Of these two 20" planers which would the more experienced buy?

[david paul miller]

I'm looking at 20" planers and wondering if the Powermatic 5hp with the byrd shelix head is worth the $945.00 difference over the Grizzly 5hp spiral go454z. http://www.toolorbit.com/Powermatic/...c-1791315.html (http://www.toolorbit.com/Powermatic/Powermatic-1791315.html)

[Jim Stewart]

Wow. I have the Powermatic and I love it. I have had the unit about a year now. I wanted the Byrd cutter. Remember that the Powermatic has free shipping so the price difference is not as great. It seems to me there were a few other features on the PM that made me go with it. I only have one Grizzly tool and that is their 8" jointer with a Byrd head. Both machines do an amazing job. The fit and finish is nicer on the Powermatic. I don't regret that purchase. I hope that someone that has used both responds. Good luck! jim

[David Nelson1]

PM has 99 cutter Griz has 98. I'd go with the Grizzly. Both have a caster system so it seems to me to be a no brainer. I have a 1033 with Byrde head and love it. Mines 3 hp the extra 2 ponies will be worth it.

[raymond Abel]

did you look at the Laguna?
it has 6 row s & 132 cutterheats.
Great finish!

Give it a look at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxwwtA7MQAE
let me know if you have questions

Salutations
Ray

[Randy Henry]

Most of my shop is Powermatic or Delta. Is there much difference between them and Grizzly? Thats a subjective opinion. The main reason I stick with those brands, unless I get something unusually reasonable, is for resale. I watch CL and the local auctions from IRS Auctions, etc., and the difference you pay up front will earn you basically that difference back if you decide to sell. The PM's hold their resale value much more than Griz around where I live. I don't know if thats because there is a Griz showroom 1 1/2 hrs away and the market is saturated with Griz equipment, but whatever the reason, it is why I stick with them.

[johnny means]

I think the more experienced of us might tell you that the cost of lumber and consumables will quickly eclipse the cost of any machine. If you are looking at needing a $4000-$5000 planer, a thousand dollar difference in initial cost will quickly be forgotten. I've spent over a grand on planer knives this year alone. I can say that having a really nice machine makes using it a pure pleasure and the ease of use it affords me is really worth any extra cost I incurred. The real question IMO is, "Is the Powermatic a better machine?" If it is,I wouldn't let a thousand extra dollars deter me.

[Cary Falk]

I have tools from a wide range of suppliers. I even own OWWM. I do not own any PM. I don't think their small increased level of fit and finish(if there is any) equates to their large cost difference. Jet is getting the same way. A lot of my tools are Grizzly. The fit/finish and performance has been flawless. I don't see paying any more when they come out of the same country. As far as resale around here, tool in good shape go for around 60% of new. That sounds like about average on the forums. At 60% the PM looses $1428. At 60% the Grizzly looses $1050. The Grizzly would have to sale at 45% to match the loss of the PM. I have seen a G0453Z sell here in 20 minutes at 60% of new. There are always exceptions.

[Rick Fisher]

Funny.. The PM has nicer knobs and handles .. at the Vegas woodworking show, I cut my finger on the casting on the 15HH, there was a real sharp edge on the infeed table. The fella I was hanging out with, another Sawmill Creek member cut his finger on a shaper fence of another brand..

[Larry Edgerton]

As a tool buyer, never a seller, I would buy a used Powermatic, and have several. I would not buy a Grizzly. But thats just me.....

I agree with J. Means. There is just something about having a good machine that makes you work better.

Larry

[Jim Stewart]

The price difference is $400 with the shipping. That is for the The Tool Zone sale this weekend.

[Jim Matthews]

WMH owns Powermatic and Jet.
I would choose the one that offers the cheapest shipping; the hidden component in heavy machinery costs.

FYI - The CPO outlets (http://www.cpopowermatic.com/powermatic-1791213-15hh-15-in-1-phase-3-horsepower-230-volt-deluxe-planer-with-byrd-shelix-cutterhead/pwmn1791213,default,pd.html?start=4&cgid=powermatic-planers) are also selling the Powermatic, and might be able to compare models in house.
They're also negotiating freight costs, so there may be some wiggle room.

[Homer Faucett]

Byrd is the name in spiral cutterheads. Many industrial outfits use their heads. I believe that the Grizzly heads use square cutters rather than the slightly rounded cutting surface of the cutters on the Byrd, which are supposed to do a better job (according to some) in surfacing.

At the end of the day, I would pay the extra $400 just to know that 20 years from now I can still get the carbide inserts for my cutterhead. The extra resale price is also nice, if you ever need it.

As for the planer itself, you should be able to buy parts from one and put it in the other. I bought a used Geetech (made in the same plant as the Powermatic and Grizzly that are/were made in Taiwan) and bought a Powermatic Byrd head for it. I ordered the replacement parts for installing the head (oil seals, etc.) from Grizzly.

[david paul miller]

Am i missing something? I can't find anywhere there is a $400.00 difference. Grizzly $2,624.00 delivered, powermatic $3,569.99 delivered ($956.00 difference)

[Clay Crocker]

David,

I think you may be comparing the Grizzly G0454Z ($2,624.00) to the Powermatic 209HH ($3,569.99), (per your original post) which are different designs. The $400.00 difference is between the Powermatic 209HH and the Grizzly G1033X ($3,169.00) which are very simillar designs.

Clay

[Van Huskey]

Late to the party but just some things for anyone thinking of this same pair to consider (though the prices are back up on the PM). I as well as FWW prefer the Byrd head in the finish area, you also may look at bit (cutter) replacement cost some of the Grizzly heads take bits that cost 25% more than Byrd bits, for a hobby guy it may never make a real difference to others it may. Second, would be the fact the Byrd head is made in the US, so at least part of your purchase would be to a US manufacturer. Third would be the warranty that is 5 times as long on the PM. Those three things are worth something to me, every one has to look at it and decide how much it is worth to them.

[David Kumm]

For 3K the best planer would be an older PM 180 with a byrd head replacement. Much better made and will hold value better. Dave

[Don Wacker]

I have a buddy that owns an equipment surplus company. He buys scratch and dent Jet and powermatic by the container full along with oliver and used griz. The parts on what would seem to be the same machines by looking at pictures are not interchangeable. The overall fit and finish on the parts you cant see on the PM and oliver are much nicer that the griz and even jet.

Don

[Van Huskey]

For 3K the best planer would be an older PM 180 with a byrd head replacement. Much better made and will hold value better. Dave

I agree but in a lot of places a solid 180 will run you 2K and the Byrd is around $1500 for them. But they are a HECK of a good planer. Hermance will sell you a extremely well refurbished one for a mere 10K with their head, which is very nice. The bottom line is if you get a PM180 add the head and do a basic refurb on it you can probably use it for ten years and get every penny back out of it.

[Van Huskey]

I have a buddy that owns an equipment surplus company. He buys scratch and dent Jet and powermatic by the container full along with oliver and used griz. The parts on what would seem to be the same machines by looking at pictures are not interchangeable. The overall fit and finish on the parts you cant see on the PM and oliver are much nicer that the griz and even jet.

Don

Your buddy wouldn't happen to be in Washington would he?

As for the "new" Oliver they don't have anything generic I can think of in their line. About the only thing PM has based on a generic model would be their 14" BS which some stuff probably is generic parts and their 4 post planers like the 15 and 209, even in these models they tend to have things that differentiate them and prevent cross shopping parts. As to the quality for me I have my opinion but is isn't substantiated well enough with first person knowledge to comment on.

The bottom line is Grizzly can probably sell a machine of equal quality to a PM for less money given their perceived volume but who knows what each companies business model is.