Bridgeport Boring Head

[Kroll]

I am in the market for a boring head for the BP.I was looking for a 2" but a member suggested that I go with a 3" head which will cover most boring and alittle use as a fly cutter.
I was looking at the used market for a boring head and found several that were made in every part of the world,so ask myself how can I tell which one is any better than the other.So if price is a reference for quality then its a roll of the dice,then there is new which is also made in all parts of the world.Well we all heard of Bridgeport boring heads so I found some that is at a fair price for american made but is very close in price to the new ones such as Shars,etc.
My question:Is there any advantage one over the other BP vs New(Foreign made)

 

[chips&more]

I would focus on quality, inch or metric feed and the resolution on the feed dial. And I’m not trying to list in any order of importance. Bridgeport made two sizes that I know of, Criterion is another good one and I’m sure many other US made can be had. Also, many heads have just screw on shanks. This can be a problem if you intend to do boring in both directions. Then a solid one piece head with shank might be a better choice you…Good Luck.

 

[Stanshire]

Bought a used Criterion DBL-202 on eBay a few years ago. R-8 shank. A thing of beauty. Put some good, indexable boring bars (Borite, etc) in it and you'll be a happy guy.