Bought a $200 magnetic drill press that turned into a parking lot anchor

I saw a deal on a magnetic drill press for $200 at a flea market in Gary. Thought I was set for a big beam job last month. Got it to the site and the magnet wouldn't hold on a vertical beam, just slid right off. Saved me from a bigger headache but burned me on the cash and a rental fee that same day. Has anyone else had luck with a cheap magnetic drill or am I the only one who got fooled?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_sullivan2916d ago

Not to get too technical, but those cheap mag drills often use a different kind of magnet than the good ones. The expensive ones use neodymium magnets that hold way stronger, but the cheap ones use something called alnico or just a basic ferrite. I've heard of guys buying a cheap one and swapping the magnet out for a neodymium block if they're handy and it fits. Takes some work and you might void any warranty, but it's a possible fix if you're stuck with it. Your mileage may vary on how well that actually works though.

walker.jana16d ago

Yeah I used to think "a deal is a deal" when it came to cheap tools but after watching a buddy's budget mag drill drop his whole setup 12 feet onto concrete I changed my tune real fast. The magnet on those cheap ones is usually just a weak ferrite core that can't hold torque on anything vertical or overhead. You probably dodged a worse accident honestly, that rental fee is cheap compared to a hospital visit or a ruined beam.