Drill Press: Grizzly Still A Good Choice?

[RG1911]

I now want to order a good drill press within the next couple days. This is to replace a Harbor Freight benchtop that I sold because it had too much runout for reasonably accurate work in metal.

Most of my work will be done in wood with the occasional foray into accurate holes in brass, aluminum, iron and steel.

While I would prefer an older, Made-In-America Delta or Craftsman or ... I have not found any here in the wilds of southern Wyoming. I've included Colorado in my searches.

In the past, Grizzly drill presses have received good recommendation here, and I'm checking to see if that is still true. Online reviews have been mixed, so I don't know if Grizzly products have taken a dip in quality in the year since I last checked.

The two Grizzly drill presses that are in my price range (although at the very high end) are a benchtop and a floor:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Speed-Heavy-Duty-Bench-Top-Drill-Press/G7943?utm_campaign=zPage&utm_source=grizzly.com

http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Speed-Heavy-Duty-14-Floor-Drill-Press/G7944?utm_campaign=zPage&utm_source=grizzly.com

The benchtop would handle 95-percent of any size I normally use. The floor model would require a way to move it easily around the shop and garage.

Thank you for any information you have on the topic.

Cheers,
Richard

[hp246]

I can't speak specifically about the drill press, but I bought a bench sheet metal shear from them a few years back. It broke on the first project I tried using it on. To their credit, they replaced it quickly no quesitons asked. The replacement broke on the first project I attempted to use it on. Haven't bought anything from them since.

[RG1911]

Certainly not a positive endorsement. If the selected Grizzly model isn't going to meet requirements, is there anything in my price range that will? Searches have found no good used machines in Wyoming/Colorado.

Thank you,
Richard

[nekshot]

yup, nothing wrong with Grizzly equipment for the week end heroes. I personally prefer Grizzly because they have parts and they are a 35 minute drive from my shop!

[55fairlane]

I guess I'm spoiled, I have a Bridgeport in my garage, but I think I might look at a mini mill
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Mini-Milling-Machine/G8689?utm_campaign=zPage&utm_source=grizzly.com

There much more versatile....otherwise....I'd look around for a used walker-turner or other old American iron.....

Aaron

[Rifle 57]

RG1911 have checked out Craigs list in the Ft Collins area. I see a few drill presses on there and a few were Delta.
Loren

[RG1911]

RG1911 have checked out Craigs list in the Ft Collins area. I see a few drill presses on there and a few were Delta.
Loren
Loren,

Thank you, I'll check that again.

[Wayne Smith]

RG, if you are doing woodwork and will be using Forstner bits look at minimum speeds available. 20+ years ago when I was shopping none of the benchtops would drop to 300rpm. I got the Jet floor model.

[atr]

I have an older model from Grizzly similar to the Grizzly G7943 you listed.
I have found it trouble free, and easy to use for both wood and metal working. It has a good chuck that locks up accurately on the drill shaft.
atr

[John 242]

I personally prefer Grizzly because they have parts...

Not always. We crashed a lathe (509G) and it took a month or two to get the gear we needed. We called Grizzly, they gave us the expected arrival date (from China?), we payed and received the part more or less exactly when Grizzly said they'd show up.

I've heard horror stories of machinery companies, including Grizzly, giving date after date for repair parts. The arrival dates come and go, over and over again, leaving the customer hanging. Kudos to Grizzly for getting the part when the said they would. As they say, your millage may vary.

[Andy]

I own a small woodworking shop as my main job in life so I read a lot of forum posts/ info about different woodworking machinery. Grizzly customer service is regarded as being really great and their tools are thought of as often being the "best value" sort of tools. Never top end or with all the perks, but always a good low price for a usually functional item. Once in a while they have a tool that really sucks and once in a while they have a tool that is way better than it should be for the price.

I think of them as the following: on a scale of 1-10 for power tools, if harbor freight is a 1 and true industrial lifetime equipment from brands that don't advertise much in magazines is a 10, contractor tools like rigid/dewalt/makita etc would be a 2-4, grizzly would be a 4-6, jet a 5-6, powermatic a 6-7 sort of thing.

I haven't actually used many grizzly tools as I really prefer to go more top-end with my tool purchases, but I see the owner of their company often posts on the woodworking forums and is a friendly/helpful guy who stands by his products personally, so that has made me think more along the lines of trying them out in the future. I read something or saw a video a while back that suggested he is also heavily into gun work on a personal level so maybe not a bad company to support if you are in the market for a tool.

[RG1911]

I think of them as the following: on a scale of 1-10 for power tools, if harbor freight is a 1 and true industrial lifetime equipment from brands that don't advertise much in magazines is a 10, contractor tools like rigid/dewalt/makita etc would be a 2-4, grizzly would be a 4-6, jet a 5-6, powermatic a 6-7 sort of thing.


Andy,

Thank you. The Powermatic is way out of my budget, so unless I can find a usable, not-too-expensive, old US-made drill press, it looks like it will be a choice between the Grizzly and the Jet.

Richard

[toolbool]

I don't use Grizzly drill press but I read on internet about it. It is a popular brand name for impressive drill presses. Good things about Grizzly are, affordability, and performance.

Also, it is very popular for benchtop drill presses!

[john.k]

The standard design floor mounts are pretty unstable to be moving about,and IMHO would need a larger base....could be steel or wood even....

[elk hunter]

You may be able to locate a decent drill press through one of the many on-line used equipment dealers

I tried many different drill presses, import and US made, and was never satisfied until I bought a Clausing variable speed commercial model that a local high school shop was selling. When I looked at it I was surprised and pleased that it wasn't drilled full of holes. It has a #3 Morse taper quill, I have a number of taper shank drill bits, to which I added a good keyless chuck. It's nice to be able to dial up 330 to 2640 RPM to match what ever the need is. Of course if you can afford it and have the room a vertical mill is even better.
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