BUCKTOOL Drill Press 10 inch 5 Speed Laser Track Guided Bench

Bucktool DP2501A is mechanically identical to Rockwell RK7033, Porter Cable PCXB620DP and Ryobi DP103L and thus is one of two (or maybe three) distinct Chinese-made drill press designs sold under various brand-names. Bucktool, the company, seems to implicitly acknowledge that below in their promo blurb.The differences come down to paint jobs, lights and laser arrangement, and packaging. In case of the Bucktool they also decided to bundle it with a more powerful motor, thus making it identical to the Rockwell model, which for whatever reason is only available to the Prime members as of this writing. The Bucktool is priced $20 dearer than Porter Cable and Ryobi, but few bucks less than the Rockwell which has neither light, nor laser. The Bucktool overall fabrication also appears somewhat cleaner than the rest of the bunch – and so I took the bait.Here is what I found.The drill press is excessively top heavy, thanks no doubt to the heavier motor. Even though the motor's claimed rating is 3/4 hp, it still uses the same thinner 5/16" V-belt commonly found in less powerful models. The column is 48mm in diameter – which makes it about 10mm slimmer than 58mm (2.25") commonly found in 10" drill presses of the other basic design (WEN, Craftsman and SKIL). It is also slightly taller and attaches to the base with 3 bolts (vs 4). The base on my unit was warped and rocked side-to-side and back-and-forth. Applying pressure to it did stop the rocking – which is not a testament to my strength (or being overweight), but the fact that the casting is not only defective, but also undersized. To get an idea, try warping your favorite cast iron skillet.The drill press has an interesting choice of pulleys: the motor pulley is made of good quality nylon, while the spindle pulley is cast iron. The spindle pulley is held with a nut – which potentially might be better than a set screw for the purposes of more precise alignment with the spindle. However, on my unit, the spindle pulley was so much off center that any hint of alignment was defeated right there. In fact, it was so much off, that once started, it produced enough momentum to vibrate the entire head on its own, even though the motor itself was running smoothly enough. The heavy head, undersized base and thin column didn't exactly help to quell the vibration either.Tech support, here we come.Bucktool doesn't bother having a website, but an email response did arrive (at an hour of night suggestive of time zone somewhere in Asia) saying that "engineers are looking into this". After a follow up email, I've been told that a replacement pulley is not available and my only recourse is to return the press and get a new one. I could still order a part from one of the mechanical twins (mind you that neither the Rockwell, nor Porter Cable even mention these models on their websites, but Ryobi has the parts readily available). But then it's not a slam dunk that the replacement would be any better and I'd still need to get a socket to remove what appears to be a 24mm nut - the added expenses would no longer make sense.Other stuff.Quill: decent quality, moves smoothly and came clean (surprise!) and nicely lubricated.Runout: on my unit measured under 0.0005" at the spindle (as good as it gets for a drill press).Chuck: shipped with a $5 chuck. Chances you get a good one are about the same as winning a dollar in your favorite state lottery. I encourage to "chuck" it into garbage, and get a Lambrich or LFA instead. (I also encourage to buy state lottery tickets as their proceeds usually fund local schools).Table: small (smaller than most), but ground with fair precision and flat. The table support is cast iron, which is nice, but not sized precisely to the column and requires a bit of an effort to get it tight.Depth stop: implemented via a threaded rod on the side of the quill, which is a cheaper option compared to one integrated into a gear shaft, especially for this drill press, as it only has 2" of spindle travel.Work light: somewhat works, but dim and uses a proprietary socket. Would have been better to use a candelabra or appliance socket for which a variety of LED bulbs is readily available.Laser: useless gimmick. However, this is the only model I am aware of, that wires the laser directly into the drill circuitry, i.e. no batteries – nice, if you ever use it.The bottom line: if you drill a hole a month and are happy when the bit comes out on the other side, this one will do. If you regularly do woodworking or metal working, forget it. Putting a better motor won't substitute for poor basic components (column, table and base) or quality control lapses (off-center pulley, warped base casting). Total lack of aftermarket support makes it unsuitable for any shop, unless you enjoy hauling 50lb box back and forth.My rating, in large part, is based on the fact that I work with my tools and willing to tune and fix them, but if the manufacturer does not see the user support as part of the deal, there is nothing else to talk about. Were Bucktool to set a proper shop in the US, the rating would have been a solid 3-star.

After readiing all the reviews for 10" drill presses, I pick Bucktool. It had the fewest bad reviews and the bad ones weremt so bad or was due to the weak motor of the previous model. The plus was it has all steel structural parts, and was easy to assemble. The minor bits, probably due to it's Chinese manufacture, were the feed stop and guage was tilted and table not level (see pictures attached) but both were easily fixed. The table was off level and I had to enlarge the table flange's hole to level it.My biggest complaint is the vibration, surprising for a drill press this small, which is probably due to a wobbly spindle pulley, which is cast steel instead of aluminium used by the cheaper Harbor Freight offering. I'm.used to the smoothness of my dad's 15" Sears press, but this was unnecessary. Why ruin an almost good product with a cheap pulley? For these reasons I give it only 3 stars. Haven't measured the runout yet but I suspect any runout numbers will be meaningless due to the wobbly spindle pulley.

This is a great machine for the price! It has a strong motor that gets through a lot of materials. The laser guide was spot on out of the box and it is easy enough to assemble. The tapered collar that holds the table gear could be improved on or if you don't use a lot of heavy material you can just not install the table gear and you can move the table faster up and down and you can turn it out of the way and gain extra clearance which you can not do with the table gear installed. You have the choice what you like better!The depth indicator is much better than on a Haborfreight machine( if you can not afford a more expensive one ). General the machine is a better quality and unbeatable for the price!Eric

This is a very good drill press for the price. There are a few minor inconveniences in adjustments, but overall it does a good job with the project I purchased it for. The possible depth of the drill out from the edge of the post is limited to approximately 4.5 inches making my review 4 stars instead of 5.

The drill press arrived on the date stated when I ordered it. There was no damage to the shipping box and the directions to assemble the press were very good. I assembled the unit in an hour and drilled some test holes to see if the unit was running true. It was every thing I need to use in my basement work shop. I would definitely recommend it for a home workshop.

Drill Press arrived on schedule. Box undamaged. Took me about an hour to put together. This is my first drill press ever to purchase, but it seems to be working just fine. I do not have anything to compare it to personally, but I would recommend this drill to those looking for their first press. Hope to enjoy it for years to come.

Very Easy to assemble. Great product so far. So far only used it with hole saws on wood. But laser light is spot on with drill point.

Received this item and the box that covers the electrical part of the mother was broken. After havering it assembled customer service wanted me to send it back. I'm not going to send it back. I will email the manufacture and see if they can send a new part.