Grizzly T26417 Benchtop Spindle Sander vs Ridgid

[Ken Frohnert]

Grizzly has a new Benchtop Spindle Sander - T26417. It is on sale for X-mas at $260.

I have a small shop and I don't think I can justify a floor spindle sander. Probably will not use it that much and benchtop I could store under my table saw extension.

I was thinking of asking Santa for a Ridgid OSS since for $200 you cannot seem to go wrong. However, I came across the new Grizzly and wonder if it may be a little more "heavy" duty - 78lbs shipped (some of that is package but still more than the Ridgid), spindles are 3/4" x 3-1/2", 1" x 4?-1/2", and 2" x 5-1/2", 15" tilting table. (https://www.grizzly.com/products/Benchtop-Oscillating-Sander/T26417)https://www.grizzly.com/products/Benchtop-Oscillating-Sander/T26417


I see the Ridgid gets really good feedback. Just wondering if the Grizzly is more of a "lifetime" tool - looks to be all metal vs the plastic on the Ridgid. Of course with shipping it will run me about $300 which is 50% more than the Ridgid and I don't have the belt sander.

Any thoughts on this unit vs the Ridgid?

[Bill White]

I have the Ridgid, and I would buy it again. Great tool for the money, and the belt feature is a real plus.
Bill

[DOUG ANGEL]

I have the Ridgid, and I would buy it again. Great tool for the money, and the belt feature is a real plus.
Bill
I agree, and if I need the worktable surface for another tool I just put it away on the shelf.

[Bill Huber]

I guess with the T26417 you are getting one sander, a spindle sander, with the Ridgid you are getting 2 sanders, the spindle and a belt.

I have the Ridgid and really love the thing, I use it all the time and it has served me very well.

Will it out last the Grizzly I am not sure but it sure will do a lot more then the Grizzly.

The Ridgid has a tilting table, that is you can title the front down to 45° if needed. The table is large and gives you a lot of work area, it also has a miter slot in it which I have used now and then.

[Paul Wunder]

+1 to all comments. I am a hobbyist and it suits my needs perfectly and it has pretty good dust collection to boot. I use the oscillating belt as well as the oscillating spindle equally. Nice to have two tools on one footprint. Ridgid also has a "lifetime" warranty (I never used it so I can't comment)

[Ken Frohnert]

Does the Ridgid have an induction or universal motor? I am assuming it is universal at that price?

[Bill White]

Induction.
Bill

[Ken Frohnert]

Induction that is a surprise. Sounds like the Ridgid is the way to go.

[glenn bradley]

The Grizzly you show is a cool looking little unit. The big plus would be the table tilt if that is something you would use a lot. The table size would be very limiting IMHO. I have owned the Ridgid and it is surprisingly versatile. I eventually moved to a larger edge sander and a disc spindle combo but, I used the tilting table feature on the Ridgid whereas I have yet to do so on my current spindle sander. I do tilt the larger edge sander so, maybe the tilting feature is more for edge sanding than spindle work in my world. Either way, I can recommend the Ridgid as a more versatile tool than just a spindle sander. It only weighs about 40 lbs so moving it to and from a shelf as needed is very workable; unlike some other "bench top" tools.

[jonathan eagle]

There was just an article in fine woodworking rating these machines. The ridgid came out on top. I have neither, so I can't contribute much.
jonathan

[Earl Rumans]

I also have the Ridgid and I think it's one of the most useful tools I own. I love the little thing and use it all the time. I also like the fact that you are basically getting the oscillating belt sander for free.

[Wade Lippman]

I just got the WoodRiver for like $140. Not super heavy duty, but it does the job. I think HF has the same unit for about the same price.

That said, the Rigid is a great unit if you need a belt sander also, though the dust collection is terrible and it is underpowered as a belt. Also, changeover is a nuisance, but it does work well. I got rid of mine and bought the WoodRiver and a Grizz edge sander.

[Kevin Jenness]

I bought 2 Ridgid units for my home shop due to the nearly universal acclaim, and returned them both due to excessive vibration. Did I get two lemons in a row, or am I just spoiled by normally working with better grade machinery? (We have a cheap Grizzly OSS at work which is no gem, but is far smoother running than the Ridgid units I tried.)

[Phil Barrett]

It's kind of funny but this discussion really highlights my continued shop dysfunction when it comes to sanding. Looking at the various machines mentioned here,

the Ridgid Oscillating Edge Belt / Spindle Sander (https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/oscillating-edge-belt-spindle-sander) looks cheap and flimsy yet it has almost universal acclaim. Weighs 40 lbs.
On paper the grizzly T26417 (https://www.grizzly.com/products/Benchtop-Oscillating-Sander/T26417) looks like a very solid performer - 1/2 HP, cast iron plate, shipping weight 78 lbs.
There is another griz - G0723 (http://www.grizzly.com/products/Benchtop-Oscillating-Sander/G0723) with less power but larger cast iron plate and more spindle sizes. shipping weight 56 lbs
The Woodriver Benchtop Spindle Sander (http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/157889/WoodRiver-Benchtop-Spindle-Sander.aspx) looks to have about the same power as the T26417 but is quite a bit lighter at 34 lbs.

Probably the most vexing issue for me is dust collection and none of them look to be a step up. The 2 griz's have "2 inch ports", WR has a 1 1/2" port and I've seen several reports that it has poor DC.

[Brent Ring]

I am not sure - but I think I will be +9 or 10 for the Ridgid. I own it and love it.

[Garth Almgren]

I don't own either, but the Rigid is on my Christmas wish list. :)

I'm a big fan of multipurpose machines, as long as they perform all their functions well and it's easy to switch between them. There are some machines that try and do everything but ends up doing nothing very well, but by most accounts the Rigid is a good little machine. The combo of spindle sanding, belt sanding, and oscillating just makes the Rigid that much more desirable in my book.

[Robert Parent]

My vote is against the tide and would go for the Grizzly T26417. The Jet benchtop has always been the spindle sander I have wanted and the Grizzly looks pretty close for a lot fewer dollars. I hate multi-purpose tools for the most part finding they do many jobs poorly. Like I said, against the tide here.

Robert

[Cary Falk]

I'll go against the grain also. I sold my Ridgid. The belt tracking was finicky. The finish on the table wore off and left marks on the parts I was sanding. I also found the spindle to be too short. On the plus side it was light and easy to store. It does work good as a spindle sander. As a edge sander, not so much.

[Bob Carreiro]

I have the Ridgid also. Good tool for the money. Have had mine for 3+ yrs, and after considerable use, no tracking issues. IMO, tool for dollar, the 200 spent on it is hard to beat. Also have their BS (bought on a close-out a couple of years back) and the 160 spent on it match the tool for dollar of the Ridgid sander. Is there a pattern here?

[David Delo]

I have the Ridgid and use it the most as a spindle sander. Dust collection is good in that mode but not very good in belt sander mode unless you add some type of home brew hood off to the outfeed side. The belt sander works well but it isn't very long so depending on what edge length you want to sand would determine how well it works for you. If it's a long edge I need to sand, I use a conical disk on my Shopsmith and that works extremely well. Here's a couple pics of what I've done for my sanding operations. I switch out belt sander and strip sander on left side of the headstock, use either a flat disk or conical disk on the right side of the headstock and then have the Ridgid mounted on a set of extension tables on the other end of the machine. Just about every sanding application covered with a variable speed motor in a 2' x 6' envelope.
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[Dave Zellers]

Wow- that is an awesome sanding lineup!

I've had my eye on this orange and black doobie for years as I read all the creekers who have had a positive experience with it. Re the 1/3 hp motor, I don't think it is a machine that needs a lot of power. It's a finishing tool. I love the tilting table. I love the small 4x24 edge sander as I already have a Jet 89" x 6" edge sander. There are many times when that is too much for the task at hand. (And I also have a 4 x 24 belt sander that I hardly use anymore with a ton of unused belts ... :D). Talk about your perfect fit ... I am also intrigued that it seems to spin right to left as opposed to left to right on my Jet. That can be useful.

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo .................................................. ..

If anyone sees this offered as a turkey special, please let me (and others) know.

STAT!