HF 5-Speed Drill Press Opinions

[jp_spins]

Does anyone have any opinions on the HF Central Machinery 5-Speed Drill Press, it's on sale for $39 if you through in a 20% off coupon you can get it for $32.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44506

[Copper]

I bought it a while back and have used it a few times. It works well for most applications. The bit doesn't wander and I've had no probllems using a hole saw or large (1.5 inch) spade bits on it. My only gripe is that the chuck had quite a bit of oil on it and it stained my wood and shirt the first few times I used it. It took me a while to figure out where the black spots on my oak were coming from (they snaded right out though). It's fairly easy to change the belt to get different speeds, but I've only had to do that once or twice.

[thrytis]

I've had one for a couple of years now and have gotten a lot of use out of it. I think it is a great buy for the price. It doesn't have rack-and-pinion table movement which would be nice, it has a fairly short column even for bench top models, and its slowest speed is still fast for some applications (though i've never not been able to use it because of the speed). Other than that, it has done everything i've wanted it to do. Some day i'll get a floor standing with the rack-and-pinion table, a bigger throat, and a bigger spindle stroke, but i'll probably still keep this one around too.

If you're looking at this as a long term drill press, i wouldn't recommend it. Spend some more money to get something a little better. If you're looking at this as either a cheap solution until you can afford a big one or until you have more room, it is a great choice because it is a functional drill press for not very much money.

[sweensdv]

If you really want a drill press and this is what your budget can afford then I'd say buy it. Even with its shortcomings there will be lots of jobs that it can do well.

On the other hand, if your budget can spring for one, this one, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=43378 or this one http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=38142 will do much more than just give you more speed options.

[jp_spins]

Thanks for the input, I picked up the drill press today, actually the one I got was a little different than the one on HF web site, this one had a keyless chuck and a little work light. After the discount it came to $40, I put it together and did a little testing and it worked great. So in the end I feel like I got a nice little deal.

[Stytooner]

I'll have to say that this is most likely the best sleeper deal on the market.
I use this little DP in production and it hasn't failed me yet. It is by far the most used DP in my shop and works okie dokie.

[mpphoto]

I picked one up as well. For forty bucks it was a no-brainer. I assembled it and played around a bit. Seems fine for my limited usage.

[LCHIEN]

does it have a metal pulley or one of those infamous plastic pulleys like the ones at Big Lots a while back?

[mpphoto]

It has a metal pulley.