Delta 18-900L -- Any reason not to?

[Matt Meiser]

I just sold my OWWM drill press because I want something a little larger and something that has a table raising mechanism. Craigslist has been devoid of any OWWM drill presses even meeting most of my criteria for the past couple months and I'm going to end up buying new. I've all but decided on the Delta 18-900L--any reason not to?

My plan B is the Steel City model which my preferred source also has in stock. Its a little more basic, but a little over half the price. Haven't read anything bad about the DP, only the company and to be honest some of the same things have been said of the current incarnation of Delta.

Not really considering the PM2800 based on reviews--unless quality has improved?

[Jerome Hanby]

I was sold on the Delta just on the reports and still am after buying one. Solid machine, plenty of power, and the travel length is great! If you are really stubborn ... and have a shop crane, you can actually assemble it by yourself <g>.

[Steve Bishop]

Once you get past the price, its all good.
Had mine since Thanksgiving with no problems.
I did need help getting the head unit on the post, its heavy and awkward.

Steve

[Matt Meiser]

Got a shop crane so that will be good. I'll actually use it for once--haven't had a need since I got it, of course.

[Curtis Myers]

I got a Delta 18-900L back in November 2011. Works absolutly perfect. Run out on mine is < 0.005 through out the quil travel. What sold me is the 6" quil travel along with the upper and lower stops. This combination allows me to drill various thickness of stock without having to adjust the table height very often. Both the upper and lower stops have a quick action and a micro adjust.
I'm glad I spent the extra $$$ and got the Delta 18"

All the Best
Curt

[Cary Falk]

Matt,
I purchased the Steel City DP about 5 years ago when they first came out. It was a great drill press for the money at the time. I think they have gone up considerbly since then. I never had an issue with it. If I was in the market today I would give the Delta a hard look. It gets great reviews. I think both Steel City and Delta are questionable as companies as far as parts availabilty but for different reasons. I think Delta has a slightly better future. I wouldn't even look at the PM due to all of the negative reviews.

[richard poitras]

Matt, I purchased one about 6 months ago from Tools Plus ( best price I found ) and Delta currently has a $100.00 rebate on them as well if you didn’t know. I give it all positive marks and would buy it again. If you can’t find one locally to look at I am in Saginaw and you are more than well come to come try it out and see if you like it.
Richard

[Matt Meiser]

Amazon's price is better than Tools Plus. But I'm going to buy from Woodwerks since I'll going by there one day next week.

[Mark Burnette]

Only had my 18-900L a couple weeks so consider that with my opinion
Rock solid. Quiet. Smooth. Ribbed belts & spring-loaded idler = very fast & easy speed changes. No runout. Good chuck. I thought the laser would be a joke but I love it. Replaceable insert is a great idea & thoughtful of Delta to make it 3/4" deep (adjustable). Table height adjustment very easy to operate & can be done from the front (my DP at work requires a walk behind). The table can flip completely over. Spin it 90deg & rotate it on the column & you can clamp a workpiece to it & drill into the endgrain of a long-ish rail. Handy for drilling dowel holes or a mortise.

Minor negatives: T-slots are handy for attaching home-made fences but the DP should include a couple T-nuts since they are a non-standard size & not available from Delta. LED gooseneck light often turns on by itself when the drill is turned on (sensitive to the surge I guess).

[richard poitras]

I see they are up to $799.00 now I am glad I got the sale price on mine $675.00 with the Biesemeyer Fence included.

[Matt Meiser]

That's after rebate!

[John Coloccia]

It's probably the only new DP under $1000 I would consider.

[Todd Bin]

Just out of curiosity, what are the drill presses over $1000 to consider?

[John Coloccia]

Just out of curiosity, what are the drill presses over $1000 to consider?

Clausing, for example.

There's the Jet JDP20-EVS for another.

There's lots out there for industrial style drill presses. There's a lot of junk on the low end. There's very little in between in the new market. Most people will not have the will, nor really the need, to shell out $1500 on a drill press, but for those of use who do there is nothing really in that range to span the gap between poor and world class. The 18-900 isn't bad, but it's missing some key features that I'd like to see. Still, it's reasonable for the price.

[Van Huskey]

Buying new and money is no object I wouldn't look any farther than Clausing as John mentions, some truely great presses. Besides some of the larger Jets and maybe Ellis the PM 2800 in the only other one. The PM has a lot more bells and whistles than the Delta but the Delta is built heavier, as I mentioned with some additions the Delta can have all the bells and whistles of the PM for not much more money.

Quite frankly unless you are going to spend Clausing money NEW, the plan I outlined for "pinping" the Delta gives the "best" WWing press under $2,000 for significantly less than 2K.