Looking for a new mag drill.

[AKmud]

I'm in the market for a mag drill and will probably have to go new since the used market is very limited here in AK. I've searched the forums and haven't found anything very recent. What is the best "bang for the buck" out there these days? Will I be happy with a $700 drill or do I need to pony up the $$ for a serious drill? Right now I operate a small fab shop on the side and don't do a lot of heavy work (yet). 1/2" is about as big of material as I mess with regularly.

Thanks in advance.

[derekpfeiffer]

I have 2 Evolution mag drills. I have an older one that had worked flawlessly for years and 2 years ago I was at a product show and they had this one for $555 with a cutter set so I bought it as well. They've both been great! the 42 however does have a little more runout since it doesn't have the lower support bushing that my older one does but is very minimal. I like that it has a drill chuck that fits right into the 3/4" spindle and a lock to slide the head up to be able to quickly convert it to using Jobber length drills in a chuck.

http://www.toolfetch.com/evolution-e...FYUxaQodhwoMCA

[CEP]

I’ve had very good luck with my Hougen with roto broaches. And my Milwaukee Mag drill.

[ManoKai]

@ AKmud - our first MagDrill was a Jancy Slugger Holemaker II unit. Unused unit purchased on CL for $350. Mint condition with 3ea annular cutters. A nice drill that also accepts Jacobs chuck for spin'n twist drills. 1-3/8" max dia at 2" DOC. We also design/built a StandOff Fixture for workholding apps with the Jancy.

Jancy (Fein), Hougen, and CS Unitec ($$$) are all excellent. The two-speed, reversible units for threading operations are da snitzit.

[psacustomcreations]

We have the Hougen HMD905 at work and it works great for us. We were also able to purchase the vacuum base for non-magnetic surfaces but I have not had a chance to use it yet so I can't comment on that yet.

[scsmith42]

I too can recommend the Hougen. Great product, well built and engineered.

[AKmud]

How important is the two speed option? I've only used a new Single speed Evolution my buddy has.

[DanD78]

With larger cutters you should use lower RPM.
I have the milwaukee like CEP has. It is powerfull and HEAVY. It has a two speed built in to the motor and can be had with a variable speed built in to the base.
If used like CEP shows I have found the cutter wants to walk until the cut starts. This isn't a big deal with HSS cutters but will damage a carbide tipped tool. I use a solid adapter in place of the chuck to keep the stick out to a minimum.
Keeping the dove tail slides adjusted up and keep as much dove tail engaged keeps them pretty ridgid. I really like the ability to use cutting tools with a #3 morris taper.
I also have an old Black & Decker with a 5/8 chuck. Its not as heavy and works great when using chuckable bits.

Dan D.
Dan D.

[JiffyPark]

I will second the Jancy (Fein) line of drills. We sell them at our store and have had great feedback for years. I'm pretty good friends with the Fein rep for our area and he has many heavy users throughout his territory using them who are all very happy. My fab shop has a ShortSlugger and a USA 101 and both have been fantastic units.