It will also drill holes into PCB with the required precision, (my good old drill press can be adjusted between 400-6000 rpm by changing the drive belt) but in contrast to the proxxon crap, it will last a lifetime.
In proxxon machines, everything is made of cheap cast aluminum, which wears out after short time.
Even the screw threads are cut into aluminum. So if a screw is tightened slightly to strong, the screw thread is fucked..

The 28128/38128 costs more, but is a very professional design for a specific purpose. On a lower budget, the 28606+28481/38481 is versatile (you can detach the tool for grinding, etc) but will yield lower accuracy and shorter life.

My thanks to Mark at Proxxon World for the numbers. The opinions are my own.

Josh

I have to say that I am still in a bit of a dilemma about whether to buy the drill press reviewed here, or the Proxxon rotary tool with drill press stand (mentioned in a followup). The latter combo is less expensive, can be a lot more flexible and if it works just as well, why not?

I was looking at the drill presses found at Micro-Mark –
http://www.micromark.com/MICROLUX-3-SPEED-MINI-DRILL-PRESS,7797.html
http://www.micromark.com/MICROLUX-BENCHTOP-VARIABLE-SPEED-MINI-HOBBY-DRILL-PRESS,8283.html

However, both have chucks which increase runout somewhat. They informed me that the more expensive variable speed drill press would have less than .004″ runout, and then it only goes to 5000 rpm. It’s interesting that the cheaper 3-speed unit looks SOOO similar to the Proxxon reviewed here, yet it has a chuck and does not operate at the same speeds. Hmmm…

http://www.proxxon-world.com/product/drill_stand_mb_140_s
and
http://www.proxxon-world.com/product/professional_drill_grinder_ib_e_220-240v

no wobble whatsoever, 20,000rpm… don’t know why people would buy the ‘drill press’, never have to stuff around with this one.

I have drilled a few boards with this press – single sided .062″ thick. Never had a problem. Also use it for drilling basswood and other soft woods. Not had much luck with Mylar – speeds are just too fast.

And I bought everything – nothing for free, but what the hell does it matter? If we can’t trust HAD to give us the straight deal, why do we even read it? I trust old friends – if HAD says this is a good machine, I’d buy it. If it didn’t work, I’d give ‘em hell in comments.

//rant out

They’re shanked to fit in a standard drill and into a standard dremel and they’re carbide so they put up with some serious abuse. I drilled out some stainless steel with one the other day and it was fine. Harbor Freight usually has a local store in big cities (check their site), so you don’t have to pay shipping and you can check stuff out before you buy.

You can also pick up a better drill press for $80, if you wait until they’re on sale or you get a 20% off coupon you’ll be even better off:

http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=drill+press&Submit=Go

Those presses aren’t going to be good for drilling out huge stuff, but for a hobbiest who’s drilling PCB boards and small stuff, it’ll work great.

that kind of disclosure is very important for blogs, as with “small” blogs like this one people tend to assume unbiased reviews. it’s important to retain credibility, because the fringe tends to have the least shills in my experience.
there’s nothing “fucked up” about it and one doesn’t have to be a litigation lawyer to appreciate that kind of disclosure.
both of you seem have this irrational knee jerk reaction to jimmys’ comment. i recommend a chill pill.

We’re just a little blog with ‘hack’ in the title, nobody’s jumping to give us free stuff. A notable exception is the Smart Tweezers we reviewed a few weeks ago, we wrote and asked for a review unit because they looked like an interesting tool for people who do a lot of SMD work. We disclosed that this was a freebie at the beginning of the article, and we always will.

How does does so called “disclosure guidelines” affect someones credibility in way shape or form?. I suspect you’re some form of litigation Lawyer, please be on your way.

Well done Hackaday, you just helped me pick out a new bench drill press. :)

if there are no guidelines whatsoever, that’s helpful to know as well.