Ya know guys, I can't believe I'm saying this, but after quite a few hours spent scouring woodworking and machining forums, and various online catalogs,
I think I'm going to buy a drill press from H***** F******.
But I want some second opinions before I do...
So far my reasoning is based on the options I have identified so far:
1. Get lucky and find a vintage american-made DP I can restore
2. Buy a quality import like Jet or Powermatic and drop about a thousand bucks
3. Buy a 'high-end' chinese HF piece o crap and hope it isn't a lemon
4. Buy an otherwise identical chinese piece of crap with a brand name for 30% more.
A note on number 4...
Apparently
there are no American drill press manufacturers anymore, with the exception of Clausing. There may be a few more obscure ones that I didn't look into but I'll bet they're equally expensive.
When you're on the budget I am (<$300), there isn't much out there that's a sure thing. At first I was looking at that 34" radial press from grizzly, until I read the reviews people gave it on amazon. Sounds like more of a risk than I want to take.
The reviews for the HF press on some wood/metal forums seem to be roughly the same as on HF's review page, indicating that it might actually be decent. If anyone has ever used this or a similar model I'd like to hear what you think. This seems to have the power and speed control I'm after and also has a 5/8" chuck, which would be a small bonus.
I might give this question its own topic. Not sure if its necessary as of yet.