WEN 4208T 2.3-Amp 8-Inch 5-Speed Cast Iron Benchtop Drill Press,Black/Orange

I like doorstops, doorstops like me and I like making doorstops. This little beast is a nice piece of kit for making said doorstops. The doorstops are made from 7075 and 6061 aluminum. I use a 5D doorstop hole maker and its done great with this WEN 8" drill press. Yes, I know, it's Chinese and everything, but the boots working at the WEN doorstop ++ maker factory must be very happy and cared for. It isn't a $1,000 drill press obviously, but it does the job, just like your cousin Eddie. It's a little rough around the edges, but it doesn't affect the operation. It's for light duty only AND it's highly portable. It's incredibly easy to put together and it was shipped securely, absolutely no issues.IF you're fabricating heavy duty tank armor, this isn't your drill press, but if you're drilling holes into doorstops; firmly placing you on the enemies of the state list, this is your drill press. You'll have to adapt and improvise a little bit cuz it's only 8", but it'll poke a hole perfectly. You may have heard that before but in this case it's true. I teamed this press up with a WEN WA0392 120V 15-Amp Momentary Power Foot Pedal Switch for safety and it also works great. Another nice piece of kit from WEN. I also use it with a bench grinder (not a WEN) and of course a DeWalt DWP611 router, essential for making doorstops. I just plug whatever corded tool (15amps or less) I'm using into the back of the pedal plug, plug that into my power source, stick it on the floor and use my foot to control the off/on function of the tool....hands free so to speak, much safer. So there you go, knock yourself out. It's well worth the $100 or so bucks for the drill and what, $14 bucks for the pedal? Well worth it. Highly recommend.

This review is for the 8-inch 5-speed press. I wasn't expecting much for a (insert insanely cheap price here) drill press. I was pleasantly surprised!I had it assembled in about 10 minutes, and then started it up. It is fairly quiet, and there is no visible runout at the chuck.Markings are not the best, but at this price, they are better than I expected. The table angle marking seems to be a piece of printed tape stuck to the mount.There are no detents like on higher priced presses, but a good torpedo level will give you a perfect 45°. I inserted my Greenlee step bit, set the belt to low speed, and then put the tip on a 1/4" aluminum plate. It made a perfect little divot. I then added some pressure and made it through the aluminum plate in just a few seconds. I haven't used it with steel yet, but with a good bit and some oil, it shouldn't take much effort.Adjustments are quick and easy to make. The table tilts easily, and adjusts up and down quickly (albeit a little crudely). The head can turn 90° for drilling longer sections, such as the end of a dowel. Even changing the speed is quick - just loosen the motor mount to slack the belt, and then place it on the corresponding pulley. Retighten the mount, and it is ready to go. I did notice one of the pulleys was not concentric, but it wasn't off enough to matter for my purposes. Honestly, if you are doing high precision work then you should spend a little more money and get something for that purpose. For the average do-it-yourselfer, this is more than adequate. The only other issue I have is the small knobs on the handle. It is a minor quibble, and I can always add larger knobs.Pros: 1/3HP, 1/2" chuck, 620-3100 RPM, 2" spindle travel, no spindle runoutCons: lack of markings, off center pulley, small handle knobsI have been looking for a cheap benchtop drill press for month, and this is by far the best deal. If you need high precision or you routinely drill through ferrous metal, then you should spend a little more. For the average DIY-er, this should do just fine.

You know, when you spend this little money on a tool this big, you can't expect many features, however you must expect that it at least works. For the most it works well. It's silent, which is a great plus for these kind of tools. Silent I mean in the sense of the hatch to be rattling, it has some robber stops that prevent that, it's good in this regard. There are several gear speeds for you to manually adjust, but you will end up just putting in the middle and leaving it there for the rest of your life. Assembly was quite easy, quite intuitive. For better results you better buy those drill press vises, otherwise you will have to keep clamping your piece against the tiny bed which is a pain. There is no laser guide. All and all it's good, quite heavy, the extension down of the head is OK, can't tell it's great, but goes decently down. Once assembled, it could potentially fit inside a cabinet, but I never really tried, it stays on the ground here nearby with a plastic cover. I like this tool overall, and only one thing I don't like: For some reason it wobbles the head when you install the drill bit on it, It's just a little, but it does. It wasn't bad enough to ruin any of my projects, but wanted to note here.