Micro-Mark Drill Press Microlux 3 Speed 0-6" Adjust

I was not expecting much from this product. I have a Dremel drill press, which feels cheap and chinsy. This product is PROFESSIONAL and rock solid. It is made from steel parts that are made to last. I can see myself passing this press down to future generations. I make printed circuit boards and I use this drill to produce holes from .2 - 1.0mm holes. If you have ever needed a .2mm hole in something, you know that it takes a good tungsten bit and a drill press that does not flex when you draw the bit down to the FR4, which is fiberglass (not the easiest material to drill in the first place). I have NEVER broken a bit with this drill press. Now drilling the hole in the exact right place is another thing ;), but this is not the fault of the press. I could ask that this manufacturer include laser sighting or something, but I think I may use a microscope camera for this.

It is smaller than I expected which in my case is a good thing because I was looking for small. I use very tiny drill bits and it suits my purposes nicely. I will order another belt because that looks like it won't last long.

Drill press itself is well built and rates a 5 starThe motor is a piece of crap and completely failed after drilling ~550 1.25mm holes 3/16" deep in Baltic birch plywood, using a solid carbide bit used in commercial aircraft construction making the entire unit worth less than 1 star [.36 per hole]Warranty is no better than no warranty [unit failed a few days after the 90-day warranty expired with very little use and no hard use]No response from customer serviceDon't know if a replacement motor is available nor the costToo bad, could have been a really good tool.I repaired motors in the Navy so I took off the upper half of the case and discovered there are serious design flaws. Probably the most critical is non-externally lubricated sleeve bearings which don't work well on a low watt motor with side tension from the belt.Second is no protection from anything from above on the commutator and brushes. Mica was not undercut properly and the commutator was coated with what looked like grease [easily removed with a q-tip and cleaner. I under cut mica and cleaned the commutator and it ran for about 1 minute before failing again while observing excessive arcing of the brushes and commutator.The motor did not turn as easily as it should with no load, apparent clearance and/or bearing issues. I cleaned and lubricated the bearings but it still did not turn as easily as it should.It's not worth wasting any more time trying to fix.

One of the machines is not concentric at the chuck. I just don't have the energy or knowhow to go through a return process.

Very good machine. Met my needs for ship modeling very well. Chuck took bits as small as 1/64. Very stable and easy to use. I was able to drill accurate holes that would have been impossible manually.

I have both this one and the Proxxon drill press, the table is slightly better on the Micor-mark and it comes with the chuck.The movement on the micromark seems slightly tighter, but that may be from lot differences.Handy little unit.

After 8 years use, steel, silver, nickel, still going on original drive belt. very good chuck. Learn & use the proper speed for medium you are drilling. Drive belt is easy to change drilling speed. Tiny drill bits take tiny pressure. ( Read the manual for proper belt tension and it will last for years.)

The drill press is small, lightweight, and relatively accurate for what it is. It has a real Jacob's chuck, which measured to have less than 0.005" of runout on my unit. The build quality of the machine is much better than I expected. For light duty drilling in plastics, wood, and maybe brass, this machine seems acceptable. Aluminum is possible with plenty of patience, and steel is out of the question. If you go to quickly you can easily stall the motor in any material.If this machine had a more powerful motor, it'd be a real winner and I'd get a second one to keep in my backpack. With the existing motor, this drill press is much less useful.