Energer ENB672DBT Pillar Drill Review - Episode 211
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ก.ย. 2019
- A review of the Energer ENB672DBT Pillar Drill.
I've had this for over a year now and Screwfix still have these for sale at a cheap price of £44.99 as of July 2019.
It's small, light weight and works great with a small amount of play in the chuck. If you are after a small pillar drill at a cheap price and don't need engineering accuracy then this could be what you are looking for.
You can find me on the below Social Media
Instagram: / paul.a.lockwood @paul.a.lockwood
Twitter: / paullockwooduk @paullockwooduk
Facebook: / paullockwood.woodworking
Pinterest: www.pinterest.co.uk/lockwood3...
Etsy: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PaulLock...
Please Subscribe
/ @paullockwood - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Thanks for the very good review. It’s good that someone (you) takes the time to do this. An honest review. More times I have been looking at a new tool wondering is it any good at that price. I’m like yourself space constrained and budget conscious. Thanks again.
Thank you Colin. There's not a video review for everything we look at buying, I think they often have a lot more power when they don't come from the retailer or manufacturer.
Excellent review thank you. Now sold in screwfix for £80 April 2022. Really needed this review to know whether it’s a bargain or a price of junk. great that you did this review one year after you bought it.
Glad it was helpful!
Great review, found you easy to listen to and very comprehensive, off to buy one now, thanks
Thank you Martin. For something so cheap and not engineer precision this work well and is ideal for me with limited space. Glad it helped and hope you have many trouble free hours.
Thanks for the review Paul. I am just about to build a small workshop in the garden, bought one of these to go in it.
Thank you Eddie. A good small drill if you don't need engineering precision.
Fantastic succinct review, really helpful, thank you.
Thank you Sam. Just try to be honest, it’s not a selling channel but just my thoughts on how I can see it might be good or bad for myself.
Hi, great video. Thanks for sharing this I'm off to buy one now.
Good budget item I use a reasonable amount, just not engineering precision
Good review Paul of a lovely little drill.like you I don't have a lot of space so I don't see the point and I use it for sanding more then drilling like you,👍👍
Thank you Barry
And..... Screwfix are still selling it today. I saw your review and it gave me the confidence to go and get one. Thanks for your efforts!
You’re welcome. It’s ideal if you want something small, cheap and not engineering precision. If screwfix are still selling then it shows that they must be a good seller / buy.
@@PaulLockwood Hi Paul, One thing I have noticed is that the wiring to the microswitch in the drive belt housing is too close to the belt when at its lowest setting. I ran the drill at this setting for a minute or so before noticing a black mark on the white insulation. Not quite chafing, but definitely there. How much clearance does yours have? I think I might have to take a look and see if I can adjust the pulleys further up their shafts for more clearance. But for now the lowest belt setting is off limits.
They're £120 now! I've just bought one. I'm going to try it out for a few days but it's not great I must say! Im used to working on Bridgeports and Colchesters so I will have to make sure I'm not comparing it to those, however, it's a bit noisy and vibrates a fair bit which isn't pleasant.
fantastic review, I'm picking one of these up tomorrow from screwfix they've actually gone up in price to £49.99 but still great bit of kit for that price, your review as put my mind at rest thankyou. 👍👍
Thank you. For the money they are pretty good, just not the most precise equipment.
@@PaulLockwood sorry to bother you Paul just a quick question I'm about to invest in my first bench lathe, but don't know what's good or bad could you recommend something what's middle of the range, and ok for a beginner in lathe work. many thanx Geoff.
Great review very helpful.
Thank you
Great review ... getting one tomorrow
Thank you, mine gets used regularly and not had any issues so far.
Thank you and Well done
Thank you Ron
Same style drill I have but mine is an old argos one a challenger make and it's still going strong now and like you said it's small enough to tuck away when not in use
Yes they are ideal, I suspect made by either the same manufacturer or plans are just passed around manufacturers to make similar.
Great Info....Cost now £69.99.I wish my shed was that tidy:)
Thank you it was quite some time when I bought this. Tidy? You should see it these days as I have to move things all the time.
thanks for this i am sold, oirdered one just now
Thank you Samantha. For it's price it's pretty good. Use mine a lot mainly with a sanding head in for sanding off the bottom of wood turned pieces.
@@PaulLockwood good tip thanks
Great review definitely thinking of getting one screwfix they are now £49.99
Thank you, they are a good budget compact drill if you're not after engineering precision.
@@PaulLockwood got one now, they are not bad at all only thing was a bit strange the holes in the base plate were not tapped with threads?
An excellent review from someone who actually knows what they're talking about. 👍
I'm looking for a pillar drill just now - mostly for wood - and this seems ideal.
I will occasionally need to drill up to 12mm holes in mild steel up to 3mm thick. Do you think it's cope with that if I upped the drill size in increments?
I would say, if you don't pressure it too much. Sharpness of the drill will be a great help. This is ideal for occasional not accurate work.
UPDATE: With regard to the post I submitted yesterday, I returned the pillar drill to Screwfix and had a replacement. Once unwrapped, I checked the screw that was 'faulty' last time, and sadly, the replacement one had exactly the same issue. I couldn't be bothered to take it back, and instead, completely removed the screw and have made a sort of 'plug' that fit's through the casing and into the hole inside. The hinged lid remains secure and all I have to do now is to pull out the 'plug' to gain access to the motor etc.
Great mod. Ideal where you need to change the belt speeds often.
Thank you
Thank you Edith
Hi Paul. thanks for uploading the review. It's really useful. I have a manual drill press for a separate electric drill. It does not drill holes perpendicular to the piece being drilled which for short holes isn't really a problem. However for anything more than a pilot hole for a screw I need holes to be reliably at 90 degrees to the surface. Is this drill stable enough to do that or should I spend more? Thanks
I would say it's pretty stable. There is only a small amount of play so I would guess that there will be a fraction of a degree in movement. It's not engineering precision with this it's more like wood working precision.
Hi, Have you ever seen a morticing bit used with this drill? Also, how easy would it be to add an extender to the column to give a greater drill depth...The column is a simple push fit, so would longer columns be available?
Hi Robert. Sorry I have no idea on either of those questions as I use the drill as it is, mainly with a sanding head in but some drilling. On the extender column I would have thought if you could buy the appropriate diameter tube you could have this as long as you like. It is a budget drill and especially ideal for small spaces and moving about. I would also guess that you could rotate the head on the column, not use the base plate that moves up and down the column and therefore use your own base meaning no need to change the column for very large items.
Looks like a good drill & at £50 is a bargain but it could be to small for me. Price is paramount for me rather than space. Unfortunately Screwfix don't seem to keep them in branch so I can't look at one to judge the size.
This is why a video review also helps as you get a better idea on size. If I had the space then I would have gone for a large floor standing one, However this was the only option for me.
I brought the same one from screwfix, though mine was a bit faulty to start with, it turned out to be the micro switch, a slight adjustment with a screwdriver and bingo, i use mine only with a 45mm forstner bit to make a hole for my chuck to mount on my mini lathe
Ideal for those simple small jobs. I tend to use mine for sanding most of the time but at least they do have a range of uses for such a cheap price.
Tried every speed but forstner bits stop spinning at 2mm depth of cut
@@negotiableaffections sounds like yours is faulty as i can use a 60mm forstner bit middle pully no problem in oak and ash
@@martkt10 Cheers mate, think you may be onto something. I've only got cheap[new] or old bits, even the new ones were dull, so I sharpened everything and although it was better, they still stuck. I shall be contacting screwfix. p.s. my ON switch is a bugger to activate too.
@@negotiableaffections my on switch was stiff but has loosen up now
Hi Paul, I've had an Energer Hammer drill for some years which is still going. The Pillar Drill is certainly good value for money. I have a Clark Drill which is virtually identical to this drill, which to be quite honest is very frustrating to work with, primarily for one of the reasons you mention - the 5cm working distance. I understand your space constraints, but for me i'm looking to upgrade to a good quality floor standing pillar drill either second hand or new. Thanks for sharing your review. BTW what has happened to Titan Tools at Screwfix? Have they been rebranded under Bauker now? They've got the same look and colour as Titan.
Thank you. Yes the 5CM restriction can cause issues, but when you need something compact you have to use what you can fit in. I've just done a search on Screwfix and Titan tools come up all over the place. I know that they review their products at least once a year and they are quite ruthless with pricing and their returns policy making it hard for suppliers to supply them for machinery. We sell a few items there and can get a lot of items returned just because customers can return them without any faults.
Hi Paul, yes you are right, dunno what I was thinking about. LOL I think I may have got Toolstation and Screwfix mixed up as I use both interchangeably as they are only 70metres apart. Cheers
Hi thanks for the review I have seen these and was tempted, I'm new too Wood turning and on a budget is this tall enough too drill pen blanks? As that's what I need one for.
Thank you. It is possible. The travel is only 50mm where I had long blanks to drill I would drill up to 50mm first, then with the drill off push the blank up onto the drill bit and place something under it then drill deeper.
These days I do it on the lathe as I now have another set of jaws which hold the blank better.
@@PaulLockwood thank you for taking the time too reply and in such detail I will definitely be purchasing one of these now I'm looking into getting a chuck that excepts pen blank Jaws at some point but for now this seems a cheaper way too start off. Thanks again
Hi Paul , thanks for the review its nearly swung me . Do you think it is man enough to drill 8 mm holes in 3mm steel and 10mm aluminium ? Many thanks Tony .
Thank you Tony. I think it should be. Doing it a lot then that may be another case. The good thing is if you buy online and it's not up to the job Screwfix would have to take it back due to the online trading laws as far as I'm aware.
@@PaulLockwood Excellent , ill take a punt . Thanks again for your help Paul .
Hey! i take it this would be fine drilling with a 10mm Forstner bit 3mm down into MDF? cheers!
Hi Jordan, yes for sure. I've used 35mm forstner bits far deeper than that on different woods, even 15mm bits to a depth of about 100mm which meant modifying how I held the wood etc.
Good review. Very helpful. I Need this to work with 40mm forstner bits on a large project. Saw one comment where forstner were a problem. Have you had any similar problems? Thanks
Thank you. I've not had a problem with forstner bits in the drill. I had some very poor cutting bits that needed a lot of pressure to cut the wood and worked fine. I've since bought some much better bits that work 10 times better. The only issue I can see is if they grab and the motor doesn't have enough power if the work is clamped down or the belt slips, not much else could go wrong.
@@PaulLockwood thanks for the paul. I gather I'd need lower rpm for drilling into hardwood too. Looks like I'll need to take it easy and keep the timber clamped down and the belt nice and tight. I'm just a hobbyist and I've no space (or budget) for anything more powerful. Kind regards
@@nervouspenguins9982 Should be fine, mine gets used for all sorts of jobs and not had any issues so far. I rarely clamp anything down.
@@PaulLockwood cheers. Appreciate the help
Had the drill a week now. Been drilling 40mm forstner bits into hardwood with no problem. Really pleased with the kit
Hi Paul, I got one of these but the chuck had a wobble and I could not get ride of it. I know there cheap, but the wobble made it unusable. :-(
Go back to Screwfix. Any machine can have a defect even the most expensive.
Get rid of the nuts on the depth stop & use a small pair of vice grips instead, much more convenient
I rarely use the depth stop. Yes it's a bit of a pain when it has been used but certainly a useful option if needed. I tend to just use the measure guide more than anything.
Does anyone know if you can swop out the screwfix energer 13mm chuck for a 16mm chuck. Many thanks
Hi Peter. I would suggest you give Screwfix a call. The chuck is held in on a morse taper so I'm guessing there should be no reason why not other than weight etc.
Hi Paul, I'm thinking of getting one later tomorrow. Any chance you might be able to tell me what is smallest diameter size bit it can take?
I'm hoping to get 1.5 his drill bit to fit it, do you think it will grab something so small in diameter?
Hi, I'm not sure without checking. If you called Screwfix I'm sure they should be able to tell you but does it not list it in the specs?
Hi Paul, my efforts of purchasing this drill press from Screwfix have failed. I can't purchase anything, seems to be a problem with their website. I've even tried calling them and had no luck getting through to anyone. So I've seen a Clarke drill press at Machine Mart, which I'm going to try and and purchase. It's a shame because it's twice the price and sounds like it does the same thing with similar specs.
Thanks for getting back to me anyway.
@@rajeevnath2868 May just be a blip with their website. Not sure how far you were getting but the Click and Collect or delivery buttons work to get into the basket for me.
Hi Paul, I tried many times now and I even through to the payment section, but it doesn't accept payments via paypal or any other means. The paypal payment works for all purchases I've made from other websites, but there was a srewfix alert saying they know about the problem and are trying to fix it. They leave a tel no which takes you nowhere.
Like I said it's a shame. I found the same drill press model on amazon but it's out of stock.
Really appreciate your though :-)
I purchased this pillar drill from Screwfix on 16/8/22 for £79:99, so it's doubled in price since 2019! When assembling it, I noticed that the screw that holds the top cover was screwed in at the wrong angle, and when I tried to unscrew it, I could not remove it, or tighten it back up. I am returning it to Screwfix today and getting a replacement. I have read many reports that other's are having problems with this screw. Should I have the same problem with the replacement, then I shall demand a full refund. Hopefully, it will be okay.
Mine has never been great but only needs something to keep the cover held down. I think the trouble is that it’s two very thin sheets of metal and a large self tapping screw, so it cannot go in straight.
I have an older version of this drill. No safety cut out switch in the lid or guard around the chuck. Also the base and table are heavier. Otherwise identical. The original design of this drill must be from the 1920's.
Ideal cheap drill where precision isn’t required and space is an issue
Would I be okay drilling a 4" deep and 3/4" diameter hole with this (into wood) ?
The plunge depth is only about 50mm. It is possible but you would have to stop it part way, raise the table and start the drill again with the drill bit already in the wood. It can be done but you must be careful. I have drilled holes about 100mm deep and 15mm wide.
@@PaulLockwood thanks for the speedy reply. Much appreciated! Just for some context, I'm build a wooden power/squat rack and the holes will be racking the weight bar. I'm drilling about 56 of these holes and the need to be dead straight. Thanks
@@naazimahmed9781 It may cope with the job but no guarantees. At the end of the day you get what you pay for and this is a very cheap drill. For more precision and the depth you need to be spending several more times than this which would give that.
Would you need a 4 inch pillar drill vice to fit this one?
Sorry I have no idea on that, I just use it as is with a cheap clamp from time to time to hold the work.
The first thing in the manual for assembly is to fix the base to your workbench......if you do that it doesn't tip.
The trouble is that it’s not very portable then which is needed on a small workshop. The only you found this an issue is when you turn it on. The rest of the time it’s very stable.
@@PaulLockwood fair comment.
Hi Paul can you recommend a vice for this machine
Sorry David, I just bought a cheap one from eBay.
£45!!! Screwfix just charged me £80 for this one!
I think everything is going up especially at the moment. This was the price about 4 years ago.
@@PaulLockwood I appreciate the review. I'm glad the only flaws are ones I knew about when I chose it. Makes a nice change from most of the budget range tools I end up buying.
does anyone know what the collar size is.
Sorry have no idea on that. Your best option is to contact Screfix and they will find that for you.
Can it be mounted to a table ?
Yes I believe it is recommended to bolt down but I prefer it to be portable to make the most of my space. There are bolt holes in the base.