WEN 4208 8 in. 5-Speed Drill Press

This thing has been a headache since day 1. The chuck falls off every other time. Probably going to return it while I still can which will be an even bigger headache due to the weight. UPDATE. The seller has phenomenal customer service. So I'm changing my rating to 4 stars. They replaced the entire drill press and it arrived a day after I got the email. On a Sunday at that.

A great simple press. I needed a press to machine 6016 aluminum to finish lower AR receivers. To do this I needed to make straight holes and I needed enough power to get through the alloy. I put the belt on the second to highest torque setting, which would mean the second to slowest speed and the press worked great. Everything on this press is rough. It's not a work of art, but it is strong, relatively light and it will make holes. If that's all you need then look no further. When I use this press I clamp it to my work bench, then put it under for storage. A larger press would make moving it much more difficult.

I bought this to complete 80% lowers. This is so much better than I expected. There isn't any run out at all when I use my 5D Tactical Pro jig. I can drill right through the lower and out the trigger slot in less than one minute. When using a few drops of Tap Magic Cutting Fluid my bit doesn't even get hot at all. It has a little bit short of a stroke at 2 inches, so I put the bit in the chuck and raise the table up with the jig on the table so the bit goes through the guid hole on the jig and then lock the press table and then lock the drill press vice with my jig and lower in it to the press table. Then I add cutting fluid to the bit, then I hand turn the bit to make sure its in the right spot, then I turn the press on and drill the first hole I back off it a few times and add more fluid and I'm through in less than a minute. The 8 inch was a great purchase, the 10 inch would have been a little better, but the 8 is very affordable and still very usable. If you want to do perfect lowers get this drill press now.

Wen might be my new go to brand. Yes, there is a little bit of flex between the post and the actual machine head but it was not enough to cause significant drill deflection, even at max throw and minimum chuck. And anyways, if you want to run +/- .001 and better, buy something bigger/more expensive. I'm not making medical devices in my garage, I'm drilling holes. Are you drilling holes? Get this drill press.

I'm a cabinetmaker so my needs for a drill press are for boring hinge cups in cabinet doors and drilling 3/16" holes in doors and drawer heads for handles & knobs. Pretty light duty. I read the reviews and took the plunge. I've owned a Delta 8" press in the past, so any comparisons will be to that press. First of all, the packaging for this little guy was absolutely the best I've seen in a while - all components were wrapped in 1 of 2 form-fitted styrofoam "trays", surrounded by beefy cardboard. Secondly, the assembly/use instructions were clear cut & simple. The unit could be assembled by any mechanically inclined 12 y/o. While my old Delta had 2 annoying features - no place to store the chuck key and feed handles that were always loose - the Wen has a specific place for the key, and the feed handles even have flats for a wrench if needed. One reviewer I read remarked that this press is top heavy. What did you expect? Yeah, bolt the thing down. It's an ease of use AND safety thing. All in all I'm confident this Wen press will do all I ask of it for years to come.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video. This is a great deal if you are in the market for an economical drill press. I am surprised by the quality of the unit thusfar. It should retail for $100 based on what you get. I paid slightly more than half that, a great deal. It had no trouble drilling through a 2x4 with a 1-3/4" forstner bit on the lowest speed. It does have it's limits though and if you try to power through too hard, the belt will slip. That said, it's not a heavy duty unit bit should be fine for light use.

I purchased the 8-inch version of the Wen drill press and have been very pleased with it so far. I had seen it in the big-box store prior to purchasing it here on Amazon and I am glad that I purchased it on Amazon, it was $27 cheaper than at the store. So, that's pretty awesome! The overall construction is very good. The unit is nice and heavy, the base is super solid and supports the weight of the head of the unit very well. All of the castings are smooth and do not have any cracks. The baseplate might be small for some, but it's just about right for me. I plan on building a small fence for the bed so it will be extended anyways. Unfortunately, the bed of my unit does have some rust on it straight out of the box.(pictures) While it's a little bit of a bummer, it doesn't affect the performance of the machine. But it would be nice if it was rust free. I do have one slight complaint and it's mostly just because the lack of a feature. I am not a huge fan of how the depth guide works, the two nut setup is kind of a challenge to get right because the space is so tight to get a wrench in there. The nuts on my drill press were so tight, I had a hard time getting them loose in order to adjust the depth. If there was an alternate way to set the depth, or perhaps if the guide was moved outward a little from the head of the unit, that would make it easier to adjust. Once I freed the nuts, they have become a little easier to move, but the gap between the nuts / depth guide-rod and the head of the drill press is a little tight, so it does make getting the fingers in there a bit tight. It's doable though, just not ideal. Also, I do wish you could lock the drill press into a down position if you'd like, but it's not possible on this unit. Which I suppose is asking a bit much for something in this price range. I think you ptobsbly could add a nut at the bottom of the depth guide to act as a "lock" but other than that, it's not possible. All of the dials, nuts, bolts, belts and springs are extremely tight and adjusted just right. It's super sturdy as well as quiet, and it seems like it will serve it's needs very well. I would say it's worth the purchase. Especially for the price!