I'm comparing these two drill presses

I am hoping Santa will bring me a new drill press for Christmas. I really like the Powermatic but at a savings of over $300 I think the Delta will do nicely. . What do you think?

Do consider the Grizzly line as well. Like this http://grizzly.com/products/12-Speed-17-Floor-Drill-Press/G7947 and others. My G7943 has given unfailing service for almost 15 years and a much lower price. But, it is only a 3/4 hp.

Sounds like the Gristly or the Delta to me.

I have the delta. When I was looking at them I thought the pm didn't have a low enough speed range, but it's a bit better now.

There are some things I really like about the delta:

• The speed change mechanism is first rate. IMHO you won't miss the electronic change much at all.
• The large table is really nice, although I admit I haven't used the multiway tilt (and is would be more accurate and repeatable to use a jig anyway).
• The speed ranges are good for the largest and smallest bits you'd ever want to use.
• The headstock is nice and deep with a lot of distance between the bearings giving it a lot of stability.

There are some things that would give me pause were I don't it again:

• Delta has had a lot of problems as a company and replacement parts are a bit like hens teeth. This is IMHO the big issue.
• The trunnion lock has some pot metal parts that I've seen a few folks have issues with. Glenn repaired his with a hand crafted wood piece, didn't look too hard.
• The led magically comes on sometimes when you turn the drill on (last time this came up mine had never done it then a week later it started). Not really a problem but it does make me wonder what's going on in the electronics (pretty sure I could manufacture replacements for anything there).
• The nice table isn't really designed for sub assemblies. I kept the ancient jet (sn 200) to keep the cross slide vice on.

So overall, nice woodworkers drill press. Seems to be a fairly solid worker with the exception of the trunnion lock.

I don't like Delta anything - so that is off the list no matter what.

If it fits the budget, I don't think you'd regret going with the Powermatic. If my PM lathe is any indication, I suspect you'd smile every time you use the PM drill press. The Delta looks pretty good, but like Ryan mentioned, they've had some issues with parts availability and customer service in the past. The Grizzly falls a bit short on quill travel and throat depth, but as Frank mentioned, it's a lot less money.

So since we're spending YOUR money, my vote is for the Powermatic, lol.

I like the way Ryan summed it up, and his opinion jives with most of what other folks tell me when I ask the question. However, Delta of today isn't what Delta of just a few years ago was and I'm really hesitant to buy any more gray tools. (this, from a guy who's shop was mostly battleship gray until recently).

Thanks friends, just the sort of opinion input I'm looking for. I am currently using a 16 speed Central Machinery drill press. The Griz. looks very similar. I'm ready for top of the line luxury with no regrets. I really like the duel LED lighting, keyless chuck and no belt changes speed control included with the Powermatic. Also the Delta does not come with the fence. Santa is going to think I'm a spoiled demanding brat but I will ask for the Powermatic or NOTHING. :-D

Dewayne Baker said:

Thanks friends, just the sort of opinion input I'm looking for. I am currently using a 16 speed Central Machinery drill press. The Griz. looks very similar. I'm ready for top of the line luxury with no regrets. I really like the duel LED lighting, keyless chuck and no belt changes speed control included with the Powermatic. Also the Delta does not come with the fence. Santa is going to think I'm a spoiled demanding brat but I will ask for the Powermatic or NOTHING. :-D

Click to expand...

Personally I would seriously rethink your idea of a "keyless" chuck on a stand alone drill press... A keyless chuck on a hand drill is the cats meow but myself I would go with the tried and true chuck with a key to tighten the bits securely into the chuck............. Other then that everything else your looking for it great on a drill press.................Hope Santa brings what you want and then some.......................Gary

FYI the delta fence is ~$43.
http://www.amazon.com/Delta-18-901-Biesemeyer-Drill-24-Inch/dp/B008PQ9CO6
Just to make sure you're apples to apples.

Do you know how the lighting is setup on the PM? The delta has it on a thin arm you can move around - that's another feature I do like on the PM (other than it randomly turning itself on..). After I got it I bought several LED lights on arms with magnetic bases for use at other machines - that adjustable spot light is really nice.

I hope you're not getting rid of the HF, having two DP's is actually quite the luxurious event (put a cross slide vice on the HF - very convenient for doing small stuff where you want to get spot on).

Gary Claerhout said:

Personally I would seriously rethink your idea of a "keyless" chuck on a stand alone drill press... A keyless chuck on a hand drill is the cats meow but myself I would go with the tried and true chuck with a key to tighten the bits securely into the chuck............. Other then that everything else your looking for it great on a drill press.................Hope Santa brings what you want and then some.......................Gary

Click to expand...

I'd tend to agree with Gary. I've not been impressed with the keyless chuck on my drill press, but so far it's not been so bad as to make me want to replace it. (And they're not all that hard to replace, should you decide to go with a keyed chuck later.)

There are keyless chucks and there are keyless chucks. I have one on my drill press that has never slipped on me. Sorry, too old for me to remember a brand but I don't recall spending lot of money one it. Think I got it from a machine shop supplier in LA.

Another happy keyless chuck user here. I've probably been using it close to 10 years with no slipping problems at all. I run everything from a 16th inch twist bits to 3 inch Forstner's in it. Just different experiences. The Delta speeds go down to 170. With speeds for even a 3/4" brad-point bit being 250 and larger Forstner, hole saws and circle cutters benefiting from even slower, the 400 RPM minimum of the PM doesn't work for me.

The previous PM model was supposed to go down to a decently slow speed but, proved only able to do this with the cover removed to get out of the way. The display was also inaccurate and therefor only partially useful. The Delta's have their share of problems as well but, they are more basic and with the exception of vertical quill slop (which both machines have) they can be dealt with.

I look forward to your choice and more reviews on drill presses as I have yet to find one under $2500 that is enough better than my old Delta 17-950 to make me pony up (and I really, really want to).

I purchased the previous version of the Powermatic drill press that also came with the keyless chuck in 2007. Figuring I would not like the keyless version, I bought a replacement keyed version at the same time with an arbor.

Because the keyless worked so well, I have never had to change it over to the keyed version. The keyed chucked is now dedicated to the lathe.

The Powermatic is on sale now, so its basically the same cost as the Delta.