Grizzly vs. General Intl drill press?

[PhilipShie]

I've been researching on drill presses for a while now... at first I was going to get a benchtop drill press and was impressed with Grizzly's G7943 12 Speed Heavy-Duty Bench-Top Drill Press. But then I saw that there's a floor model with just $40 more, so I thought why not. But then I came across General International's 75-150 M1 14 In. Floor Drill Press Model# 75-150 M1. Seems like it's a good deal too.

When I placed the two for comparison, the Grizzly has more power (3/4 hp versus 1/2), heavier, slower slow speed. Otherwise it's fairly similar in terms of specifications. I think Fine Woodworking had a review on benchtop drills and placed General International's on first. But there are not too many reviews on these tools on-line.

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions?

http://www.grizzly.com/products/G7944

http://www.acmetools.com/tools/Acme+Tools/GENERAL+INTL+75-150+M1+75-150+M1+14+In.+Floor+Drill+Press

Thanks!

Phil

[Ben H]

I had a General Intl for about a hour...It went back to Woodcraft and I brought home a JET. I was not impressed by the General. Perhaps I just had a lemon (faulty switch), but the over-all fit and finish were not very good. Good luck on your new DP!

[cosmocyb]

I have a 16 speed 3/4hp floor style drill press. Has nice slow speeds for turning big forstner bits. You need a large speed range to drill nice holes. I have many grizzly machines and would have bought their drill press, but got such a good deal on my floor stand model from a show, I could not turn it down. Go for more HP.