|
Mine arrived in perfect condition. I read some reviews that were a couple years old saying their machine arrived with the packaging tore up. I was also surprized about how quiet the machine is.
There are a lot of options out there and some of the newest ones have some neat chrome. The work area is large for a bench machine. I did a lot of research before buying this drill press.
It has about 1 1/2" more area than the drill press I replaced and it really helps. In summary; Great Machine. When you inspect the drive mechanisms, however, it is clear that most are light duty machines.
This machine is a workhorse.
It may be the case that I just had a run of bad luck.However, my warning above still stands. I expect I will have yet another large iron base pole in my garage. There is a 30 day return policy, and once its gone, you own the tool for life and need to resolve anything with Grizzly support. Hopefully, most people will not have any issues.I am in month number 3, and I am still getting replacement parts. Make sure someone is present who can inspect the tool and all included parts immediately. they sent another pole right away.
My update is below, but this information is still pertinent to anyone planning to buy a tool from Grizzly: I purchased the floor model of this tool (G7944). The packaging was pretty thin in this area, so I was not too surprised. I even attempted to turn the pole around, on the hope that there was a "special" way to set it down. They investigated the returned device, and then sent a new one. Grizzly finally had me return the entire drill press. I called support and they were very friendly. All the reviews seem to indicate it is a great machine once its working, which is why I am giving it a 2 instead of a one. I am rating Grizzly quality at this time, not the tool.
I would give it 5 stars, but the insane buying process was a little disconcerting. Hopefully, the 3rd time will be a charm.UPDATE: The 3rd time was not a charm. Obviously this was not the case.I have placed another call with support, and they will call me next week. The return process took about 3 weeks to complete.Now that I am using the tool, it is excellent. They are WAY off.
My 4 stars is for the tool b/c once I got the right stuff, it works flawlessly. I know most people do not travel like I do, so this is probably a minor concern. I could not be happier. I will certainly update this once I get the tool working.A word of caution: if you are like me, and travel frequently, make sure to assemble to tool as soon as you get it. I got another incorrect pole and base.
In some cases, you cannot see the other holes. The 1st time the pole was busted at the base, literally large parts of iron cracked off. I received the pole, and then tried to install it, only to discover that the holes do not align with the base.
all the stuff on this drill is metric (ok, but harder to find screws, bolts in US)5. 7. couple things:1. 6. I was going to buy a craftsman but the reviews were all pretty bad.
there is runout. the box is pretty compact, so you really don't need a lift gate unless you area super wuss. i can feel it with my finger; not going to make.01 holes with this thing. it is heavy duty, really. comes with a light, no light bulb. have to make your own from a cd case.
i bought this drill based on the reviews and the photo, i wanted a swivel base/table or a drill press is pretty worthless. 3. then you need a couple metric screws to fasten it. so far the thing works great and cuts through stuff like butter. looks like there used to be a light bulb guard/window but it's not included. took me several attempts to get the handle in straight so it wouldn't cross thread4.
if you don't have a loading dock at your house and need a lift gate, the shipped goes up another $302. one of the holes for the handles wasn't tapped so great.
Watch out on the shipping, I picked it up at the local shipping center, they say they would deliver to my house though, they did call to schedule. I highly recommend this unit if you are looking for a benchtop unit. All in all I would give it an 8 out 10 on quality and 10 out 10 for value.
Went together very easily, although a heavy unit. I'm not sure I am thrilled with the table height adjustment mechanism, mainly the track on the side of the post but also the crank mechanism. I haven't had a chance to put it through the wringer yet, but, the few times I have used it thusfar show a lot of promise.
Works OK so far though. Not sure how the delivery to my house would have went, read the delivery terms and ask questions first. Speeds are easy to adjust with the belts.
Not too noisy.
Before I start, woodworking is a fairly new hobby for me. Setup was easy once I made a sturdy bench for it to be attached to. Like others, I have suffered not having enough tool for the job at hand. showroom.
They sent the part, and I had it installed 2 days after the talk with customer service.Since then, I've had occasion to contact customer service (on another item), and they worked with me, and it took 2 tries for them to find a part that would do what it was supposed to. It runs smoothly, and has more than enough power for anything I can throw at it. Since then Grizzly offers a table that looks decent for $30I had one part break after 6 days, and had a discussion with customer support. No problems with that issue.I've found customer service to be helpful, but I think it depends who answers the phone on the other end. They wanted to charge me until I pointed out it was darn near new. Prior to my shoulder problems, I worked in a machine shop, so I'm used to working with steel and aluminum.
It has the advantage of more low end speeds than most drill presses in the price range.It took me a few days to come up with a good drill press table for it, but it works well with it, although I have had to remove the handles more than once to get in close. I've had excellent results via email though. So when I went shopping, I hit Sears, Harbor Freight, the big box stores, and last, went to the Bellingham,WA. Just because it's not that far away from us.The Grizzly was far and away the most drill press I saw for under $300.
|
