Customer Reviews

Skil 3320-02 120-Volt 10-Inch Drill Press

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had a Floor Drill Press for years until we sold our house and bought a condo. I bought this one for a project not expecting much for the price.

Boy was I surprised.

This is one quality tool. It is extremely well built and very smooth and quiet in its operation. In fact, it has the feel of a precision tool as opposed to a plain old drill press. This thing looks and feels like it should cost twice as much as it does.

I used to buy all my tools from a National Retailer who has their own brand of tools ( you know the one- begins with a C ).
I borrowed a friend's drill press first who had this well known brand and it was total junk. So I went out and bought the Skil instead. I usually buy only Dewalt and Bosch and this is every bit as well made as those two other brands. In fact, Bosch owns Skil.

Finally- in case you're wondering, the laser really does work and is a great assist when drilling small holes. Just remember to take the batteries out when you are not going to use it for a while.

Although the package was a bit banged up the contents were all there and not damaged. The drill assembled easily and the instructions were good. The unit operated without any problems. I'm very happy with it and would buy from Skil again.

First, you must decide what you want your tool to do. Then you can choose the tool.

This is not a production drill press. It's designed for the home shop, with medium-to-heavy usage by one to two people. I got it to drill holes in brass parts for the armatures I make for models. Not exactly heavy-duty usage. But, it performs that function flawlessly. The adjustment knobs and set-screws are all rugged. And, I was surprised, but the laser guide does work, and it works well. I aligned the lasers using the smallest drill bit I own, and they are very useful for getting the holes lined up accurately.

Overall, this is a great product. There are cheaper options, but when I tested and/or inspected them, I found the components to be shoddy and the results to be sub-par. The Skil Drill Press out-performs all of them.

The fit and finish aren't what you will get from an expensive tool, but this is very functional and precise in the places it needs to be. Was surprised to see that the table was exactly perpendicular to the chuck right out of the box, and the lasers were dead on as well. Has a little vibration in the spindle at certain points in the travel but nothing that should effect the cut. The power switch is very nice and you can shut it down quickly. For the price, not to mention free Prime shipping, you cant go wrong.

We needed a small dril press for fabricating electronic test assemblies. The Skil 3320-02 was right for the task. Assembly was quick, and adjustments were minimal. The laser alignment was not perfect, but it didn't warrant re-adjustment. The table was even clamped at 90 degrees to the bit right out of the box. Chuck run-out was negligible which allows us to drill holes with small numbered drill bits. A good value for a small drill press.

I purchased this drill press for my 'garage' workshop. The drill is used in a variety of home projects (PCB board fabrication, project box construction (plastic and metal), etc.

This drill serves its function quite well. The press is durable and well balanced. The laser sight is very helpful in aligning drill bit and hole.

NB:
To change speeds, you do need to pop the top cabinet, loosen the motor mounts (thumb-tight screws), change belt positions and then retighten the motor mounts and snap the cabinet back into place. Not a serious chore, but it is a 'manual' not an 'automatic' transmission.

The press is heavy (about 50 lbs) and it is best to mount to a stable surface (e.g., a workbench).

I found the product to be well made mechanically. If there is any run out, it is undetectable to me. The assembly instructions are pretty good, I only had to pause once or twice to think about them. Be prepared to take your time though, as there is quite a bit of assembly. The shipping packaging is excellent and protects the product well. As others have noted, it's mysterious why the chuck isn't pressed on at the factory.

The speed change process requires loosening the motor, placing the belt on the desired pulleys, pulling the motor taut, and fastening it down. I wasn't able to do it without greasing the slides, but after that it works well if not elegantly. Realistically, I expect to do 95% of my drilling at the middle speed setting. The other non-elegant feature is that the lasers are battery operated. I'm not complaining about these two aspects as the basic implementation of these features is reflected in the price.

I did have one problem with the drill, which prompts me to write a review, and that is that one of the lasers was working intermittently or not at all. I called the service number and with no hassle, they offered to send me out a new one when I told them I could install it myself. The laser arrived within a few days and it took me about 15 minutes to install. The installation requires a tool to strip 20-22 gauge wire and some means to complete the connection. I opted for soldering.

I give it a 5 star rating because it seems to be an excellent value, that is, excellent design and quality relative to the cost. I also give it 5 stars because of the service support such that they sent the replacement laser out right away. The excellent service support is why I'm writing this review.

Am quite happy with my drill press. After the initial clean-up, and re-oiling of the parts, the assemble was straight forward. Like others have mentioned, I would have preferred it if the chuck had been factory installed. (I'm sure they are far better equipped for this type of process).

It isn't accurate enough to do precision work, although it is more accurate then I thought it would be. I blame part of the inaccuracy on the chuck not being seated properly? The bit has the slightest wobble to it, not noticeable when just drilling holes, but doing any routing with it, I find it doesn't give me a nice smooth edge.

Also, it is very quiet, which is a plus. Actually, I was surprised at how little noise it makes. In comparison, my PROXXON rotary hand tool installed on it's little drill press attachment makes far more noise.

It is a fairly rugged tool to have for light to moderate use. But then again, I'm just a hobbyist doing light woodworking, usually with Ash and Birch.

So all in all, I would have to say that I am satisfied with my purchase. I don't think I could have done better for the money.

I would recommend this tool, but be prepared to do some serious clean-up BEFORE assembly.

Gave it only 4 stars because of the wobble.

I am a retired cabinet maker. Sold most of my tools a few years ago but now I am doing some smaller stuff and needed a drill press. My experience with industrial tools makes me fairly critical with machine quality. I expected this Skil drill press to be so so. Not so. It is much nicer than I expected.

I may be one of the lucky ones but my drill press came without any damage. Even the box was in tact. The assembly was quick and everything works smoothly. I would give it five stars but the laser is a little fuzzy and not quite centered. There may be an adjustment for that but I haven't yet taken the time to check that. Besides the laser, this drill does its job.

You probably can expect this DP to last many years but I can't vouch for that since mine just arrived yesterday. It is made with cast iron base and table and all parts fit well. I suppose the motor would be the only thing that may crap out some day but the rest of the drill should be fine. For this price, you can't really go wrong. And I checked around. Go Amazon on this one.

edit: Uh Oh. Price jumped up. You might be just as well to check Lowe's since they are currently $119.00 + tax.

After considering a few more expensive models, I went with this one in light of the little work I'd be doing with it. I'm glad I saved the $, considering this drill press isn't bad at all. I haven't used it on any hard metals, but with a decent drill bit this press rolls through a quarter inch of aluminum without a problem. My biggest worry was that it wouldn't have enough power or be robust enough to run a safety planer, but at top speed it seems to be feeding just fine.

Only caveat is that the table is ever so slightly tilted forward (only has side to side adjustment), keeping the drill from being perfectly squared up. Not normally a problem, but it does show a small amount of variation with the planer. I've made a larger surface for woodworking to correct it.