Jet drill press, floor, or bench style?

A key thing that no one has really mentioned is speed...make sure it will drill slow enough for metal..
 
Another thing I am thinking of is should I just skip the drill press altogether for now to get a mini mill perhaps? The floor press I am looking at is around $700.00, and I see mini mills are close to the same price.
 
i have two smaller bench top presses. ( ryobi) the older one has a 3 inch stroke, the newer one 2 1/2', not optimum for drilling hidden tangs. i can see the tables flex slightly downward sometimes when putting pressure with the drill bit. i am one of those guys who has bought things several times upgrading each time, and wasting money. i would vote for a nice one, then later on a cheap one. i remember watching the loveless video and being stunned at how many drill presses he had, and how much time he would save just going from one machine to another, because each one was already set up for its job.
 
The G7689 is the "same" as the HF. As you go up in price and weight you typically get a better mill. There are plenty of mill threads to research but the HF with the belt drive upgrade is still less $ than the Grizzly. If I had a little more cash I would get the Little Machine Shop version and a little more cash after that then the Precision Matthews. Then again, if you have the space, a whole other world opens up when you look at used knee mills.
 
^^ Thanks for this. There is such a vast amount of info in the forums to read It's easy for me to get side tracked. Thanks for everyone's time, and patience!
 
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