Okay...I just had to be the first kid on the block with this drill press. I actually put my name on a waiting list many months back and I got a call yesterday from my PM supplier that they had 2 available. I drove out to Sycamore this morning to pick one up.

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First impressions...

The cast iron castings are a little more crude then I was used to seeing on some of PM's other products. The crank for the height adjustment looked the worst and moving the table up and down is a bit of a struggle. I hope that it has a "break-in" period and smooths itself out over time. We'll see on that one.

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The table extension are supported by nylon clamps. Not exactly the stongest material of choice, but they seem to work...for now. There is a little bit of flex if you bear down on the extensions, so I would think that if you were going to drill something large and heavy this might be an issue. There was also a screw for one of the clamps missing. Fortunately, I have a collection of machine screws and I found one to fit.

The aluminum fence is pretty cheesy IMO. Very thin gauge extrusion which has a real cheap feel to it. It does work, but I've seen nicer fence systems out there (Incra, Woodpecker to name a few). They've integrated a 2" dust port into the fence. Once I've got my ductwork together, I'll see how effective this is.

The laser cross-hairs took some time to adjust, and I had originally thought they they would just be a gimmick like those on CMS's. If setup properly, I can see this being a handy feature to have down the road.

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The variable speed control allows you to change the speed from 400-3000 RPM, and it tells you your speed on the LED readout. A little gimmicky, but cool I suppose. I think Delta has a better implementation of this with their new high-end drill press which incorporates a depth reading as well. Changing the speed requires you to have the drill press running and the lever's sliding action is a bit on the rough side.

I did like the integrated LED worklights. They're not terribly bright, but they do help illuminate the work area.

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I don't care for the depth gauge adjustment. It's a threaded screw type which requires you to rotate the collars. No quick adjustment here. The bottom collar also acts as a quill lock. Again, I prefer Delta's "screw in" quill lock over this method.

I was also surprised that the power putton, while it looks exactly like the one on the PM2000, it does not work the same way. To turn on the drill press, you pull out the red ring and push it in to stop. The illuminated green button in the center is just for looks apparently. I prefer the PM2000 control over this one, where you push the illuminated green center to turn it on.

PM did add a provision for South paws...you can have the plunge handles on the left or right hand of the drill press.

The manual skips a few steps. The gear for the height adjustment needed to be installed, whereas the manual shows it already installed. We're all pretty used to less than stellar manuals (with the exception of Leigh, of course) with our equipment, so this should be no surprise to us.

Overall, I'm a little disappointed with this purchase. I am a PM guy, but this drill press just seems a little cheaper than what I'm used to. I was also sorry to see that it is made in China, not Taiwan. For the price, I expected a little higher caliber fit and finish, but I suppose I'm just paying for the PM name and the matching paint job, which BTW...why can't PM be consistent with their color. Haven't they heard of PMS? Some pieces are yellow, some gold, and some more baby-poop than others.

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Oh well...I needed a drill press and as long as it does what its supposed to, I won't complain. Time will be the real test for this one.