Recommendation? Wen 4214 vs. Rikon 30-212VS Drill Press

H

honingblades

Joined
Oct 4, 2018
Messages
72
Hi All,

Curious if any of you have experience with either of these two drill presses. I'm also open to other suggestions. I will be using the drill press for knife making and light woodworking (knife handles and odds and ends).

While not related to knife making I will also be doing some personal "industrial-style" furniture that will use steel.

I can't imagine drilling any metal that's more than 1/4" thick...

Biggest difference spec wise that I noticed was the 580 RPM (wen) vs 150 RPM (Rikon).

Wen 4214 ($250)
12-Inch
Variable Speed Drill Press
RPM range of 580-3200
3/4 HP
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HQONFY6

Rikon 30-212VS ($499)
12-Inch
Variable Speed Drill Press
RPM range of 150 – 2,800
3/4 HP
https://www.rikontools.com/product/30-212vs
 
While I haven't had experience with the two you mention, I would say the Rikon is a better choice of the two.

You might also look at Grizzly. I bought this one https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-14-Heavy-Duty-Benchtop-Drill-Press/G7943
I've been quite happy with it. I did upgrade the chuck though. The chuck it comes with is OK, but an upgrade to a better chuck is worth it in my opinion. It also has slow speeds. With 140 RPM being the slowest. The one draw back is it isn't variable speed. You have to manually change the belts. I think this also makes it a stouter machine. But that's just my personal opinion.

Grizzly also has a variable speed version of the same drill press. https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-12-Variable-Speed-Benchtop-Drill-Press-with-Laser/T31739
However it's lowest speed is 340 RPM.

I will admit to being partial to Grizzly products. When I bought my drill press two years ago I did a lot of looking. And overall the Grizzly products just seemed stouter. Things change though. Unless you need one right away take your time and research your needs and compare with what's out there.
 
I have the wen one, and literally cannot seem to get the bit drilling perfectly straight. It does the job though, and works perfectly. I think you can get the cheaper one, set it up for the slowest setting, and save yourself money. That’s what I’d do if I had to go again.
 
Chinese mediocre belt driven machines both, that most of us get by with. A geared head drillpress with 4" column is on my wish list. Like the Yet/Arboga.
 
i have the Wen machine and it is cheap but it keeps performing what i ask of it. Drill bits have a little wobble to them and i had to modify jams nuts on the depth stop as when it bottomed out it would cant to on side. Good enough for me and was easy it pay it off without putting knife shop in more debt.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
These aren't cheap, but boy are they good. They will tap automatically and it is really hard to ruin/break a drill bit when it is set right. There are other similar models out there, too.
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/dvr-voyager-18-drill-press?via=573621bd69702d0676000002,5a4e83dd61707017d805f47c,5763fe3c69702d6582000b6e
Click to expand...

For that kind of money, I'd really look into used industrial grade gear head drill presses. It's a whole other thing. I have my eyes on this one:

http://www.hhrobertsmachinery.com/Strands/Strands-S25-drills.html
 
Yeah I've been looking at the Sieg SX2.7 and branded versions of it. But there has been mixed reviews on the build quality of these cheap Chinese bench top mills. So I've been kind of reluctant. With a good unit I can see it beeing very useful in knife making though, for precise drilling and lighter milling.
 
I have the WEN and am happy with it.
The machines look very similar. Same lazer and light switch components same bulb, the 150 rpm on the Rikon is cool, so that is a difference.
Look almost like the same machine to me
 
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With belt drive you have one less thing to worry about, like fairly cheap electronics breaking. I have a $250 drill press with electronic speed controll, but it's almost always on lowest speed. So I wouldn't mind belts that much.
I am not familiar with Yet as I am not in the US, but considering they are the US agent for Arboga I would assume they have some sense of quality in their line up.
 
honingblades said:
Is this what you use? Guessing you have had good luck or wouldn't have suggested it?

I looked at this but people always seem to bash HF so I kind of skipped over it. I'm not against doing that. I would much rather spend $300 and realize I out grew it after a year or two than spending $500 and still wishing I had more of something a year later.
Click to expand...

Drill press design hasn't changed in 70 years.
No need for lasers and other marketing BS
As long as you change bearings and belts, it should last a few hundred years too.
HF has good warranty

It's got all you need.
Three pulleys and two belts to get you down to 200 rpm.
MT2 spindle, so you can change chucks if you want.
The motor is a standard mount. You can change it to VFD for the speed control or auto reverse someday cheap and simple.
Even if you get a milling machine someday, you still want a drillpress.
 
I have the WEN and like it. It's done everything I've needed it to do. But I won't lie, I do wish it would turn slower.
 
honingblades said:
Hi All,

Curious if any of you have experience with either of these two drill presses. I'm also open to other suggestions. I will be using the drill press for knife making and light woodworking (knife handles and odds and ends).

While not related to knife making I will also be doing some personal "industrial-style" furniture that will use steel.

I can't imagine drilling any metal that's more than 1/4" thick...

Biggest difference spec wise that I noticed was the 580 RPM (wen) vs 150 RPM (Rikon).

Wen 4214 ($250)
12-Inch
Variable Speed Drill Press
RPM range of 580-3200
3/4 HP
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HQONFY6

Rikon 30-212VS ($499)
12-Inch
Variable Speed Drill Press
RPM range of 150 – 2,800
3/4 HP
https://www.rikontools.com/product/30-212vs
Click to expand...


I love this question. I understand this is an old post, but for me I still see the Rikon and WEN as top contenders for this price range. The variable speed is an attractive option. For me I think the Rikon on sale would be the best buy since it is the only model out there that offers the VS and a manual pulley option to cover the low speed range. Youtube review by diymark gives a great review for it. I'm including my comparisons for variable speed models I found. I am also considering the osculating version from Shop Fox (W16668).

Brand Model Price Motor Size Spindle Travel Speed Range
Rikon 30-212VS: 12 386 3/4 3-5/32 150 – 2,800
WEN 4214 12 267 2/3 3-1/8 580 to 3200
Klutch 49386 339 3/4 3-1/8 480-3600
Grizzley T31739 - 12" 425 1/3 3.5 400-2700
JET 716000 JWDP-12 424 1/2 3-1/8 530-3100
Bucktools 2501A (n/a) n/a 2/3 2 610-2800
Masterforce MC90418 12 222 3/4 3-1/8 530-3100
Skil 3320-01 10 159 n/a
 
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Tom Luke said:
I love this question. The variable speed is an attractive option. For me I think the Rikon on sale would be the best buy. I like the lower speed and bigger motor. I don't like the youtube review that mentions it is relatively noisy though. Here was my analysis for comparible models at the time of this post.

Brand Model Price Motor Size Spindle Travel Speed Range
Rikon 30-212VS: 12 386 3/4 3-5/32 150 – 2,800
Wen 4214 12 267 2/3 3-1/8 580 to 3200
Grizzley T31739 - 12" 425 1/3 3.5 400-2700
JET 716000 JWDP-12 424 1/2 3-1/8 530-3100
Bucktools 2501A (n/a) n/a 2/3 2 610-2800
Masterforce MC90418 12 222 3/4 3-1/8 530-3100
Skil 3320-01 10 159 n/a
Shop Fox No VS model n/a n/a
Click to expand...

Look at the post date, that question was last in play six months ago.
 
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