Customer Reviews

RIKON 30-120 13-Inch Drill Press

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my first benchtop drill press so I have nothing to compare it to. It doesn't have any lasers, digital readouts or other modern gimcrackery. Not even a worklight. But it is certainly going to outlast me and maybe my kids. It is well designed & assembled, heavier and larger, with more cast iron and a larger motor than you'll get in any of the Delta, Ryobi or Craftsman benchtop offerings. The only complaint I have is that for the weight of the tool, it's not packaged well enough to survive fed/ex. The plastic on/off switch housing on the front of the unit (the only plastic part on the tool that I can see) was smashed upon delivery, and the styrofoam packing mold was in flakes. Rikon was very helpful on the phone, sent another switch housing out immediately and I'm happy the way it turned out.

One other thing I've noticed is the size of the unit. This is not a full-size floor model and it's not your average-size benchtop DP, but rather somewhere in-between. It needs an unusually low mounting surface to get it to the ideal working height for an average-height guy. I initially cut part of my bench down 8in. to put it at what I thought was the right height, and then had to cut it down even more when I found that the DP headstock was still too high for comfort.

Update: Having used it for 6 months now, I'll add, as some others have done, that the cast handwheel on the unit looks pretty cool in pictures but is a total knucklebuster when in use. It's not long enough to give any sort of decent leverage, and because of it's short length also puts it into close proximity with some other controls which, if you have large hands as I do, scrape your knuckles as you turn it. Downgrading the unit to 4 stars for this reason.

I was looking for quality without the price, this is the unit to purchase. Well made and works well and I've had no problems with the unit. There are many other products out there that are made better but no at this price. I would recommend this product to anyone working in their garage or shop that piddles making odds and ends.