Review on 🔧 WEN 4214 12 Inch Variable Speed Drill Press by Joe Glass

I am writing this review after only owning a drill press for a few days but actively using it. So understand that this is not a review of the machine's strength or durability. If anything changes in the future I will come back and update this review as I usually do. Also understand, I bought this with the full expectation that later I can change and update anything that doesn't suit me. For $225 and free shipping, I had very moderate expectations for performance, fit, and finish out of the box. switched on, the car arrived undamaged and nothing was missing. Assembly: If assembled mechanically, you don't need instructions. The machine is very skilfully partially assembled, leaving very little for a complete assembly. It took me longer to change the stand I was sitting on to set up the machine than to put it together. It took less than 45 minutes from unboxing to powering on and starting. Everything is put together perfectly. Performance: I've read several reports of poor machine performance. It's probably not powerful enough based just on perception of the motor size compared to what the manufacturer claims (it's probably not as powerful as the manufacturer claims) (again, Ridgid claims my wet/dry vac is 6.0 hp, so ...). Or the lack of power due to the extremely unrealistic expectations of a 12-inch bench drill. To test, I took a 1/2" drill bit (the drill bit was new) and quickly drilled through a 1/4" piece of steel without a pilot hole. at an angle, and also through a piece of steel plate 1/2 inch thick. There was no congestion or hesitation. Since then I've drilled dozens of holes in steel, cast iron, and wood. I used twist drills, countersinks, forstner bits and auger bits. , Paddle Drill Far from being low-power, this machine completely ruins the performance of any cordless hand drill. Of course, it's much easier to use than a corded hand drill when it comes to precision drilling. ) The laser is accurate, but I really only need it to quickly drill a hole in something where accuracy isn't important. Otherwise a good thing. 2) I like the work lamp. The brightness is enough to provide good lighting for the work area without unnecessary glare 3) The lengthening of the material support bothers me. The roller rattles like crazy, but soon I'll be welding a permanent work station for the drill press and getting rid of the extendable support. Wood drill, as the lower RPM range is around 550, but I prefer around 200. Adjusting the speed requires effort, but adjusts smoothly. The drive system is a bit noisy (most Reeves pulleys are noisy) and there is some vibration, but to be honest the machine runs surprisingly smooth. So far I have only experienced vibration-free operation with drills like the Powermatic PM2800. This machine is huge and costs $1,500. So adjust your expectations again. 5) The table goes up and down on the counter just like cars that are many times more expensive. The table locks perpendicular to the spindle (good thing there's no front-to-back adjustment, so the casting accuracy was good enough.) 6) The chuck, arbor, and spindle appear to be fairly concentric. I won't put up a test indicator because I don't care. This isn't a mill. I threw in a piece of boring bar and the runout is imperceptible to the eye and that's more than enough for any boring machine. (Go to YouTube and watch Frank Hoose's video on runout on 3-jaw chucks and you'll see how easy it is to spot runout by eye). 7) The switch sucks. That's the worst thing in the car. It's cheap, most likely it will break first. I hope it breaks soon so I can justify replacing it with a push-pull or some kind of magnetic switch. 8) I could not find any defects in any of the castings. There was a slight burr on the table from the machining, but 2 seconds with a file won't fix anything 9) Table Finishing - People complain about the relatively rough milling of the table. I actually like it and it's smoother than it looks. Finely ground cast iron is smooth (like a good table saw). This table's surface makes clamping workpieces easy and helps hold them in place without having to pull an 800-pound gorilla on the clamp. 10) Paint is cheap but not terrible. This corresponds to the price of the car. I love the color as orange is one of my favorites. 11) The cartridge is comfortably and securely fixed without much effort. However, it will soon be replaced with a keyless chuck as I don't want to keep an eye on the key. There is a good key holder and it is easy to use. 12) Knurled wheels instead of nuts on the depth stop - a great touch. Much better than the waste depth gauges you find on Harbor Freight presses. 13) The quill runs smoothly, but the quill return spring squeaks. I assume it needs to be replaced, if only because it annoys me. In summary, there is nothing surprising about this drill press. Although at $225 it's a great buy. The JET brand car costs $400 and is not worth the asking price. And it's WAY better than Harbor Freight's offerings in terms of features and fit/finish. If something breaks I will update this review but if nothing catastrophic happens nothing will change from 5 stars. I bought it with full intention of changing and upgrading as much as possible and I am very happy with my purchase.