open end drum sanders

[Michael Cole]

I am thinking of getting one and would like opinions of various models. The Supermax 19-38 has a lot of praise, but it also tends to be the highest price. The Grizzly model is much cheaper, but reviews don't seem very good, I don't know about others. Let me know your experiences.

[glenn bradley]

I believe you already have your answer. In this arena it seems you get what you pay for. I researched long and hard covering parameters like, height stability/accuracy, ease of paper changes, dust collection and customer service. I went with the Supermax 19-38 and would do so again. At the time I was shopping there were plenty of sales through Amazon, Acme and others. I notice it is $1399 at Rockler, Woodcraft and Acme right now so it may be enjoying that "the de facto choice for this tool" period that many tools that outshine their competition by so much sometimes get to enjoy.

I will add some user experience on the 19-38 in case you go that way. The base is of little use to me as it offers no storage and that is a cardinal sin in my small shop. They wouldn't sell it without the stand so it rests in the rafters and I made this:

335005

I buy long rolls of paper at a cheaper rate than prepared paper as it is very easy to cut to fit.

Paper changes are a breeze compared to any other I have tried but, large hands can make the spring catch a little tough to get a hold of.

Dust collection is great with a moderate (2HP cyclone) collection system.

Intellisand is a big benefit but, if you are ham-handed you can still divot and burn your material.

The DRO is not super valuable to me (and this comes from a guy who DRO's a lot of his tools) as the variation in sanding medium causes frequent resets to be a requirement.

[John TenEyck]

I have no clue about the new machines, but I have been very happy with my USA made Delta 18x36 that I bought used for less than $500 and I would go that route again w/o hesitation. Half the price of a comparable new machine, in like new condition. The paper holding clips are incredibly easy to use and never has a sanding strip slipped. Dust collection is excellent with my 2 HP DC. The conveyor belt likes to drift but has never been a real problem. I've had the machine for more than 5 years now, and logged dozens and dozens of hours on it, probably hundreds actually, w/o one problem.

John

[bruce buren]

I just went through this decision. A buddy has the grizzly 18-36 and has a lot of trouble with it. So I went with the supermax 25-50, I was able to order it through Acme tools without the stand for 1649$, which is why I opted for the 25-50 over the 19-38. 250$ more for the extra capacity. It showed up yesterday packaged very well on a single pallet, driver rolled in into my garage and I did not pay any shipping charges. I have not had a chance to get it assembled. I am in the process of building the base cabinet for it.
This thing is heavy! Hope it works as well as all the reviews

[Cary Falk]

I hade the Grizzly 18/36 for about 5 6 years. Bought it used on CL for $450. I sold it for $4450 about 4 months ago and bought a Supermax 25-50. The Grizzly is much noiser thatn the SupperMax. I can hardly hear the SuperMax when it is on. The dust collection is not very good on the Grizzly but great on the SuperMax. Both are heavy. The design on the Grizzly has a lot of bushings that the manual suggests you oil daily and they are a pain to get to. The belt on the Grizzly started to get finicky towards the end. It might have been the belt. The belt on the SuperMax has not moved at all. The Sandpaper clips on the Grizzly are ok but not great. It was easy enough on the Grizzly to adjust the platen parallel to the drum. There was no flex in the drum like I have seen in the Jet 16/32. The Jet seems to be rock solid as well. I would suggest s 20A circuit for the Grizzly otherwise it trips the breaker.

All that being said, I sanded a ton of stuff on the Grizzly and got my money's worth out of it.