Product Review: Nova Voyager and Viking DVR Drill Press
Introducing the latest release from Nova’s innovative DVR line-up, the Nova Viking! This new heavy duty benchtop model brings DVR technology in a drill press to any workshop, with a lower price point than ever before.
This is one of the most sophisticated drill presses on the market, but if all you want to do is turn on your drill press and drill some simple accurate holes - well, that's easy. This unit functions just like your old drill press! You'll appreciate the power and smooth operation without needing to know all the fancy back end detail. For those interested in the fancy back end detail, read on...
The engineers at Nova have designed this model from the ground up around a newly developed 1HP DVR Direct Drive Motor. The direct drive DVR technology means there are no belts or pulleys to change on the Viking, which reduces vibration in operation along with the loss in transfer of power usually found on belt driven systems. The combination of the Hi-Torque DVR motor and Nova's Smart Electronic control system auto adjusts torque and speed in use, to ensure a consistent drilling operation as set - irrespective of loading!
Variable speed is available electronically at the turn of a dial, from 100 to 3000rpm as factory set. However this top speed can be increased to 6000 following a procedure in the manual. Super fast, these upper speeds are perfectly suited to precision drilling into cast iron, steel, aluminium, copper or even glass & tiles - making this unit a true cross over drill press. The speed dial is exponentially graduated to vary in steps depending on the speed range you are in, while a simple push and twist of the two-step dial provides a smaller step graduation should you really want to hone in on your preferred speed.
A large easy-to-read backlit screen provides simple push button control over a number of unique Nova Smart features. Digital depth setting allows you to set a desired drilling depth where the unit will automatically stop and reverse when it reaches the setting. Along with this, the unit provides a visual cue to nearing your desired depth and an audible one! Altogether, these cues help you avoid overshooting your mark, while the auto-reversing chuck clears the hole of waste efficiently as you back out. If you want a hard stop limit, Nova have included this too in a traditional style but easy to use depth stop on the hand feed.
Already familiar with the bigger Nova Voyager? Then you'll know about the digital depth setting above, along with the unique self-start ability which is also featured on the Viking. Switch this on and you need not hit the start and stop button every time you drill a hole - particularly useful for repeat drilling jobs. The drill will automatically start when you rotate the handle down to a depth of about 6mm (safe clearance height above your workpiece), as well as stop when you release it back to zero.