Proxxon 28606 MICROMOT MB 140/S Precision Drill Stand - Heavy Duty Mini Drill Press for Jewelry, Watchmaking & Model Building | Perfect for DIY Crafts & Small Metalworking Projects

OK, so I finally took it out of the box. I had bought an adapter to adapt a Dremel 4000 to this drill press because the Dremel drill press was a toy. The adapter costs nearly half of the press. My adapter replaces the yellow bracket. Others, use a collar. The company in Australia that I bought the adapter from doesn't have it anymore. But there are others that slip on the threads and make the Dremel Proxxon clampable.Reviews also say the Dremel tool is a joke compared to the Proxxon tool as well and I agree. I have a lot invested in Dremel attachments, but I could not justify the Dremel drill press.With my adapter, you cannot use the right angle attachment of the Dremel, but I can rotate the chuck. Probably could if you were able to ream another clamp to 0.875 or 0.876.OK, no instructions. No big deal. But why 3 sizes of hex wrenches and why not some sort of plastic widget that could sit on top of the post and hold them. Surely the front and the bed could use the same screw.The spring doesn't quite return the quill even with nothing on it. Grease and polishing should fix that. The clamps need two O-rings on them, so they don't get in the way when the quill is set low.So, lets check the "clamp" or is it a fence. I suppose it's more of a fence. Well, guess what, you can't use the fence in two places where the ribs are. That was EXACTLY where I wanted to put it. Used a combination square to square it up. The vise must be a necessity. Not sure how to clamp a piece of flat stock yet. A miniature staircase clamp would be cool. T-nuts would have been cool. The fence screw should have a hex socket in it and the ribs should be cut a little deeper.Now, since I wanted to cut rather than drill. I found out there is NO WAY to lock the quill. The screw that looks like a quill lock doesn't work. That would be an adjustment for play. The removed "L Proxxon Mount" to the rescue. It can be placed at the bottom of the Quill to effectively lock it.A quill lock is essential when you want to drill a precise hole: You center the drill, lock the quill, clamp and drill. That doesn't work here. Hey, I used a precision drill press before and this isn't one of them.The scale didn't last the first use.I didn't know about the MB200 which looks like it can drill holes on an angle, but I would need a different Dremel adapter.I did not look at combined runnout.My Proxxon Rotary Tool stand came last night. My wife wanted something to drill glass, and after reading the reviews here, it seemed the best choice.Based on my experience, I'm elevating my rating to two stars only because I was able to modify it to make it usable - sort-of.Opening the box, the parts were loose in the box, they had been in a plastic bag, but worked their way out thru a tear. Parts were also loose or had fallen off the stand. There was not even a simple instruction manual to tell you how to put it back together, but it was simple enough to figure out, except for one thing.The vertical post had what appeared to be a set screw to hold it in place, but it had no head or recess and was screwed in flush. It took me a few minutes to see that the set screw was in backwards with the head inside against the post! I was able to work a allen wrench inside the post hole and turn the set screw out enough so that I could remove it the rest of the way with my fingers. Then, properly installed, I was able to secure the vertical post.(I wish that had been one of the parts to fall off during shipping!)After finding where all the parts went that had fallen off during shipping, and getting it assembled, I pulled the handle down, and the drill kicked about 0.2 inches to the right as soon as I started moving it. It came down stiffly with spots that were binding. It had a lot of side play even when pulled completely down, at least 0.2 inches, totally unaceptable!I adjusted and re-adjusted all the screws to no avail. Then I discovered the problem, a brass bushing guides the head as it moves downward, sliding down a flimsy post that could be easily bent, but looked reasonably straight. The bushing was floating in a fork assembley very losely which is where the play appeared to be occuring. I disassembled the head and took the fork out to my vise and squeezed it closed until it snapped tightly onto the brass bushing. This is where I discovered that the bushing itself had a very sloppy fit and was far too loose on the guide post. Nothing could be done about that but to get a new post or a new bushing that fit properly, and there was no warranty or instructions on how to request a new one, not even a address on the box.I then reassembled the stand, and found that almost all the side to side play was gone, there was still too much due to the loose bushing, but I deemed it usable.To summarize, the QC is poor to non-existent, and the design is just plain quirky.I'd return it for another, but would not have hopes of finding the next one to be any better.No warranty sheet (I believe this violates US consumer law) no instructions, I'd would have passed it by if I'd known. Note, after finding the Proxxon website, I did find the information, and will ask them about a replacement bushing, the guide post looks to be pressed into place. I'll see what happens.I start my review with a challenge, based on the price, find a micro drill stand that beat this product. I love shopping for tools, I have been to a few corners of Asian markets I have not found one that matches the quality of this drill stand. It puts many bigger sized drill stand/press to shame.The level action is moderately smooth, the alloy cast body clamps the stainless column, it rubs the stainless column as it moves up and down. The assembly must be well lubricated for smooth action, this means grabbing the stainless column will leave your hands oily. If the stainless column is left ill maintained, it will start to wear. However, the design of the drill stand results in extra precision where drill runout is almost eliminated. I have used it to make deep holes with carbide drill bits and I have yet to break any.The level also has a positive feedback from the vibration of the drill bit. This results in more control. There's a drill depth stop which works very well. The alloy drill table is machined flat and beautifully finished. Additional holes can be tapped for vice attachment.One of the cons with this drill stand is that it doesn't drill in an angle, although the collar attachment allows for rotation, it only turns the tool. The drilling action is always 90 degree up and down. The column is fixed. A seperate angle vise must be fitted to drill in an angle. I wish there's an optional laser attachment where I can drill with less guess work. The collar attachment is not universal for all tools it only fits Proxxon tools.Overall this is a must have for making precision drilling. I am really glad that Proxxon produced this budget jewel. I wished all tools were made like this then we will have more time for work and less time fiddling with cheaply made tools.OK but... maybe I'm too fussy - expected the action to be a tad smoother! Having said that I haven't actually used it in anger yet. Bought it for drilling printed circuit boards (own design of course) - watched lots of reviews on youtube and decided to buy based on lots of positive comments about its use for pcb drilling. Time will tell how good it is in practice but I guess this is as good as its going to get in this price range. Would recommend it.I've tested it briefly with a Proxxon IBS/E and 0.8 and 1.0 mm solid carbide bits. No apparent play and I didn't snap the bits, so it seems OK for what I bought it for! The return spring is quite strong, so it's best to hang on to the lever to raise the bit out of the workpiece rather than just letting it go so it doesn't just slam into the stop.Really handy piece of kit to assist in my leatherwork, however, my first order had missing parts so I returned it and had a replacement sent with no problems at all.I always look at reviews on amazon and YT etc before choosing which products to go for and I am pleased I went with Proxxon.It was what I wanted but was poorly packaged in the original box. I could here the parts rattling about inside before I opened it. I think someone has opened it previously and tried to assemble it:the handle assembly had been cross threaded so was difficult to screw in. Everything appears to work as expected but it should not have been advertised as new.I bought this some time ago now and have to say it's been a a great addition to my modelling tools. I also have the Proxxon FBS 240/E Rotary tool to go with it & they complement each other well, for my needs anyway!If you're looking for a stand for our drill/rotary tool but not you're sure which one to buy! Then look no further than the Micromot Proxxon MB 140/S UN-like the Dremel with it's plastic feel and tendency to move when drilling precise holes this the Proxxon is all metal, and will hold your drill/rotary tool tight and give precision drilling when & where it's needed.