Gh 45 mill drill

[OLCDOG]

Hi Guys,

Newbie to the forum seeking feedback from anyone who owns or has used one of these mills.
I had a look at H & F's HM 46 as it seemed to meet my needs, but when I saw it in the flesh and had a bit of a play I was not particularly impressed.
After further research I had a look at what ETS at Loganholme list as their GH 45 Mill Drill.
The one they had on display was badged GLOBAL WMD 45 and when I mentioned this I was told that they had changed the model designation and that they had a couple in stock in crates. Not sure whether the ones in stock are as per the display model. Incidentally the WMD 45 displayed did not look exactly the same as the photo of the GH 45 on their website but it was a dead ringer for the photo on the Weiss website.
Basically all the other smaller mill/drills that they had on display were badged Weiss Machine & Tools and when I did a Google search for 'GLOBAL WMD 45 MILL DRILL' it came up with the Weiss web site. Sure looks like the same machine and the spec's match.
Also appears to be almost identical to the Metex DM 45 that Redfox sell with identical specs.
Anyway, the ETS offering looked fairly reasonable to me but I would appreciate hearing others views on this machine and also on ETS as I have only ever bought small tooling items from them previously.

[simonl]

Hi OLCDOG,

One of the first 45 size mills I looked at was the Redfox DM45. It was when I was at the "tyre kicking" stage of looking/buying mills. My impressions were and still are that this mill probably the best Chinese 45 size mills. The finish and feel was quite nice and noticeably above and beyond anything offered by H&F or any of the other crowds.

Should I have bought it? Not sure. At the time they were $2700 for a basic geared head 6 speed mill with an on/off switch. No bells or whistles. After I bought the mill I have now, they came down to $2400 which kind of annoyed me as it made me think that the Red Fox guy was trying to get rich quick! At $2400 the decision would have been easier!

Cheers,

Simon

[OLCDOG]

Hi simonl,

Thanks for the reply.
I had a talk to Ian at Redfox re pricing but they have no stock of the DM 45 and are not expecting any for 3 to 6 months so no go there and I expect with the falling dollar that the new stock will be dearer.
Provided that the GH 45 is an equivalent machine then it makes the ETS offering look pretty good value as it comes with the same basic equipment as the DM 45 but with a stand included.

[simonl]

Hi simonl,

Thanks for the reply.
I had a talk to Ian at Redfox re pricing but they have no stock of the DM 45 and are not expecting any for 3 to 6 months so no go there and I expect with the falling dollar that the new stock will be dearer.
Provided that the GH 45 is an equivalent machine then it makes the ETS offering look pretty good value as it comes with the same basic equipment as the DM 45 but with a stand included.

Go for it!

I just remembered another reason why I didn't buy the DM45, he was out of stock and told me that a new container would arrive in 3 months. 6 months later and he was still waiting......

Simon

[Jarh73]

Hi OLCDOG,

One of the first 45 size mills I looked at was the Redfox DM45. It was when I was at the "tyre kicking" stage of looking/buying mills. My impressions were and still are that this mill probably the best Chinese 45 size mills. The finish and feel was quite nice and noticeably above and beyond anything offered by H&F or any of the other crowds.

Should I have bought it? Not sure. At the time they were $2700 for a basic geared head 6 speed mill with an on/off switch. No bells or whistles. After I bought the mill I have now, they came down to $2400 which kind of annoyed me as it made me think that the Red Fox guy was trying to get rich quick! At $2400 the decision would have been easier!

Cheers,

Simon



I'm with Simon 100%! The redfox machine had far far superior fit and finish and I should have bought one. I have had significant issues with my H&F mill that H&F refuse to recognise. Installing a DRO has it least made up for some of the issues.

Its just so hit and miss with H&F gear and you pay a premium for it unless its on one of their big annual sales.

Cheers

Justin

[OLCDOG]

Thanks for your comments simonl and Jarh73.
I'll go back and have another look and play with the WMD 45 as I have thought of a few extra things to check on.
Provided I am then completely happy I will go ahead and haggle for the best deal I can get.

Cheers,
Alan