I'm looking at new drill presses--nothing fancy, something in a 15-17" swing and speed adjustment via pulleys is fine. My current one has probably 3-3/4" travel which I don't think has ever been a problem and is 13" swing which has been a little too tight some times with my table and fence. I don't think I'd care for the laser because I envision the lines being too wide to be very precise base on my experience with laser levels. Good power is important because I'll use it about as much for metal as wood. The current one stalls out kind of easily.

I looked at the Ridgid, Craftsman and Delta 17-950L tonight which are $330, $350, and $370 respectively. There is also an old arn 15" Buffalo and an old arn 15" Rockwell on Ebay relatively close and the possibility of buying a few year old Delta from a friend. I'd guess used would be in the $250 range by the time I buy it, drive to pick it up, and refurbish it in the case of the Buffalo.

New ones are more refined but the old ones seem to be beefier (the Buffalo weighs 200lbs.) Old might have hidden problems but then again new quality isn't what it used to be. Any thoughts on the benefits of new vs. old? What features on the new ones would I wish I had on the old?