Powermatic 2820 EVS drill press

[Jordan Lane]

Mark Levin did you purchase this drill press yet? if so what are your impressions??

[Mark Levin]

I’ve had the Powermatic 2820EVS for a couple of months. It replaced my old Powermatic 1200 drill press which was a 600-pound beauty. One can’t even compare any of the current drill presses to it, be it any of the Taiwanese-tin manufacturers, Nova, Jet, Powermatic, Grizzly, etc. to the Powermatic 1200. It was made in the day when they were in doubt they just added more cast iron and Baldor motors were de rigueur.


I purchased the 2820EVS because I needed the 20” capacity. I do large work where it is common to bore large 3” to 4” diameter holes using Forstner bits. That was my first and most critical test for the machine and it passed with flying colors. There is no comparison between the 2800 model when it first came out that had belt slippage, a keyless chuck, and digital speed adjustment that had a mind of its own. They did address all the issues with the model 2800B.

The design of the 2820 EVS table is nice in that the middle section comes out and you can put in one of their accessories or make your own top, which I did because I needed a much larger table.

It has both a low gear (150-870 RPM) and a high gear (600-3600 RPM). To change from the low to high and vice a versa, you simply turn the lever on the left side of the head. I read a review where one person returned the machine because he found it difficult to switch gears. Powermatic did leave out a very important bit of information in the manual about switching gears. As you are switching the gear lever, simply turn the spindle slowly about a quarter of a turn at the same time and it easily engages the gearing and then dial the speed in that you want. I think they did this so there is no chance of slippage.

The lasers are very easy to adjust and there is a laser adjustment on each side of the spindle head. The reason for this is that you can put the spindle handles on either the left or right side and you use the laser adjustment on the side without the handles. It’s a nice touch by Powermatic.

The work light is very bright, and I don’t need any additional lightning like the iGaging Zoom LED light.

The most impressive feature for me is their ingenious depth-stop adjustment. It’s elegant and very simple to dial in your boring depth. There’s two ways to do this, but I wouldn’t get into it here for it is well covered in the manual.

They did an amazing job of designing the packaging for the machine. It deserves an Industrial Design award. You do need at least two people the head on the column. We have a mobile gantry so it wasn’t an issue.to put

JPW, the parent company of Powermatic, Jet, Wilton, Baileigh Industrial and others does listen to their customers. I also purchased the Powermatic Powermatic OES9138 230V Edge sander at the same time. The old reviews on Amazon were frightening. I called the JPW rep and discussed all the issues and he reminded me that I can return if it doesn’t meet my expectations and that they addressed every one of the negative points. They did and I’m happy I bought the machine.

The Nova was never in the running. It’s physically such a diminutive machine, it’s hard to take it seriously.

FWIW

Mark Levin

[Larry Frank]

I am glad that you like the PM drill press and it is a good machine. However, I do not understand calling the Nova Voyage a diminutive machine. The PM does have a slightly larger table and a 2" larger swing. However, it is also under powered compared to the Nova Voyager and lacks many of the electronic controls. The overall size and weight of the machines are similar.

Please see the thread that I posted which gives a comparison table of the two machines.

[Mark Levin]

When you get down to it, either drill press will do the job for 90% of users. As persuasive as your table is, it does not address the complete ownership picture.

First, my background, I’ve had a shop for over 40 years interspersed as a woodworking machine technician at Baer Supply Company and then promoted to the Department Head of the Woodworking Machinery Division. I was also a Product Manager at Woodworker Supply as well as the Store Manager.
Over the years, I've bought and sold numerous machines and rebuilt many from the ground up for my various shops. I’ve owned 8 band saws, 6 jointers, 5 planers, 7 table saws and various other machines plus installing more Byrd Shelix heads that I can remember. Though I plan to retire in 6 years, I continue to sell machines and upgrade. Because of this background there are other factors that come I to play when purchasing.

SUPPORT. Powermatic has a much deeper reach than Technatool-Nova. Powermatic/Jet have more territorial reps in the field that have helped me as an owner of their products and helping customers as a store manager. When I needed support for a customer problem, Technatool-Nova was less fluid in resolving the situation. There was no local rep to help and the part wasn’t in stock. Out of fairness to Technatool-Nova, this was 2019, they may have addressed these issues since then.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS and RESELL VALUE: I put together one of the Nova Drill Presses for the showroom floor. This was 2019 and I believe the column wall is thinner than the Powermatic, though as you stated, the Nova column has a larger diameter.

The Nova was next to other Powermatic and Jet drill presses in the store. The initial impression of the Nova by customers was negative. We sold 4 Jet/Powermatic drill presses to every one Nova. The negative first reaction was because of the size of the head. You could explain the electronic motor mechanism, horsepower, pull out the marketing materials with diagrams and they wouldn’t budge. Perception is everything.

If Nova is smart, they would design a much larger shroud, even if it would contain nothing but air or better yet storage above and behind the motor the assembly and design a depth stop that seems not to be an afterthought. The depth adjustment is something I use all the time and I mentioned in another post, the Powermatic solution, which is patent pending, is ingenious and moves the machine to the top of the list compared to Nova, Grizzly or any other drill press in that approximate price range.

At Bear Supply we sold Ramco Wide Belt Sanders and our competition sold Timesavers. They outsold us 3 to 1. I made a table like yours and showed customers how much better, point by point, the Ramco was. Didn’t matter, Timesavers had the name. Again, perception is everything.

I guarantee you, becuase of the above, the resell value of the Nova will be less than the Powermatic. One of the better ways to determine the value of a new machine is to look at the value of the machine on the used market.

PRICE: IMO, the worst thing you can do is make a purchasing decision based on price, especially a few hundred dollars.

And in the end, it doesn’t really matter. As stated in the beginning, either one will work for most users.

Good woodworking to all,
Mark Levin

[Mark Levin]

Larry Frank,

I didn't mention the power because there was no loss of power. In one of my first posts on the subject I mentioned I used a 3" and 4" Forstner bit as my first test of the machine and it never stalled or hesitated in the least. The difference in speed ranges is irrelevant to me-I don't need high speeds. I also worked with both Techntool and JPW while at Woodworker's Supply. Please see my previous post for further explanation.

As important as machines are, and they are, it’s more important what you are making with it. I’ve seen woodworkers with the most expensive equipment turn out A-1 crap and those with DIY machines turn out heirloom quality work.

As a side note, one of the first things Tage Frid would do in his woodworking beginning class is pull out an old bow saw and cut out perfect dovetails without even laying them out to make the same point. It ain’t the tool, it’s the person using the tool or in this case, the machine. It’s not worth losing sleep over. ( I did not study under Tage Frid, a friend of mine did and told me the story).


Mark Levin

[Alex Zeller]

As someone who is looking to replace my current DP with a new one in the next 12 months I've looked at both (but not in person since nobody around me has them on a showroom floor). Before the PM came out it wasn't much of a decision. The Nova was it. But now it's a toss up. It'll most likely come down to me putting my hands on both of them and deciding which one I think I like better. So far the honest reviews on some of the features of the Nova look like things I wouldn't use. For example the "auto stop" feature that shuts off the motor once it reaches a set depth. Since there's no instant brake it doesn't sound that precise.

First, the speed, even the Nova doesn't expect anyone to use more than 3000 rpm since to do it you have to go into the setting and change it. So that leaves the low end. Each one achieves it in a different way even though both use a VFD. With the Powermatic's 2 speed gear box it doesn't need as large of a motor. I thought 250 rpm seemed a little fast for the lower speed but after looking at my current DP it only goes down to 330 rpm so if it's never been an issue yet I doubt it ever will be. The only time I could see a problem would be with a very large hole saw. I'm not a fan of (or against) either brand so I'll wait to reserve my final judgement. I think this is the future of drill presses as dealing with belts is no longer needed for all but the least expensive units. I would guess that other brands will start to offer models too.

[Doug Dawson]

Mark Levin,

Your comment about the PM EVS presses substantially outselling the Novas would explain why we’ve seen so many horrid reviews of the previous such PM, and none for the Nova. Based on them, I might try the newer PM if you _gave_ me one... :^)

The thing I think you’ve missed here is that the PM EVS presses are a tiny bit of JPW’s business, so they can take them or leave them. OTOH, the Nova is one of the main things that Teknatool does, so they have a much stronger incentive to support it.

If somebody thinks the PM is better because it has a larger head, maybe they should go out and buy a Buick or something. :^)

[Mark Levin]

Alex,

In one of my previous posts I addressed drilling large holes with the PM2820EVS. I cut a lot of 3" and 4" diamtere holes using Forstner bits. It's the first thing I did as soon as I had the drill press together. The Powermatic 2820EVS cut through the ash without smothly and without hesitation. FWIW

[Mark Levin]

You need to define which PM drill press you are comparing the Nova to, the 2800 which had a lot of initial problems or the 2800B that addressed and resolved the problems. Secondly, the Nova drill press is not Technatools main product, their lathes and accessories are their biggest and best sellers. I know this from the time I was Product Mangager and saw all the PO's we sent to Technatool and my conversations with Technatool. The JPW data I had available to me while a Product Manager clearly showed that drill presses were their third best selling segment. They also spent a great deal of time and money totaly revamping all the Jet drill presses and the whole Jet line in general. IMO, the Jet drill presses are some of the nicest looking ones on the market, but too light duty for my needs. JPW spendd a fortune on constantly updating and improving their machines. FWIW, Mark Levin

[Alex Zeller]

The 2800 is belt driven variable speed (reeves drive I assumed). I assumed that this was mainly talking about VFD speed controlled drill presses.

[Larry Frank]

The old PM drill press was a belt reeves drive and there were problems with it that resulted in significant complaints. PM did a good job and designed a new one with a DC motor and gear box. I think it will be an improvement and time will tell. The are not many reviews so difficult to tell much yet.

Teknatool was well known over quite a few years for their variable speed lathe using the Striatech digital variable reluctance motors. They adapted this to the drill press and it has no belts or gears. It gives a wide range of speed control. In comparing the two drill presses, the Nova Voyager is 1.75 hp versus 1 hp on the PM. Will this make a difference? In most cases, probably not, but I would opt for more power. There are quite a few reviews and one complaint is about doing the software update. I had some difficulty but Teknatool took care of my issues.

This thread has caused a bit of controversy. There are some who are opposed to electronics in machinery and that is fine. If you are considering either the PM or Nova drill press, please take a look at the comparison table that I put in another thread.

[Charles Coolidge]

The design of the 2820 EVS table is nice in that the middle section comes out and you can put in one of their accessories or make your own top, which I did because I needed a much larger table.

Mark is the table middle section cast iron or aluminum? Appreciate your input on this drill press, I'm really leaning towards the 2820 EVS vs the Nova now.

[Mark Levin]

Charles, It's cast iron.

[Charles Coolidge]

Excellent that's the answer I was looking for. I had purchased a Delta "woodworking" drill press some years ago, total junk. The table was so weak and flexible I deemed it useless and sold it. I'm hoping the table on this one is much stiffer and doesn't flex.

[Andy D Jones]

A couple of clarifications about the Nova Voyager:

Nova DVR lathes and drill presses use Digital Variable Reluctance (DVR) motors. The variable speed drive electronic unit is NOT a VFD. A VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) creates 3 phase AC voltage at variable frequency and voltage, to drive a 3 phase induction motor at variable speed. Most use a Volt/Hertz algorithm, but other algorithms are also available, with higher performance and more computational and sensing requirements. DVRs provide more available torque at low speed than do VFDs & 3 phase induction motors, and are same or better at higher speeds.

However, VFDs and 3 phase AC motors are cheaper to produce than DVR drives and motors. However, to provide DVR-equivalent torque over a wide speed range, a VFD/3-phase motored machine needs an additional multi/variable speed mechanical transmission, at additional cost, weight, size and mechanical complexity.

It should also be noted that Nova DVR drill presses and lathes run on either 120VAC or 240VAC, by simply changing the plug on the end of the power cord. No internal jumpers or re-wiring is necessary. Furthermore, when powered with 240VAC, they are capable of producing more power (2 HP vs 1.75 HP).

I can't help if some consumers are unable to accept that a smaller motor/housing can be more powerful than a larger one. Nor would I want a larger, hollow machine (much less with additional weight just to make consumers think they're getting a better machine.) That would be the epitome of marketing idiocy over sound product development.

Disclosure: I am the very satisfied owner and user of a Nova Galaxi lathe and a Voyager drill press.

-- Andy - Arlington TX