Is $300 for a slightly used Grizzly GO555 Ultimate bandsaw a good price?

[dennis thompson]

I have the opportunity to buy a slightly used Grizzly ultimate GO555 bandsaw for $300. The ad says "used only 3 times, in like new condition" Do you think this is a good buy? If new it's $469 shipped to my house. Will Grizzly honor a warranty to a second owner?
Thanks
Dennis

[Prashun Patel]

I doubt the warranty extends to a resale.

However, I have that saw, and find it to be a great little saw. There is one caveat:

If you are planning to resaw larger than 6", then get a real 17" saw. The frame and motor just aren't designed on this saw to do that very well.

That being said, $300 is an excellent price if the saw's in good condition. If he still has the stock blade and it's not a Timberwolf (which is what they started shipping with a little while back) then count on replacing it. The old stock blade is really bad.

[Jeff Mohr]

It's a great saw! $300 ain't too bad...mine was close to that with all the Microsoft Cashback and eBay coupons way back when. Ah...the good ole days.

[Tom Hargrove]

I would ask Grizzly if they will honor the warranty. The warranty language contained in the product manual on their website states that the warranty applies for "a period of 1 year to the original purchaser from
the date of purchase." So my guess is that the warranty will not be extended to a second owner/purchaser.

The price is probably at the high end of "fair." With a one horsepower motor, it may be too small to do resawing or rip lumber thicker than 4/4.

[Mike Cruz]

My only comment on this is:

Beware the CL listing that says the item is barely used, used only once (or twice or three times), as good as new...all that nonsense. Not that it isn't true, but someone could have used it to resaw an entire tree on one day...hence used once.

I have certainly gotten a bunch of deals on CL. My most recent one was shameful. The seller didn't disclose the fact that the impeller on the dust collector had broken and been repaired (by knocking off a vane on the other side to balance it out!)

A good way to check to see how much "use" the band saw has seen is to look at the bearings behind the blade on the top and bottom. Do they stil spin? How crudded up are they? How about the guides/blocks? Are they worn down, or chewed up from being placed ON the teeth instead of behind them? (Never mind that if the saw has bearing rollers as guides.)

Of course, if this saw already has bearing rollers as guides, then this is a very good price.

As for the size of the saw... I just got a used Ridgid 14" off CL (great condition $150 hehe) and I didn't have it more that 2 weeks before I decided to get the riser block and Carter guides for it. Not to mention, upgrade the motor to 1.5 HP.

I agree that unless you are planning on doing some upgrades, you might be better off with the 17 inch...you are getting a LOT more than just 3 more inches of width cutting ability. The problem? 17 inch band saws for a "steal" rarely ever come up on CL. The closest I came to was a Jet 18 that I could have had for $500. I talked him from $800. But when I went to go see it, the saw had $150 + in things that I KNEW I had to replace...never mind the things I couldn't tell right off the bat.

Hope that helps.

[Paul Ryan]

I would check it out. If it looks as though they say, ask for the orginal recipt too, to prove it. That is a good price for that saw. I paid about $370 shipped for mine last winter during the microsoft cash back glory days. The saw will resaw over 6" and does a pretty good job but you have to go slow. I don't resaw over 6" very often but it will do it. IF you do a lot of resawing over 6 I would buy a larger saw. But if it is a nice saw it is well worth the $300.

[Dan Gill]

Mine has roller bearings. I'd check them to see if they're still good. I have had to replace some of mine. Does it have a riser block? The fence? That's not a bad price, but they might go lower. You don't get what you don't ask for.

[Brad Wood]

With a one horsepower motor, it may be too small to do resawing or rip lumber thicker than 4/4.

I disagree.

I've only had my G0555 for a couple months now, and honestly have not done a lot of sawing with it yet... but just yesterday I was cutting 20/4 ... (or 5"). I don't know where Alder lies in the "hardness" scale for hardwoods, but in any case, the G0555 didn't hesitate a single bit and I was pushing it through at a decent feed rate. The pieces I was cutting were 29" long, so while not a super long cut, they weren't little 6" long cuts either.

- Brad

[Mike Cruz]

My Ridgid came with a 3/4 HP, that is why I upgraded to 1.5 HP. I guess even an extra 1/4 would have done enough...

[Thomas Pender]

IMHO the 0555 is the best value for a 14" band saw. $300, if used as little as represented, is a decent price. But, call on the warranty and check the bearings and the roller tires. If there is a bunch of grit on the bearings, than someone may be stretching the truth. Same with wear on the tires. Also see how well the bearings spin and look at the table - if this all looks new and you can get Grizzly to honor the one year I would buy it in a NYC minute.

[Mike Cruz]

Truthfully, I didn't want a 14" band saw. I wanted a 16 to 18 inch, but they come up rarely on CL and Ebay...at really good prices at least. When I saw the Ridgid (used lightly) on CL, and talked the seller down to $150, I couldn't pass it up. I just got the Grizzly riser ($81) and Carter guides ($150), and am waiting for my power twist belt to get in ($30), 1.5Hp motor ($50), and I just built a base out of MDF to replace the factory base ($)45. All in all, I spent about $500. BTW, all prices above include shipping. A new Grizzly 14 inch Extreme is $669 delivered and still doesn't include a riser block. Of course I still don't have a quick tension release, but I'm not sure if the Grizzly Extreme does either...