There were so many different drill presses between $100 and $200 and they all seemed VERY similar...
Wouldn't you agree?
I did a little more digging around (trying to find the best drill press under $200) and noticed that the specs were, indeed very similar...
After a few hours of research though, I found small but interesting differences amongst the different drill presses. A lot of the differences were found from users that left a review and other differences were found when I started laying out all of the drill presses (in the $100 - $200 price range) in my comparison table below. Here's what I found...
* Pricing legend located at bottom of table
IMAGE | MODEL | FEATURES | PRICE | USER FEEDBACK (ONLINE RATINGS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4210 | * 3.2 amps * 1/2" chuck * spindle travel: 2.5" * 10" swing * table size: 7-5/8" x 7-5/8" * table bevels 45° (2 directions) * 600 - 3,100 RPM * 5 speed model * 51 lbs. * bench model * laser light (x-pattern) * depth stop * work light * 2 yr. warranty | $ | (470+ Ratings)   4.5/5 |
 | 3320-01 | * 3.2 amps * 1/2" chuck * spindle travel: ? * 10" swing * table size: 7-5/8" x 7-5/8" * table bevels 45° (2 directions) * 570 - 3,050 RPM * 5 speed model * 50.8 lbs. * bench model * laser light (x-pattern) * depth stop * can swivel 360° * 3 yr. warranty | $$ | (730+ Ratings)  4.0/5 |
 | 4212 | * 4.5 amps * 1/2" chuck * spindle travel: 2-3/8" * 10" swing * table size: 8" x 7-11/16" * table bevels 45° (2 directions) * 530 - 3,100 RPM * 20 speed model * 65 lbs. * bench model * digital speed readout * depth stop * laser light (x-pattern) * 2 yr. warranty | $$$$ | (210+ Ratings) 4.1/5 |
 | DP103L | * 3.0 amps * 1/2" chuck * spindle travel: 2-3/8" * 10" swing * table size: 7-5/8" x 6-1/2" * table bevels 45° (2 directions) * 570 - 3,050 RPM * 5 speed model * 62 lbs. * bench model * depth stop * led work light * laser light (x-pattern) * 3 yr. warranty | $$ | (178+ Ratings) 3.8/5 |
 | 4208 | * 2.3 amps * 1/2" chuck * spindle travel: 2" * 8" swing * table size: 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" * table bevels 45° (2 directions) * 620 - 3,100 RPM * 5 speed model * 35 lbs. * bench model * depth stop * 1 yr. warranty | $ | (1,038+ Ratings) 4.3/5 |
 | GDP1005A | * 4.1 amps * 5/8" chuck * spindle travel: 2" * 10" swing * table size: 7-1/4" x 7-1/4" * table bevels 45° (2 directions) * 620 - 3,070 RPM * 5 speed model * 52 lbs. * bench model * depth stop * table rotates 360° * led work light * 2 yr. warranty | $$$ | (19+ Ratings) 4.0/5 |
 | ZJ4113Z | * 3.2 amps * 1/2" chuck * spindle travel: 2-1/2" * 10" swing * table size: 7-3/8" x 7-1/2" * table bevels 45° (2 directions) * 680 - 3,150 RPM * 5 speed model * 60 lbs. * bench model * depth stop (?) * laser light (x-pattern) * table rotates 360° * 1 yr. warranty | $$ | (168+ Ratings) 4.5/5 |
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$100 - $124
$125 - $149
$150 - $174
$175 - $200
$200 and up
1. The Wen 4210 - The Best Rated Model In The Lineup...
The WEN 4210 is a surprising drill press (quality and price) and was well under the $200 price point I was going after (was around $120 at the time).
Many reviewers stated that it is very solid and is accurate as well, although I would see the 4210 as more of a "hobby" type of drill press myself and has nowhere near the precision or quality that some of the higher priced units come equipped with.
The 4210 was also the highest rated drill press under $200 and it beat out all of the other models, not in total number of reviews (which was around 470, at that point in time) but looking at the overall rating score from all of the reviews combined.
PROS
CONS
470+ Total Reviews:
227+ Reviews:
208+ Reviews:
5+ Reviews:
10+ Reviews:
2. The Skil 3320-01 - A Decent Drill Press Ready To Go Out Of The Box...
The Skil 3320-01 was appreciated by many of it's reviewers for having a "good balance" between the price and functionality. It was close to $130 (when doing my research) and had a decent amount of power to drill through some pretty demanding woods.
The 3320-01 was a light-weight drill press (like all of the other models) and is a good choice for beginners and really makes a fantastic "first" drill press (as stated by users).
The 3320-01 had a fair amount of reviews when I was researching it (more than 700) and was only trumped by the WEN 4208, as far as the number of reviews go. The overall rating for the 3320-01 was 4 out of 5 stars (from many different retailers) and I would have liked to have seen a rating of 4.5, which would have made the 3320-01 that much better!
PROS
CONS
730+ Total Reviews:
483+ Reviews:
117+ Reviews:
58+ Reviews:
69+ Reviews:
3. Wen's 4212 - A Drill Press With Tons Of Features At A Fair Price.
The WEN 4212 was my choice for the "best available" drill press under $200 and really out-shined the competition on a couple of different fronts.
Now, the 4212 was at the higher end of the price point I was going for (was around $200 when I was looking) but had a digital speed readout and 20 different speed settings, instead of the "typical" 5 that most of the other drill presses in the list used.
The 4212 also had the highest amperage motor (essentially equates to having more power) out of all of the different drill presses and came with a 2 year warranty, not the best on the list but not the worst either.
PROS
CONS
210+ Total Reviews:
96+ Reviews:
98+ Reviews:
8+ Reviews:
8+ Reviews:
4. Next Up, The Ryobi DP103L - Another Strong Contender...
The Ryobi DP103L was another drill press that was well under the $200 pricing point that I had set (was around $130, at the time) and had a decent number of reviews to look through (more than 170 in total).
The (upgraded) motor that the DP103L uses is in fact, a 6.2 amps, instead of the 3 amp motor that is listed. I couldn't verify this myself, so I decided to list it as a 3 amp model, until I see an updated specification (I will update teh DP103L's specs as needed).
Overall, the DP103L was pretty similar in features and specifics compared to the rest of the drill presses in the lineup and the "upgraded" motor was the main advantage it had over the others. It did have a few quality issues reported by users (mainly the depth stop) but is a very inexpensive unit, so you'll have to balance out the pros and cons yourself...
PROS
CONS
178+ Total Reviews:
7+ Reviews:
167+ Reviews:
5. The WEN 4208 - A Smaller But Powerful Model Worth Checking Out...
The WEN 4208 was the "most affordable" drill press in the lineup and was actually around $70 at the time (well under the $200 mark) but was also a very highly rated model and had lots of positive feedback from users regarding it's power and reliability (usually not even mentioning the price).
The 4208 is an 8" model and not a 10" one, like most of the other drill presses on the list are but was "too good" to pass up.
Now, the 4208 is a great compact and portable drill press (lightest drill press on the list) but it won't be 100% precise and will still be more of a "fast and effective" type of tool. I did notice that a user put a much better (higher end) chuck on the 4208 and they stated that it made a world of difference and for the price, isn't a bad idea if you want to "upgrade" it a bit.
PROS
CONS
1038+ Total Reviews:
770+ Reviews:
204+ Reviews:
3+ Reviews:
21+ Reviews:
6. A Less Known (Genesis GDP1005A) - Yet Another Option...
The Genesis GDP1005A is another drill press that was between that $100 and $200 mark (around $150 at the time) and has pretty similar features to the other drill presses I looked at with a couple of things that stood out.
The first thing that stood out on the GDP1005A was the 5/8" chuck that is used (compared to the 1/2" chuck) which is a little larger and will accommodate larger bits but wonder if it has enough power to effectively drill with these larger bits.
The other thing that I noticed about the GDP1005A was the 4.1 amp motor, which had slightly more amperage than it's competitors and one user even mentioned that it (the motor) seems to be a good balance of power and functionality.
PROS
CONS
19+ Total Reviews:
12+ Reviews:
7+ Reviews:
7. A Craftsman ZJ4113Z - An Older But Very Reliable Drill Press...
The Craftsman ZJ4113Z was the last model to "make the list" and fits in the pricing category I was going for (was around $130 - $170 depending on where you looked).
Again, the ZJ4113Z had very similar specs (compared to the other drill presses) and really didn't stand out a whole lot but I did notice that a few reviewers mentioned this Craftsman drill press in their ratings (for competing models) so I thought it was worth mentioning.
The ZJ4113Z is a Craftsman product and people really stand by their tools (this drill press not being an exception) and they are known to make decent-priced tools that last a lifetime (as many users pointed out).
PROS
CONS
168+ Total Reviews:
45+ Reviews:
123+ Reviews:
