12-Inch VS Drill Press

PRO: 1. Affordable. 2. Works as advertised and as shown in the pictures, (Look at the pictures). 3. Fast, like really, really, really, fast. I crank it down for average use. 4. Get for countertop height use. 5. Comes complete. CON: 1. The laser is a bit gimmicky. 2. The base is just barely large enough to keep this from falling over. 3. Battery compartment for laser is hard to reach and I may wire a new battery box in another location. 4. Instruction manual is in black and white, and the pictures are useless for the most part, black lines on black image. lolz. OTHER: 1. White lithium grease is your friend. 2. Grease everything, I mean, every screw, thread, shank, bolt, etc. you will thank me later. 3. BUY if you want an affordable benchtop drill press, that works, and is SUPER FAST. 4. DON'T BUY if you are expecting a top of the line drill press, if that is what you are looking for, spend more money.

I recently upgraded from an 8" drill press to this 10" drill press. The reason for the upgrade was that my 8" drill press was just woefully underpowered and the depth gauge had broken off (it was never very good anyway). I already own a Wen thickness planer and bandsaw and have been very pleased with them both. That combined with the price and features made this a no brainer for me. Some of the features that I love about this drill press are the laser guide and the variable speed function. With my old drill press, I had to change the belt to different pulleys. With this one, it has a lever on the side that you simply push or pull to to adjust the speed. Inside the housing are 2 pulleys that will open or close to change the diameter of the pulley similar to a CVT transmission on a car. A digital readout on the front of the drill press lets you know the RPMs. It does take a couple of seconds for the readout to catchup to the actual RPMs but, Thats no big deal to me. The laser guides (at least on mine) were dead on accurate. They are pretty bright as well and have saved me lots of time. As several other reviewers have mentioned, they are battery powered (2 double AA) and it is easy to forget to turn the switch off. Fortunately, the battery compartment is easy to access and you only have to remove a couple of screws. The depth gauge on this drill press is a lot more robust than my old one also. With this one you turn the dial to the desired stop and tighten a bolt. That's it. No nuts to fool around with and no flimsy plastic that you have to worry about breaking. The table on this drill press is nice and flat and easily adjusted with a turn of the crank handle. The arbor was nice an snug with no side to side play which means no drift when the drill bit hits the surface to be drilled. The handles all screw in and have a flat spot so that you can get them nice and snug. Overall, a well constructed drill press. I can say this with confidence for 2 reasons. 1. I recently had to drill over 100 holes that were 2 1/4" in diameter. This drill press handled them without the slightest hiccup. After running continuously for over 2 hours, the motor was not hot and the drill press was still just spinning away. 2. While moving another work cabinet the other day, the drill press fell off and landed on the floor from a hight of about 3 feet. The belt and pulley housing got a big dent in it but, I picked it up, checked all the handles, and turned it on, and it ran fine. I was sure that something was broken but, much to my relief, everything is working fine and now it has a little "character."

Very good drill. It should have a twist tight bit chuck. .

4212T Out of the box review. I had to put my very much used, 45-year-old Shopsmith to rest. There are so many things this drill press cannot do compared to the Shopsmith, but for the price, and given that it is not a commercial machine, it gets 5 Stars out of the box. First, it came via some yet known shipper. No name on the shipping label, and it had a lithium battery label??? But heck, it arrived in two days as promised. Price and Features were the menu. Using this for woodworking, so I just gotta have: - Variable speed. - Laser centering. - Easy/accurate dial depth adjustment. Easy enough to assemble, but some goofy stuff in the manual. Read twice, or even three times. Overall well-made, but some lack of attention to details. Such as, the tachometer readout is mounted crooked. Will report back in a few months. So far, so good.

I cannot speak to durability yet, since its early in the game. However, below are initial impressions after unboxing, assembling, and testing the unit on a couple of initial wood drilling projects over the first week: Definitely Chinese industrial ware: meaning, there are rough edges, rough finishes, smudges on paint—and even an aborted bore hole above the set screw which secures the head to the column. (Since the actual functioning set-screw is in place ¼“ below, the rather ragged empty mystery hole above that leads me to conclude that it was a mis-drill.) Bottom-line, there is certainly no top-line finish (á la De Walt, Delta, Milwaukee, Makita, even Ryobi, etc.) on this WEN drill press. If you want and need that kind of polish (and enhanced precision), you will have to seek out other brands and pay significantly more. However… if a solid, work-horse tool will satisfy your needs, this unit will do the trick. If I used a drill press frequently and regularly, for fine or professional work, I MIGHT seek out a more sophisticated drill press. However, I will only use this tool occasionally—when I need the accuracy, repeatability, and power that a basic drill press can deliver versus a hand-held drill. That is only a handful of times a year for me, but it adds up over time and I want to have the tool I need when I need it. SOLID & FUNCTIONAL: Despite the rough edges, this drill press seems so far to be solid and functional. Moving ahead, I will test it more and be better able to gauge its accuracy and durability. However, after a week of use, it seems to be a very functional tool, well worth its relatively modest price of $175. Also in its favor: I was impressed (and, frankly, surprised) to find that the laser drilling light was perfectly calibrated right out of the box. I definitely expected to have to go through the hassle of adjusting that—but the laser is dead-on. One less thing, as Forrest Gump says..! BOTTOM-LINE: Thus far, I have found the 4212 to be user-friendly, sufficiently accurate, effective. Nothing fancy, but it does the job well. It does not purport to be the top-of-the-line drill press, so I have to rate it on the basis of what it claims to be—not rate it against the “ideal” drill press. On that basis, given its satisfactory functionality and solidity, when judged upon the basis of its price-point and the value proposition proffered by the manufacturer, it deserves 5 stars. Bottom-line: I am very satisfied with the purchase and with the drill press's performance. I'm very glad I bought it. It fully serves my needs. Solid!

I bought the WEN 4212 on January 12, 2019. I am a hobbiest so I don't use the drill press often but when I have used it it worked as I expected. It was easy to assemble and accurate enough for my needs so I felt it was a good value for the money. Last week I started a new shop project and used the drill press on several occasions. Today I was continuing my project and the drill press worked for one hole. I turned it off to change to another work piece and it wouldn't turn on. The RPM read-out lights up and there is a slight electrical hum but the motor will not turn on. I took the belt off to isolate the motor. The rotor spins freely by hand so I know there are no physical obstructions. Today is January 20, 2020. Eight days past the one year warranty. Figures. UPDATE: 03 FEB 2020 First, I was in error when I said the warranty is one year...it is two years. When the motor stopped working I emailed WEN customer service, explained what happened and asked if there was anything they could do. I was told to provide the serial number and proof of purchase. I sent a .jpg of the Amazon receipt and the SN...then nothing for days. I finally sent another email, referenced the previous ticket number and asked for an update. The reply said they were sending another "head unit". I wasn't sure what that was until it showed up. The entire top of the drill press...motor, belt, pullies, no handles or chuck or chuck key. I was pleased. The package was in tact but when I opened it I noticed the housing for the on/off switch and RPM indicator was broken. Same as when I got the original unit brand new. (That time I called them and they sent a new housing the next day.) I swapped the housing, handles and chuck from the old unit to the new and it works great. So the warranty was honored with NO HASSLES at all. I would have preferred a little feedback from customer service but all-in-all this was a painless experience.

It's a cheap drill press, so I ordered with managed expectations. The directions for assembly are as bad as it gets. I wound up going to Youtube to find a video. And as stated above - it's cheap. Fit and finish leaves a certain amount to be desired, but I suspect that's the price point. I'm not using it in a work capacity so it will likely do OK. Motor sounds little rough, so lifespan is a concern. But again, no day in day out use. Almost impossible to line up the fence/block completely perpendicular to the drill bit via adjustment. You need to get out the square and level to make sure what you're drilling is lined up correctly. If you just use it on isolate home projects it's probably worth the money. If you're a heavy duty user you may want to move up to something slightly better. Updates: after a few years I'm adding a couple of things I don't like given that they're going to take down the rating a full star. First, the on/off switch has already started falling off. It's not major, since you can shove it back into place and it stays for a while, but it's annoying. And there's at least one design flaw/feature you need to consider for this. The space between the drill and the mounting pole it slides up and down on isn't really all that deep. For instance, if you are figuring on cutting bridge holes on a guitar get ready for some frustration. I gave up and went to one of those plunge drill attachments. And that's worked well enough that I would now question whether you really need one of these cheapo WEN presses instead of just going with the less expensive, less cumbersome option. If I really needed to clear some stuff out of the shop this would probably figure prominently on the cut list.

My first drill press purchase from Amazon was one somewhat smaller and half the price from a company no one had ever heard of. The usual lesson applied: you get what you pay for. After a few days, I sent it back and ordered this one from Wen. It's excellent -- strong, sturdy, easily adjustable speed with LED readout, laser guide, 10" swing (i.e., 5" clearance from column to bit), gear-crank height adjustment, smooth motor...pretty much all I'd hoped to get with the first purchase. I also have a Wen drill press table that fits nicely and extends the work area to all I'll likely ever need. The assembly and usage instructions were clear -- not perfect English, but honestly, as Chinese company equipment manuals go, it's like Hemingway wrote it. (At one point they advise that you solicit the help of a "friend or trustworthy foe" to move it to its permanent location, which I think was a clever, intentional bit of humor.) Downsides? This is the heaviest bloody piece of woodworking equipment I've ever owned. It is absolutely *not* portable unless you plan to use it on a much smaller planet. Despite the weight, you still must clamp it, else it will walk a little as you do a lot of drilling. Bit vertical travel distance could be a little greater, considering its size. It arrived with a hefty dent on the very top panel, but it's just cosmetic and I can live with it. That's honestly about it. Very happy with the purchase.