Ever since 1951 the WEN company has been creating sturdy power tools that have received stellar support and praise by the product users. Out of these many great power tools, we’ve found their drill press machines are top of the line across the industry and today we will be presenting two of those drill presses and providing you with a comparison of their power and features.
A drill press is a unique type of drill needed for any woodcrafter and metal crafter’s workshop. While a hand-held cordless drill is one of the most used and required drills for any homeowner or DIY craftsman, having a drill press is often the best way to go to improve your accuracy and efficiency with drilling into wood and other soft metals.
A drill press is an upright drill that is bolted into the worktable and has a platform with holes for you to place the material on. These materials can be positioned and clamped down to ensure you get a perfect hole exactly where you need it to be. Whereas with a hand-held drill the hole may move slightly, with a drill press you’ll have accurate drill points every time.
It also helps to alleviate any stress on your body as the drill press does all the work for you due to its unique design.
A drill press is especially great for those who have large construction projects and for furniture makers as precision is key. You’ll also find the speed and efficiency of a drill press makes it highly desirable for those who need fast output.
Below we will review the WEN 4210 drill press against the WEN 4212 drill press to determine their strengths, limitations, and at the end, we will give you our impression on the best one.
Comparison of product features
Below you’ll see an overview of each drill presses features and how they compare to each other.
Drill Press Feature Breakdown
Below we will review each of the best features of each drill press and the differences between them.
WEN 4210 Review
Features
- Motor Power: The 4210 has a 3.2 AMP motor which is powerful enough to handle most jobs you throw its way. With the 3.2 AMP motor, you can expect any wood project you encounter the drill will fly through it without any issue. You can also expect to tackle most metal projects up to 2-3inches thick easily unless you’re dealing with thick steel sheets. You’ll still be able to punch a hole into thin steel sheets, but expect the drill to struggle on thick steel drill projects.
- Speed Settings: You can fluctuate between 5 different speed settings starting at 600 RPMs on the lowest end and up to 3,100 RPMs at the highest end. Typically utilizing the lower speeds on thick/tough materials like metals and the higher speed settings for simple wood projects to increase your efficiency.
- Size/Workbench: The 4210 is a bit bigger than most drill presses which allows it to handle larger materials as well. It also gives you a longer tablespace which lets you drill deeper holes up to 2 ½ inches deep. The workbench also tilts up to a 45-degree angle both left and right allowing you to drill angular holes making it perfect for most jobs needed to be accomplished. The bench also has a depth adjustment gauge that locks into place which isn’t found on your normal drill presses.
- Additional Features: You’ll love that this drill press has a built-in LED light to illuminate the bench. As well there’s laser-guided system in place to show exactly where your drill point will be which increases the precision and accuracy of your drill points.
WEN 4212 Review
Features
- Extra Power: The 4212 drill-press has a 4.5 AMP motor making it an extremely powerful drill press capable of handling any job tossed its way. For both soft and hardwood substances, this drill will fly through it without blinking. For metals, it will also perform at an optimum level but you need to ensure to utilize the proper drill bits when drilling into steel and other dense metals to ensure it doesn’t break or get damaged.
- Speed Settings: This drill press has a wide range starting at 530 RPMs up to 3,100 RPMs giving you incredible control over how fast or slow you need the drill to run. There are infinite variable speed controls ranging from the low speed of 530 RPMs which is ideal when drilling into dense materials like heavy steel and hardwoods to the 3,100’s used for quick woodworking projects.
- Workbench: The workbench of the 4212 is big enough to handle large materials with the 14x14inch workstation. You’ll be able to accommodate materials up to 5inches thick as well with this workbench’s generous swing which is more than enough for even professional projects. You’ll also get up to a 45-degree angle to the workbench both to the left and right giving you the versatility when angular holes are needed.
- Additional Features: The 4212 has a built-in laser light for efficient drilling when you need accurate/repeatable holes done. The worktable of this drill press is made from cast-iron which ensures its durability and long-term life so you can rest assured you’ll have this drill working for years to come.
Product shortcomings
Each of these devices has great functionalities, but each come up short in different aspects. I’ll tell you the ones which I felt were most noticeable and important to know before making a decision.
WEN 4210 Dislikes
- Manual Belt Change: While this isn’t a deal-breaker, to change the speed settings of the 4210 you will need to open the drill press to adjust the belt tension level to increase or decrease the speed. This only takes a few seconds to do once you get the hang of it, but we do feel it’s a bit inconvenient.
- Steel Struggles: Overall the 4210 can drill through most materials except for thick metals including steel. A 3.2 AMP motor is strong but not strong enough for this and will get severely bogged down so we suggest the lowest speed and to take care of any steel related projects.
WEN 4212 Dislikes
- Rack Adjustment: While there really aren’t any downfalls of this drill press, it can often be a struggle to get the table shaft lowered and raised, however, this is primarily due to the weight and durable build of the table. A bit of muscle is needed to get it adjusted but it isn’t a downfall.
Which Is Best?
Above you’ll find both of the WEN products are high-powered drill presses that will get just about any job done. While the WEN 4210 is extremely powerful on its own and can handle most projects, the 4212 is definitely the stronger choice when you need heavy duty projects completed.
Another really great aspect that makes the 4212 a better choice is the infinite speed control ability which allows you to adjust the speed of the drill press instead of relying on pre-set drill speeds that most drill presses come with.
No matter which one of these drills presses you to go with you’ll be thoroughly satisfied, but for just a few extra bucks the WEN 4212 gives you a world of opportunity much stronger than the 4210 would. This extra bump using the 4212 will allow your workshop to handle complex heavy duty projects making you one step above your competitor.
Drilling 1 inch oak barrel staves cutting 1 inch to 3 1/8 inch holes with forestner bits is the 4210 going to cut without bogging down? Or do I need the 4212