with the old one out of the shop, I had the opportunity and space to setup the new craftsman DP. So here's my mini review based on a few test holes (very limited test, I know) and comparison to my experiences with the HF.
...
So all in all, I'm happy with the purchase, but if I missed out on the deal, I would have been perfectly happy to stick with the HF DP. To those of you who got in on the deal, I'd be interested in hearing your comments. To those of you who missed out, keep looking, something almost as nice will come along sooner or later.

Michael

So, the guy that got your HF for $100 got about as good a deal as you did... making two people happy.

[windmill]

.
Pluses (in order of importance to me):
- Longer stroke
- Much better depth stop
- Keyless chuck
- Wider, flatter, square table (with a table extender on the side) with better clamping options
- Nice On/Off switch
- Slightly smoother operation
- Comes with a nifty laser thingamabob, though I've not set that up (may turn out to be a joke)
- Has a nice clamp on plastic tray to hold drills and small objects.

Minuses (in no particular order since none are deal breakers):
- For me, I prefer the traditional 4 knob arm, though the single knob arm is sort of slick. Jury's still out, I may get used to it.
- Belts and pulleys still aren't completely smooth and the cover is made of plastic that can vibrate and resonate at the right pulley speed.
- Belts are ridged, so can't use a v-belt to smooth things out
- The light is a total afterthought stuck on the side with no power on the drill itself (unless I missed something need to plug into another wall outlet). The arm can barely hold the head at more than one dangling angle. The HF light was integrated into the head casting, tucked neatly out of the way and powered by the drill itself. I think I'll pick up a magnetic lamp to replace it.
- I never though I would say this, but the HF instructions were actually better.
- The paint on the head and underside of the table was cracked and peeling in a few places right out of the box. I chipped it off and put a nice coat of wax on all the exposed areas.
Michael

Michael, thanks for the great review. I actually managed to purchase one on Saturday (well, it is backordered), but quite honestly, I didn't look too closely at all the specs. The model has disappeared from the Sears web site, so I don't really know what I got!

Of course, I bought a drill press not two months ago, a 15" Ridgid. Still not sure whether I should keep it and sell the Craftsman, or vice versa. Please post if you get the laser set up, and how you like it.

Bas.

[tedkitch]

After seeing mpauly's excellent review, I thought that I would give my thoughts on it. I was using a Ryobi benchtop DP that I really liked. I'll even steal his format:

General: The DP is heavy and things go together well. One of the initial problems that I had was that the single knob arm broke on its first use. To Sears credit they sent me one next day and this single knob is entertaining to use, but I'm slowing warming up to it. I can see what is said about the instructions they aren't very clear about certain things and overly clear on others. I did order the service manual for this and I'll let everyone know if there is anything juicy in at after I get it.

Pros: (no order)
* Longer stroke is very nice
* As stated the depth stop is very easy to use and stays put for multiple holes
* Keyless chuck is very nice
* The table to me is a work of art. It is so flat and the extender is nice. At first I never thought that I would use it, but I find myself using it quite a bit so far.
* Laser - Some will call this a negative, but after spending the time to adjust it and lock it in I have been very happy with it. It does need to be modified when the table changes, but nothing drastic. I really like it as it allows me to throw something on the table and get it done quickly and accurately. I just line up my mark with the laser and let it rip.
* Base is very flat on the bottom and doesn't budge as I haven't screwed it down to anything yet.
* The little tray is actually very handy

Cons: (no order)
* The light is pathetic. It can't hold itself up at all. I really like having a light on my DP and this is just horrible. They should make the jokers that designed this think work with it for a few days. I can understand that they give the light a second plug so you can use it while the DP isn't spinning, but they could have implemented it better
* Not being able to use a v-belt is also a negative for me
* My plastic top already rattles, but I should be able to address this easily, I just haven't done it yet.

All in all I'm very happy with the DP and I'm glad I spent the money for it. I don't have any paint peeling and the fact that I can order parts for it online has always been a plus for me when purchasing Craftsman tools.

Hope this helps,

[siliconbauhaus]

what did you do with the ryobi then ?

[ironhat]

OK, so I sold my HF DP for $100 (originally was $199 minus whatever coupon I had) so with the old one out of the shop, I had the opportunity and space to setup the new craftsman DP. So here's my mini review based on a few test holes (very limited test, I know) and comparison to my experiences with the HF.

<snip>

So all in all, I'm happy with the purchase, but if I missed out on the deal, I would have been perfectly happy to stick with the HF DP. To those of you who got in on the deal, I'd be interested in hearing your comments. To those of you who missed out, keep looking, something almost as nice will come along sooner or later.

Michael

I think that you just sold me on a HF DP!

[mpauly]

* My plastic top already rattles, but I should be able to address this easily, I just haven't done it yet.

There is a metal clip that secures the lid when closed, try bending that out a little to put a little more pressure on the lid. Seemed to stop some of the resonating in the lid for me (drill still vibrates, but the lid doesn't resonate to the point of annoyance). I may try throwing some damping material inside the lid too (the self stick ice dam stuff for your roof is great for this).

Thought of another minor negative:
- The pulley lid has these multi-level ridges molded into it that prevent me from placing anything on top of it. I know, probably a bad habit to put stuff up there in the first place and the little plastic tray helps out some, but I would always throw the set of drills I happened to be using up there till I was done.

Michael

[mpauly]

I think that you just sold me on a HF DP!

Really, how elaborate can you get with a moderately priced DP intended for the hobbyist? Honestly, the HF DP was a gem and I would have been happy with it for a long while (assuming reliability didn't become a factor). I'm just a moron when it comes to 'deals' and can't resist.

Michael

[tedkitch]

what did you do with the ryobi then ?

I still have it, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. Do I detect some interest? If so, PM me.

[Tom Slick]

I just recieved the latest craftsman club flier and it has the 17" DP listed at $476.

IMHO the $179 price was a mistake. thinking it was a bait and switch or loss leader is a conspiricy theory.

[jarhead]

The location that I specified for pickup did not have the DP in stock even though the email said "ready for pickup". If I find another location which has stock, can I pick it up from there?

Here's an answer to my own question: Went last night to a store that did have one in stock. I tried to scan the barcode in the merchandise pick-up area but the computer would not read it since my original pick up location was at a different store. The associate came out and started making calls to the original pick up location to make sure that I wasn't trying to scam them. After a confirmation, I was told that I'd have to cancel the original order and repurchase it. The best part was that they agreed to match the price.

[JSUPreston]

Okay, so I don't suck now.

At least on the deal. After being promised that the DP would be delivered yesterday, it apparently didn't come in at the store. Then again, the guy I was talking to wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer.

They did offer me the 15" model. It's http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...rd=drill+press

The manager said he could work something out with me. They only have one in stock, and I told them I would have to think about it. Honestly, I'm inclined to pass on that one and see if mine comes in. They say mine is back ordered until Dec. Looks like those buying the Craftsman Club discouted version will be waiting a while.

Whaddya you guys think? I really was looking forward to the one we ordered and really don't want to settle for something less.

[DominoPhreak]

I hope I don't make too many enemies, but I've got a nice, tall Craftsman box that has been there since Thursday night, just waiting for me to build a nice shop to put it in...

Absolutly no problems picking it up at all.

I thought about trying to sell it on Craigslist, but I liked how it looked on the showroom floor too much to give up such a great deal.

[Alex Franke]

I saw this DP while at Sear the other day without a price tag on it, so just in case, I asked the guy, "How much is this one?" He replied, "Well, it's not $179..."

I acted puzzled, of course, and he told me the real price.

Oh well... =)