Everything You Need To Know About Ryobi's Drill Press Before You Buy

If you want to get serious about your DIY projects, it might be time to equip your garage with Ryobi's 10-inch Drill Press. Alternatively, if you're a professional looking to replace or upgrade your drill press, Ryobi's option is worth considering. Drill presses are invaluable for attaining precise and consistent cuts or holes into various materials, such as metal, glass, or stone. They can quickly and smoothly create holes for furniture, cabinetry, dowels, joinery, or decorative pieces. Of course, they're also useful for drilling into wood, which is why this product is one of several great Ryobi power tools for woodworking.

The tool is also useful for other jobs, such as reaming, countersinking, or tapping into material. The applications for a drill press are seemingly never-ending: it can also be used for drilling circuit boards and housing units, making jewelry, working with bolts and rivets, constructing railings and custom fixtures, building custom modifications to automotive components, and many more.

While you might be tempted to use a hand drill, as they are more affordable and easier to store — such as the Ryobi Right Angle Drill (which, admittedly, is very useful when drilling in a tight spot) — a drill press is ideal when precision and power are needed for a job. Not every tool is right for every craftsman, though. To ensure this product would be a good fit for your tool collection, here is everything you need to know about the Ryobi Drill Press.

The Ryobi 10-inch Drill Press's slim design means it can pack a lot of power while still not taking up too much space on your workbench. The tool is 10.8 inches tall, 16.7 inches wide, and has a depth of 22.2 inches while weighing a little over 62 pounds. Its included cord is 6 feet long, which gives you some placement options depending on where the outlets in your garage are (if you don't want to use an extension cord).

That cord is connected to an induction motor that is the heart of Ryobi's Drill Press. Able to produce one-quarter horsepower, the 120V motor can generate a maximum speed of up to 3,050 rpm. However, you don't need to use that much force if you don't want to — the press has five different speeds you can select from, with a minimum speed of 570 rpm. A locking depth stop makes using the press for consistent, repeated actions easy. Plus, you can use mortising attachments with it, and you can adjust the height depending on the needs of your project. The tool can tilt up to 45 degrees, and its 7-⅝ x 6-1/2 inch table is able to swivel in a full 360-degree arc, giving it plenty of versatility.

The drill press also comes with a hex wrench and chuck key, as well as a storage compartment that keeps chuck keys conveniently nearby while you work. One of its most notable — and useful — features is its Exactline laser alignment system, which enhances the precision of your work by allowing you to see exactly where you're drilling or cutting with visible red light guidelines.

Of course, Ryobi isn't the only major tool brand that manufactures its own drill press. Milwaukee, however, offers more than one option, which gives its customers more choice depending on the needs of the type of work they need it for. The Milwaukee Adjustable Position Electromagnetic Drill Press has only two-speed options compared to Ryobi's five and has a lower maximum torque of just 500 rpm. 

Despite this, it's a much more powerful tool meant for heavier-duty applications — and it has a much steeper price tag to reflect this. Milwaukee's 9-inch Fixed Position Electromagnetic Drill Press is more comparable to Ryobi's 10-inch model in size, though it also provides lower torque that maxes out at 350 no-load rpm. Milwaukee also offers a compact model that is half the weight of Ryobi's, which even has an integrated handle for easy portability from site to site. Despite being smaller, it's still more powerful than Ryobi's drill press — its 9 amp motor can generate over four times as much horsepower, enabling it to provide 2,300 pounds of dead-lift force on 1-inch thick steel.

Craftsman makes a 10-inch drill press that is much more similar to Ryobi's than Milwaukee's options. Its 4.1 amp motor also offers five different speeds, with its maximum slightly stronger than Ryobi's at 3,070 rpm. However, its minimum speed isn't as low as Ryobi's (610 rpm), making it a less enticing choice if you want to use it for more low-key work. It's not a huge difference, and Craftsman's model is similar to Ryobi's in other ways, such as offering a 45-degree tilt and adjustable depth stop.

Interestingly, there aren't many professional reviews of Ryobi's 10-inch Drill Press. While Pro Tool Reviews and Shop Tool Reviews often test and evaluate products from the brand, with the latter even performing an extensive breakdown on Ryobi's drill press-like Rotary Tool Press Station, neither publication has (as of yet) vetted the tool. Tools in Action has, however, written about its hands-on time with the product and gave it a 4.6 out of five score. Tools in Action says the tool "operates smoothly and efficiently," though it takes some time to get used to its speed-changing mechanism. 

The biggest takeaway from its review is how much value Ryobi's tool offers. Even if it isn't the most powerful drill press on the market, you're still getting a lot for your money. Tool Review Zone also called the tool's performance in its video review "smooth," praising its durability and how quietly it runs. However, the review found Ryobi's Exactline laser alignment system to be an unnecessary feature.

When there are not many professional reviews, the next best thing is to see what the people who have bought and used a tool feel about it. On Ryobi's website, over 300 customers have given the 10-inch Drill Press an overall user score of 4.6 out of five — the same score given by Tools in Action. It has a slightly lower score on Home Depot's website, though. Based on over 1,060 reviews, the drill press has a 4.2 out of five user rating, with 82% of Home Depot customers recommending the product.

Ryobi allows you to purchase its products straight from the source, so if you want to, you can order its 10-inch Drill Press on the company's website — where it's available for $199. The tool is also available from Home Depot, where it has the same $199 list price. The big box retailer is much more reliable for purchasing Ryobi products than Amazon, which doesn't always have tools made by the brand in stock. 

Even when it does, you need to make sure it's coming from Amazon and not from third-party sellers, especially if you're wary of buying from any of the latter. Currently, Amazon has some of the Ryobi 10-inch Drill Press in stock, but it's available for over $20 less than what you'd find at Home Depot or directly from Ryobi. You can purchase it for $178.99.

Another retailer that may have Ryobi's drill press — depending on when you look — is Walmart. However, as of the time of this writing, it's currently out of stock on Walmart's online store, as well as priced much higher than its MSRP at $252.09. One place you definitely won't find Ryobi's drill press is at Lowe's Home Improvement because you can't buy Ryobi tools at Lowe's.