Powermatic18-Inch Floor Drill Press, Variable Speed, 1 HP, 115/230V 1Ph (Model PM2800B)

In the market for a new press as my Rigid developed some problems I didn't want to address. Came down to a choice between Delta and Powermatic. After I ordered the Powermatic, I ran across a couple seriously negative reviews about this machine and fretted that I had made the wrong choice. It arrived quickly and was quite heavy, required three of us to get it out of my truck. I attempted initially to assemble it myself. Bad choice. You need at least one strong assistant as the head requires lifting to set it onto the post. The rest goes together easily although I would recommend waiting until later do have a couple beers. The large table is nice and the fence excellent. Both the laser cross hairs and the bright work light make visualizing and drilling at a specific point a breeze. The speed adjustment is so much easier than changing belts that I actually do change speeds. The keyless chuck is also a nice feature but the way it moves makes inserting small drill bits a challenge as they do not always go in exactly straight. Overall, an excellent machine.Update: didn't realize I've had this machine for six years. Still going strong and I have had zero issues with it.

Powematic makes a great product! This drill press is no exception. Definitely take two to assemble, so have a strong friend nearby.

Have never tried the Powermatic before and we stand impressed with it's performance, ease of speed change, lighting and accuracy in drilling. No more moving belts to change speed, how nice is that ? One excellent machine. We ordered one to try and it was here in 4 days !!

This is replacing a craftsman bench top press. I'm paralyzed from the chest down in a chair. I bought this for the speed changes which works great. I reluctantly cut six inches off the top to be able to reach the crank. Worked out though. This was an easy assemble. Especially for me but I had two friends to lift while I lined it up to drop the head over the shaft. Makes it a lot easier with a third set of eyes. The only tricky part was getting the table and crank shaft on together but wasn't bad. They said the head was very heavy. The 6 inch crank distance is really nice to have along with the bottom and top stoppers. Bright LEDs and a very powerful motor. The chuck is also easy to use. the table and fence are very sturdy . I don't like to get machines made in China. They always seem to be cheaply made but this one is surprisingly high quality. Only downside is the price but that's powermaticThis was a great purchase. I'd highly recommend

There are 2 version of this model. The newer version has a wheel to change speed instead of a lever and a different table. Also the newer version has a keyed chuck not a keyless one. This is a heavy duty drill press. Assembly is straight forward. Be warned that the head/motor is very heavy, and will take 2 people to lift in place. Plenty of youtube videos. Make sure your watching the videos for the newer version.

We like this machine a lot. The variable speed is easy to use, though I was surprised how much cranking one needs to do to move it from one end of the speed range to the other. It runs very smooth with low vibration even at full speed which is cooking - 4000 RPM! The fence is a nice touch and well made. The table has a square replaceable MDF insert in the center. My preference would be to not have this but you might like it. I feel like small parts might not sit perfectly flush once that gets a ding or two. But it is adjustable with fours set screws from under the table so you can level it. The drill chuck is OK. I replaced mine with a better one. The depth stop has speed nuts both on top and underneath. The one underneath is a nice touch not often seen. Allows you to set the quill extended down. Many good uses for that feature. One odd thing is that it is not as tall as my other drill presses. It's a good 10 inches shorter.

Very dissatisfied with this drill press. The Reeves drive seized within months of use, depths stops don't hold, run out on chuck, etc. Problems like these shouldn't persist on a drill press this price. I own numerous other PM machines, all of which are built with quality in mind, not the case here unfortunately.

I was looking for a high end variable speed drill press. This one popped out, and seemed promissing. this is a really heavy machine, it's not safe to assemble yourself without any help.Con: quality could be higher. Base needs to be more beefier. No power switch, so the RPM readout is always on. The travel for the RPM wheel is way too long, you need to turn like a thousand turns from 250 to 3000. the laser on the left side is hazy,doesn't focus right. the table lock is terrible, only lock at 0 degree position,Pro: variable speed, 6 inch quill travel. Looks cool. Light is bright