Drill Press opinion needed

[JeffG78]

My sister and I are going in on a drill press for our dad for Christmas. I did some online research as well as old threads here. Based on what I've read, I would lean towards the 15" Ridgid model 1550. Other choices in the same range would be the Craftsman 15" w/laser 922900N, the 15" Jet, and the Delta. They are all imported and the Jet and Delta models are not available in the stores around here, so I am down to the Craftsman and Ridgid. I generally stay clear of current Craftsman tools unless I know that they are made by a good company. The problem is that my sister has Sears gift certificates that she needs to use and there is nothing else there that she needs to buy. She is pressing me to get one from Sears for this reason. I can't find any credible reviews of the Craftsman model. It might be as good or better than the Ridgid, but I don't know without help.

Do any of you have a Craftsman drill press? If so, how about a review? I am going to Sears and HD now to look at both, but I am much more worried about runout, quality, ergonomics, etc.

My DP is an old heavy duty off brand that works well, but does have too much runout and play for my liking. I want to make sure we get him a good one. He always uses quality tools and I don't want to get a crappy one.

[cabinetman]

That's a rock and a hard place question. Either store has a good return policy and more than likely a current parts supply. Like you said, go look at both. I don't have a Craftsman DP now, but I did 25 years ago, and it was pretty good.

So you just might score well with the Craftsman, and take it back if it doesn't satisfy. I've never complained about a gift.

[Whaler]

I have no experience with the Craftsman and tend to shy away from Craftsman tools. I did look at the Ridgid and thought that it looked pretty good.
I bought the Jet 15MF and am very pleased with it. other than price the only thing I see about the Ridgid over the Jet is a 3 3/4 quill travel vs 3 1/8.
The Jet has a 3/4 hp motor vs 1/2 hp on the Ridged, more speeds and is heavier.
Home Depot lists the Jet 15 on the web site at $379.99 with free shipping.

[JeffG78]

Thanks Dick. I was very interested in the Jet and did see that both Sears and HD sell it online. It is actually $80 off at Sears online thru today, but shipping is a whopping $190 They won't let you do in-store pickup for Jet products either. Earlier today, I thought I had a good bargaining chip to get the Ridgid over the Craftsman since it was $50 cheaper, but the Craftsman just went on sale for $279 thru today, so now it is $20 less than HD

I hate playing nice with others If not for trying to help my sister out with her gift certificates, I would get the Jet or Ridgid from HD and be done with it. I can't seem to find anybody with the Craftsman. I haven't bought a Sears power tool in years because I don't like gimicky junk. I do research and buy the best brand I can afford that will suit my needs. That is usually DeWalt, Milwaukee, and, of course, my Ryobi BT3100.

Should I trust my instincts, or be a nice guy and help her out?

[JeffG78]

I think I just found a possible solution. I looked around Sears website and found this:

If you find a lower price (including shipping, handling and delivery) on an identical branded item with the same features currently available for sale and delivery in your area from a local retail store's online site, Sears will match that total price Plus, give you 10% of the difference. Just print the ordering page, including shipping, handling and delivery, and bring it to your Sears store at the time of, or within 30 days after, your purchase.

This could get him the Jet 15MF for $379 (HD's price including shipping) -10% rather that Sears' "sale" price of $319+$190 shipping. It would still be $60 more than the Craftsman, but I'd feel more comfortable with a Jet. Am I crazy, or would you do the same to get a better tool?

[Whaler]

Jeff
That would be a good score and it sounds like it would work. The Jet is well worth the extra money.
Good Luck

[Uncle Cracker]

I have a Craftsman 15-inch with laser, and, other than one adjustment needed to the belt tension, I have had no problems with it at all. That said, I think I'd still go with the Jet if you can get a price comp.

[JeffG78]

That's good to know. I spoke with my sister and she is going to try for the price match. If that doesn't work, I now feel better about the Craftsman.

[JimD]

This may be too late and my Craftsman drill press is more than 15 years old but it works well. It has speeds up to about 8000 rpm - faster than most. It has about an eight step pulley system - only one pulley on the motor and one on the quill shaft. The little v-belt slips before the motor stalls but that is OK. You have to cut a little slower sometimes but that is not all bad (I think it's probably safer). It is an old, heavy, cast iron, floor standing model.

Jim

[LCHIEN]

i think any comparison of a current model DP with older Craftsman DPs is futile. The reason being that Sears contracts a large number of manufacturers to supply DPs with Craftsman badging. It varies from year to year who gets the contract (probaby a competitive bidding process). Also the management of sears probably changes so even their specifications and buying philosophy (Low price/low performance vs higher end/higher performance units) changes. Even different current models may be made by different manufacturers and not really comparable.

[JeffG78]

I agree Loring. Unless someone (like Uncle Cracker) has the same model, there is no telling if another Sears model number or one from several years back is at all comparable to their current offering.

As an update to my situation, I am waiting for my sister to go to Sears and see if they will give her the HD price including shipping on the Jet DP. She was raking leaves yesterday and is off doing other stuff today, so she will go to Sears tomorrow after work. The good thing about the whole gift certificate thing is that I can sit back and wait for her to do the store thing. I am in Michigan and she is in Ohio, all I can do is tell her what to go buy.

[JeffG78]

Sears is fighting me

I wasn't sure if Sears would fight their policy or not, but they are really digging in their heels. Their policy is very clear on price matching, but they keep making up new rules that don't appear in print. After arguing with the manager for an hour, he wouldn't budge. First, he said that their policy didn't include delivery, but after showing him the wording, he changed his tune and said that it only includes MAILABLE items. Of course, he couldn't show us where this was in writing. Finally he directed us to a line item in the policy that was put there to aid the customer. It states that you take the printed competitor price to the store, or if shopping online, submit it via email. He took that as an out and told us to send an email to customer service since it was an online order. Well, it WASN'T an online order, my sister was in the store to place a catalog order. He said that all he could do was order it and charge us the $190 shipping and see if customer service would honor the shipping coverage after the fact. It was a pure cop-out.

I called Sears customer service and they came up with another bogus reason not to honor their policy. She said that the policy only applies to STANDARD shipping and not OVERSIZED shipping. I told her that I would be happy to drop the issue if she could point me to that policy on their website or anywhere else. She couldn't, of course. She then said that it wasn't her call to make and she took my info and the item info and sent it to the correct department. They will email me in a day or two with their decision

At this point it is more of a quest than anything. We have already agreed to not buy a DP at Sears if they don't match the HD price on the JET. I just want to keep going up the ladder to see what their next excuse will be. Like I said, if they can show me in writing that they have an out, then I will step down, but until then I just want them to follow their policy.

[Sugarman]

I have a Rigid 1550 and have no problems with it. It is tight and everything works well. I bought it as a floor model on closeout last spring for 188.00 including sales tax. Had to clean it up, install a bulb in the light and download a manual. I'd buy another for the same price.