Drill press - carbatec, h&f, or tti?

[RHiSC]

im looking at the large drill presses, 1.5hp - 2hp, mainly because they are the only ones that have the large table, 120mm travel, and seem very heavy duty. im using it mainly for metal.

now these 3 brands all have very similar models, all priced around $900, although the carbatec seems to be 2hp and the others are 1.5hp.... the rest is the same.

does anybody have any first hand experience with these machines, or can make a recommendation?

ps- tti = total tools

[BobL]

What size (depth and length) holes in metal are you planning to drill? I have a 1HP DP and it drills 2" wide holes in 1" thick mild steel like there is no tomorrow. The trick with this sort of thing is not just power but lube, bit sharpness and drill speed, even drilling a chain saw bar is a good test to see if your setup is right.

One of the most useful things available on big drills as far as metal is concerned is the lowest slow speed and ability to take MT4 shanked bits, but boy, are they expensive!

[munruben]

I was in Carba tec today and the ones they had looked good.