I'm in the market for a drill press. I was planning to purchase the Steel City 17” drill press that has been highly touted on this site. Last night I stopped by the local Woodcraft store to take a look for myself. Indeed, it is a nice machine that I'm sure would meet my needs for a lifetime.
While I was there though, I also saw the Jet JDP-17DX. It has several features that I think I prefer to the Steel City unit and at this point am leaning in that direction. Most important to me though is that the unit is well built and will run true over the long haul. This is something you can not know simply by looking at the machines. I searched this site and found little to no mention of the Jet JDP-17DX. I think it's a fairly new unit.
On the Steel City, I liked the 6 inch quill travel. Also, the depth stop was extremely fast and easy to set, BUT there was not a means to lock it in place.
The Jet had a larger table, an integrated work light (would it shine where I want/need it?) and an integrated AC powered laser (does this really save time and/or improve accuracy, or is it just a gadget?). The depth gauge used two counter rotating nuts. One to set it the depth and the other to lock it in place. While a little more time/effort to set, once done it seems solidly locked in place.
With current promotions, price is comparable (i.e. within $20) between the two units so not really an issue.
I'd appreciate any thoughts/recommendations you care to share.