I sure hope this post doesn't stir up controversy, but I'm curious about
Grizzly's tools. Over the years, it's been my observation that Grizzly
seems to sell equipment for considerably less than the competition. As one
example, they sell an oscillating spindle sander for about $570 while a
comparable Shop Fox sander is around $900 (I couldn't find many differences
in the specs).
As another example, Grizzly seems to sell some very inexpensive shaper
cutters (as compared to Freud, for one). Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems
Grizzly is consistently less in general.

I happen to own a lot of Delta tools, but that's mainly because I've stuck
with what I know. Because I'm considering buying some Grizzly equipment and
have absolutely no experience with them, I'd be curious to hear opinions
from those of you who have owned/used equipment from both Grizzly and other
manufacturers. If you could state of few pros and cons of Grizzly, I'd
really appreciate it. If Grizzly tools are not as high quality as the
competition, than I'd sooner spend the extra money on the better stuff. I'm
open-minded though.

TIA

-Mike

Google is your friend here, but to summarize my opinion: Grizzly tools
have good fundamentals (like cast iron) but skimp on the fit-n-finish.
If you don't mind tweaking the tools a little (good woodworkers should
do this regularly anyway, to keep things in tune) they're a great
bargain. I've replaced a few handles and did a little filing on some
tools, but the jointer was dead flat out of the box. Me, I have
mostly Grizzly tools (saw, lathe, jointer, DC) but a few key tools I
took no chances with (Dewalt scroll saw, Delta bandsaw) and a few were
gotten on sale (Delta planer).

I too have a few Grizzly tools. I have their 1023SL table saw and G0555
Bandsaw. Both have done an excellent job and needed no tweaking out of the
box (even though I went through the entire setup process checking). I
have found their customer service to be excellent and probably above par of
that by some of the other companies out there. In saying that, I found
their smaller tools (drills etc...) do not seem to have as good a quality.
I wouldn't consider buying bits, etc... from them though. I also own some
Jet stuff and to be honest, the Grizzly is every bit as good if not better
in most respects. I don't own a single Delta tool so cannot compare to
them. One area that Grizzly seems to get a bashing for on a regular basis
is their shipping. My bandsaw arrived just fine with no issues. The Table
Saw boxes had been beaten up pretty good with the forklifts but the saw
itself was unscathed. Other's have not been so lucky.
Cheers,
cc

I own a Grizzly 1022ZX TS (7 years old), 17"bandsaw, 2 HP dust
collector(2 years), Drill Press (5 years old), 1182 Jointer(3 years)
and I have never had a moment of trouble with any of them. Shipping on
every item was good, and though the instruction manuals on some were
hard to understand, all tools went together fairly easy. I personally
would recommend them and would buy them again.
Ronnie Aldrich
Birmingham, Alabama
Mike Pio wrote:
I sure hope this post doesn't stir up controversy, but I'm curious about
Grizzly's tools. Over the years, it's been my observation that Grizzly
seems to sell equipment for considerably less than the competition. As one
example, they sell an oscillating spindle sander for about $570 while a
comparable Shop Fox sander is around $900 (I couldn't find many differences
in the specs).
As another example, Grizzly seems to sell some very inexpensive shaper
cutters (as compared to Freud, for one). Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems
Grizzly is consistently less in general.

I happen to own a lot of Delta tools, but that's mainly because I've stuck
with what I know. Because I'm considering buying some Grizzly equipment and
have absolutely no experience with them, I'd be curious to hear opinions
from those of you who have owned/used equipment from both Grizzly and other
manufacturers. If you could state of few pros and cons of Grizzly, I'd
really appreciate it. If Grizzly tools are not as high quality as the
competition, than I'd sooner spend the extra money on the better stuff. I'm
open-minded though.

TIA

-Mike

I have owned a Grizzly 1023S for about four years and have had absolutely no
problems. When I started looking for my "retirement" cabinet saw five years
ago I was predispositioned to the Unisaw. I had used 20 to 30 year old
Unisaws and started looking for best price. On actually looking at a new
machine in the store I decided to broaden my scope. The new saws are not
what they were.

Final source came down to the Unisaw, the Jet cabinet saws and the 1023S.
We took a trip to the Grizzly, Springfield store and got a top-notch
demonstration -- on a two year old back-shop machine! Then the salesman
showed us the new equipment. Grizzly customer services provided the names
and phone numbers of two owners of similar equipment in my area. After
talking to customers, I bought one. No need for product support so far.

My son in law owns one of the G-0500 Jointers, one of the big radial drill
pressess and a big, floor-type surface planer. Other than sharpening, he
has very little upkeep on the equipment. They are fine looking machines.

The main reason Griz is cheap is they sell direct to the customer. In
effect, if you buy one of their products you are buying from the wholesaler
(well, kinda). If you hang around here long enough you will find a lot of
Grizzly users and a few detractors (True of any tool). Griz, like all also
have some dogs. If you cannot get to a showroom use their customer referral
service to get a good look at a tool.

RonB

RonB wrote:

....
The main reason Griz is cheap is they sell direct to the customer. In
effect, if you buy one of their products you are buying from the wholesaler
(well, kinda). ...

Well, they're really no different than Yorktown and others. The main
reason they're cheap compared w/ Jet and similar tools from Delta, say
is twofold--fit and finish and some "brand recognition". WRT to
Powermatic commercial equipment compare weight. Actually, comparing
weight is a good way to judge between most competing tools as a
screening point.

"Mike Pio" wrote in message
news:FqlOe.2065$sw6.1844@fed1read05...
I sure hope this post doesn't stir up controversy, but I'm curious about
Grizzly's tools. Over the years, it's been my observation that Grizzly
seems to sell equipment for considerably less than the competition. As one
example, they sell an oscillating spindle sander for about $570 while a
comparable Shop Fox sander is around $900 (I couldn't find many differences
in the specs).
As another example, Grizzly seems to sell some very inexpensive shaper
cutters (as compared to Freud, for one). Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems
Grizzly is consistently less in general.

I happen to own a lot of Delta tools, but that's mainly because I've stuck
with what I know. Because I'm considering buying some Grizzly equipment
and have absolutely no experience with them, I'd be curious to hear
opinions from those of you who have owned/used equipment from both Grizzly
and other manufacturers. If you could state of few pros and cons of
Grizzly, I'd really appreciate it. If Grizzly tools are not as high
quality as the competition, than I'd sooner spend the extra money on the
better stuff. I'm open-minded though.


A few Grizzly here as well. One thing worth mentioning again is their
customer service. Top notch and one of the best in the industry (I feel it
should be a model for others).

I had a friend that needed warranty work, no hassles, no grief, and they
sent him a $50 gift certificate for his trouble. After dealing with so many
sub-par customer service centers, he mentioned it was actually a pleasure to
deal with and looked forward to something else going wrong.

I did have one minor problem with a machine. Spoke to a tech who knew the
product like the back of his hand. Unlike other call-centers who read from
a flow-chart (or even worse the overseas customer centers). This guy
actually knew what he was talking about (and yes English was his first
language to boot), and most likely was a hobbyist himself. I am not sure if
it is training, or the guy actually was well versed on the machine. You
could definitely tell that he had spent some time with the machine. As far
as I could tell, he was not looking at a manual, but all from memory.
Top-notch as far as I am concerned. For what it was worth, I remembered his
name for reference, Gary, it was. Kudos to you Gary and this never ending
out-sourcing call center world. The machine in question was a knee mill.

I have also called Grizzly on two occasions with pre-sales technical
questions. Same experience as above. Try that with some of the other
importers (I am sure there are some that I have not run into yet). I always
think, if that are not willing / able to help ya before you buy, what will
it be like after.

Chris

Like those who have already responded to you query, I too have a shop full of
Grizzly power tools.

The time had come about three years ago to replace things that had gotten old,
very old. I started with the G1182HW jointer. The only problem that I
encountered was setting the motor. Once that was done, the machine had worked
very well. After that I got the G1023Z cabinet saw. As was mentioned, the
carton was in terrible shape when it arrive, but the saw was just fine and I
was able to set it up, including placing it on the mobile base by myself.

I also have their slow speed grinder, and G9976 Shop Fox mortiser that they
market.

The only problem that I have run into with the 12 1/2" planer is that it was
discontinued less than six months after I got it. I did luck out with their
clearance last summer and was able to pick up three spare sets of blades for it
at a very attractive price. I am still on my first set of knives, after many
board feet of cherry and oak. The next test will be about 500 bd. ft. of ash
that is just about ready to be run.

I have also purchase a number of mobile bases, again under the Shop Fox name
that I really like for the heaver tools. I also have several machine stands,
again, marketed under the Shop Fox name.

I guess I can safely say I like Grizzly.


On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 07:37:43 -0700, "Mike Pio" wrote:

I sure hope this post doesn't stir up controversy, but I'm curious about
Grizzly's tools. Over the years, it's been my observation that Grizzly
seems to sell equipment for considerably less than the competition. As one
example, they sell an oscillating spindle sander for about $570 while a
comparable Shop Fox sander is around $900 (I couldn't find many differences
in the specs).
As another example, Grizzly seems to sell some very inexpensive shaper
cutters (as compared to Freud, for one). Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems
Grizzly is consistently less in general.

I happen to own a lot of Delta tools, but that's mainly because I've stuck
with what I know. Because I'm considering buying some Grizzly equipment and
have absolutely no experience with them, I'd be curious to hear opinions
from those of you who have owned/used equipment from both Grizzly and other
manufacturers. If you could state of few pros and cons of Grizzly, I'd
really appreciate it. If Grizzly tools are not as high quality as the
competition, than I'd sooner spend the extra money on the better stuff. I'm
open-minded though.

TIA

-Mike


Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA

I agree that weight is a good data-point. When I was jointer shopping a
year ago I compared the long-table Powermatic 8" and the Grizzly G-0500.
They are somewhat similar looking machines and come in at about 10 pounds
from one-another. I actually ended up with the 6" Powermatic because it fit
my shop a little better (The PM was about 50 pounds heavier than the 6" Griz
but the PM table is 6" longer too).

Finish was one of the things that originally caused me to broaden my scope
from the Unisaw mindset. As I previously mentioned I had used older Unisaws
years ago. The table finish, side covers and hand cranks have suffered
during recent years. The Griz 1023 series reminded me more of the old
Unisaws than the new ones.

RonB

"Duane Bozarth" wrote in message
...
RonB wrote:

...
The main reason Griz is cheap is they sell direct to the customer. In
effect, if you buy one of their products you are buying from the
wholesaler
(well, kinda). ...

Well, they're really no different than Yorktown and others. The main
reason they're cheap compared w/ Jet and similar tools from Delta, say
is twofold--fit and finish and some "brand recognition". WRT to
Powermatic commercial equipment compare weight. Actually, comparing
weight is a good way to judge between most competing tools as a
screening point.

If it's something I really need I do my homework and get the best, but when
there is something I don't "really " need but it's nice to have or play
with. I already had a nailer but grizzly had one for 20 bucks, cheap but
most certainly very usable, I use it for crap jobs but it works and works
fine!


Actually I'm looking at the Grizzly slider Router tablem still doing my
homework!





"Mike Pio" wrote in message
news:FqlOe.2065$sw6.1844@fed1read05...
I sure hope this post doesn't stir up controversy, but I'm curious about
Grizzly's tools. Over the years, it's been my observation that Grizzly
seems to sell equipment for considerably less than the competition. As
one
example, they sell an oscillating spindle sander for about $570 while a
comparable Shop Fox sander is around $900 (I couldn't find many
differences
in the specs).
As another example, Grizzly seems to sell some very inexpensive shaper
cutters (as compared to Freud, for one). Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems
Grizzly is consistently less in general.

I happen to own a lot of Delta tools, but that's mainly because I've stuck
with what I know. Because I'm considering buying some Grizzly equipment
and
have absolutely no experience with them, I'd be curious to hear opinions
from those of you who have owned/used equipment from both Grizzly and
other
manufacturers. If you could state of few pros and cons of Grizzly, I'd
really appreciate it. If Grizzly tools are not as high quality as the
competition, than I'd sooner spend the extra money on the better stuff.
I'm
open-minded though.

TIA

-Mike

In article FqlOe.2065$sw6.1844@fed1read05, Mike Pio
wrote:

I sure hope this post doesn't stir up controversy, but I'm curious about
Grizzly's tools. Over the years, it's been my observation that Grizzly
seems to sell equipment for considerably less than the competition. As one
example, they sell an oscillating spindle sander for about $570 while a
comparable Shop Fox sander is around $900 (I couldn't find many differences
in the specs).
As another example, Grizzly seems to sell some very inexpensive shaper
cutters (as compared to Freud, for one). Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems
Grizzly is consistently less in general.

I happen to own a lot of Delta tools, but that's mainly because I've stuck
with what I know. Because I'm considering buying some Grizzly equipment and
have absolutely no experience with them, I'd be curious to hear opinions
from those of you who have owned/used equipment from both Grizzly and other
manufacturers. If you could state of few pros and cons of Grizzly, I'd
really appreciate it. If Grizzly tools are not as high quality as the
competition, than I'd sooner spend the extra money on the better stuff. I'm
open-minded though.

TIA

-Mike


Hi Mike,

I have their 1.5hp shaper (7+ years), their scroll saw (5+ years, but
seldom used) and their 1023SL TS ( a replacement for a nice cast iron
import from almost 17 years back). I got the TS around Jan 1st this
year. My 'last saw'!? .It has improved my quality/enjoyment of
woodworking too much to describe. I added a Forrest WWII blade and I
swear I can cut anything straight and true with confidence and accuracy
- I'm talking 8/4 oak, 4/4 birdseye maple, veneer ply and even
melamine. After unpacking and setting it up I did the "nickel" test.
Stood a nickel on end on a wing, then started it up. Didn't flinch. I
couldn't believe it either. 500 lb of cast iron does mean something!

I don't think that you can buy a better saw for around $1K than their
1023 series. I have raised a lot of panels using their shaper (not their
bits tho). I have a Delta 14 inch BS that I got a good deal on, but if
it wasn't for that, I would have gone Grizzly for that too.

You will not be disappointed with their stuff/service.

Lou

I've been really impressed with their 1023SL table saw.

I'm not crazy about an air compressor I got from them and I have not
tried any of their small tools.

Good luck and enjoy equipping your shop.

RonT

I just received my G0526 jointer last night. Spent a couple of hours setting
it up and I'm really impressed with it. This is the 6" jointer with their
spiral head cutter on it.
I wasn't too impressed with the setup manual - took a little guess work on a
few things that weren't configured that the manual assumed has already been
assembled (like the fence key). But overall was reasonably easy. Idiot that
I am, I'd just read multiple comments on the board about loosening the motor
mounts before putting the jointer on the stand - naturally I forgot to do
that and spent some time cussing trying to get my hands where I could reach
the bolts to loosen the motor.
Overall fit and finish on the jointer was very good. Tables and fence appear
to be dead on flat (sorry haven't done the feeler gauge test on them yet to
look for variances across the table). Was easy to get everything square and
running.
First cuts were simply amazing. Tried it on some curly cherry, some figured
mahogany and then some birdseye maple. Was fooling with depth adjustment and
didn't realize it - I was hogging off almost 3/16" on the birdseye and it
cut right through and left a PERFECT finish. Realize new blades should
perform well but this was pretty impresssive.
Count me as somone very satisfied with his first Grizzly purchase.

My 2 cents

Gary in KC


"Mike Pio" wrote in message
news:FqlOe.2065$sw6.1844@fed1read05...
I sure hope this post doesn't stir up controversy, but I'm curious about
Grizzly's tools. Over the years, it's been my observation that Grizzly
seems to sell equipment for considerably less than the competition. As
one
example, they sell an oscillating spindle sander for about $570 while a
comparable Shop Fox sander is around $900 (I couldn't find many
differences
in the specs).
As another example, Grizzly seems to sell some very inexpensive shaper
cutters (as compared to Freud, for one). Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems
Grizzly is consistently less in general.

I happen to own a lot of Delta tools, but that's mainly because I've stuck
with what I know. Because I'm considering buying some Grizzly equipment
and
have absolutely no experience with them, I'd be curious to hear opinions
from those of you who have owned/used equipment from both Grizzly and
other
manufacturers. If you could state of few pros and cons of Grizzly, I'd
really appreciate it. If Grizzly tools are not as high quality as the
competition, than I'd sooner spend the extra money on the better stuff.
I'm
open-minded though.

TIA

-Mike