Just talked to a knowledgeable tech guy at Tech. Answered a bunch of questions. Most related to drill presses. Thought I would pass on just for information.
One topic that has been on the forums is replacement parts for machines still in production! Specifically a drill press and drum sanders. Their answer is they intend to have all parts, but many are NLA due to the supplier not shipping. Not really NLA, bit out of stock. So he says. I suggested the gear motor on drum sanders should have a clutch on it. He said that was a good idea and would pass it on.
None of their drills have a split head to adjust quill tolerances. Not sure any do. So, basically none are what I would call "lifetime" tools. Longer than my remining life, but not like older tools. He confirmed the PM Reeves drive is a mess but the drive in their metal working drill J-A5816 is the old style Reeves and works fine. He confirmed they don't publish any tolerances specs, but the metal drills are much tighter than the wood drills. Metal drills will typically run at slower speeds than woodworking drills.
They are not advertising they own Baliegh he claims due to short-handedness from COVID. FWIW Baliegh support is though Grizzly. They are operating independently right now. They will "roll in" eventually.
So, still tempted on the JDP-17 drill, but the smaller A5816 variable speed, for twice the money, is tempting. Like everything, there is a small price jump for every feature and it is easy to justify every step until you are in the stratosphere.
One topic that has been on the forums is replacement parts for machines still in production! Specifically a drill press and drum sanders. Their answer is they intend to have all parts, but many are NLA due to the supplier not shipping. Not really NLA, bit out of stock. So he says. I suggested the gear motor on drum sanders should have a clutch on it. He said that was a good idea and would pass it on.
None of their drills have a split head to adjust quill tolerances. Not sure any do. So, basically none are what I would call "lifetime" tools. Longer than my remining life, but not like older tools. He confirmed the PM Reeves drive is a mess but the drive in their metal working drill J-A5816 is the old style Reeves and works fine. He confirmed they don't publish any tolerances specs, but the metal drills are much tighter than the wood drills. Metal drills will typically run at slower speeds than woodworking drills.
They are not advertising they own Baliegh he claims due to short-handedness from COVID. FWIW Baliegh support is though Grizzly. They are operating independently right now. They will "roll in" eventually.
So, still tempted on the JDP-17 drill, but the smaller A5816 variable speed, for twice the money, is tempting. Like everything, there is a small price jump for every feature and it is easy to justify every step until you are in the stratosphere.
