Which Bandsaw? Grizzly G0513x2bf vs Harvey Alpha HW615P

[Craig Meaney]

I had pretty much decided I would buy the 17" Grizzly G0512x2bf bandsaw when I started taking a close look at Harvey's HW615P. Their 15" bandsaw seems well built. Here are the key differences, would love any opinions as to which is the better buy:



$830 price difference (includes shipping +tax)
Grizzly has 12" resaw, Harvey has 14"
Grizzly has 16-1/4" max cutting width left of the blade, Harvey has 14" (Grizzly w/ fence: 15"; Harvey is 12" - I don't own a table saw so this matters a bit to me)
Grizzly is 2 HP, Harvey is 3 HP
Grizzly's table is 17-1/4" x 23-5/8"; Harvey's is 20x20"
Grizzly: 357 lbs; Harvey: 441 lbs
Grizzly flywheel: 16-3/4"; Harvey: 15"
Harvey offers the following creature comforts: worm gear table tilting, full enclosure of blade, tire brush, safety shutoff switches for doors, knurled and chrome knobs/handwheels, tool hook for Allen keys.


Seems to me like the Harvey is better built and offers more power.. on the other hand, the Grizzly is a known entity and has a lot more reviews. What do you think?

[Billy Stray]

Personally I tend to always gravitate toward the more powerful motor.
Harvey gaining some traction in the reputation dept..

[Andrew Hughes]

I vote for the Harvey the stealthy black looks more serious.
Good Luck

[Andrew More]

It's a good problem to have, isn't it? :)

I like a deeper throat personally, not so sure the extra HP on the motor is super useful after you get above 2 HP or so.

Incidentally the Grizzly is 420 lbs, not 357. I think you've confused the ordinary model with the x2bf.

Incidentally, if you're willing to pay $2215 for the G0513x2bf, why not go for the 19" G0514X? 3 HP instead of 2 HP, and 2"+ of width for $50 more. Only downside is giving up the foot brake.

Also what's going to be the main purpose of the bandsaw? If it's to resawing, maybe what you want is the Laguna 14BX?

[Dave Roock]

The Grizzly actually is is the 357 lbs - 420 lbs is the alleged "shipping weight" . For a bit more money, you could get an awesome bandsaw that is not China made :
https://www.felder-group.com/en-us/shop/bandsaws-sc110014/bandsaw-hammer-n-4400-x-life-ceramic-guide-sp976616

[Craig Meaney]

Yes, certainly a good problem. I hadn't considered the 19" saw... now you've got me looking at it. An additional 2" throat width and 1 HP might be worth the trade off of not having a break.

The primary purpose will be resawing, but I'll also be doing long rips and the occasional curve cutting. I'd like a saw with a bigger table than the 14bx and more throat width.

[Alex Zeller]

I have a a 514X2 and it's a good saw. But it only has 12" resaw height. As long as that's not an issue I would recommend it. If more resaw height is desired then I would look at the Laguna BX18. Having larger wheels over the Harvey's 15" wheels is also good for the blade.

[Dave Roock]

https://www.grizzly.com/products/shop-fox-19-3-hp-heavy-duty-bandsaw/w1825 $800 off + free shipping.

[Alex Zeller]

One of the nice things about the grizzly is it has a key switch. I remove the key and hand it on a magnet next to the blade tension lever. That way I can't turn the saw on without tensioning the blade.

[Prashun Patel]

Like you, I also no longer own a table saw. That 2” to the left of the blade is a big deal to me.

I own the g0514x2 and I like it. I think mass matters on a bandsaw.

I also think the guide mechanism matters. You want to be able to adjust and tune the guides quickly and conveniently. On the 514 it’s not bad. How’s the Harvey?

The fact that u are using this as a tablesaw substitute is telling. Make sure you get the most saw you can afford. So consider going up in price. I rarely have need to resaw more than 12”. But a wide, stable table and quick reliable alignment of guides and angles is key.

If I had to do it all over, i would have even gone up a notch in my budget.

[Craig Meaney]

I have a a 514X2 and it's a good saw. But it only has 12" resaw height. As long as that's not an issue I would recommend it. If more resaw height is desired then I would look at the Laguna BX18. Having larger wheels over the Harvey's 15" wheels is also good for the blade.

I agree, the larger wheels have me ruling out the Harvey. Now I’m between the 514 with the brake, Laguna 18BX, or the shop fox on sale. My shop is in a basement with 80” ceiling height in one room and 81” in the other, that may be the deciding factor. I need to figure out what total height will be for all the saws with their mobile base. I know the 18 BX is 77-3/4” without the mobile base, and the others are 76”

[Craig Meaney]

https://www.grizzly.com/products/shop-fox-19-3-hp-heavy-duty-bandsaw/w1825 $800 off + free shipping.

Good deal. Is Shop Fox the same quality as Grizzly?

[Craig Meaney]

One of the nice things about the grizzly is it has a key switch. I remove the key and hand it on a magnet next to the blade tension lever. That way I can't turn the saw on without tensioning the blade.

Nice feature for sure. We have a kid on the way, so being able to take the key to disable the saw also appeals to me.

[Dave Roock]

Good deal. Is Shop Fox the same quality as Grizzly?
I would consider Shop Fox slightly better - one advantage over Grizzly is their 2 year warranty vs Grizzly's 1 year warranty.

[Alex Zeller]

I agree, the larger wheels have me ruling out the Harvey. Now I’m between the 514 with the brake, Laguna 18BX, or the shop fox on sale. My shop is in a basement with 80” ceiling height in one room and 81” in the other, that may be the deciding factor. I need to figure out what total height will be for all the saws with their mobile base. I know the 18 BX is 77-3/4” without the mobile base, and the others are 76”

My 514 is 76" without the lifting eye (with it it's 78"). The tensioning handle is almost 80". That's without a mobile base. The way the tensioning handle works is rotated down tightens the blade. All the way up is loose. I would expect that if you can't quite rotate the handle all the way up it will still be loose enough to swap out blades.

Shop Fox is the Grizzly brand that came with an extra year of warranty. I think Grizzly is phasing the brand out in favor of using the South Bend brand. I doubt there will be an issue with parts as I doubt there's any difference between the Shop Fox and Grizzly brands (other than color). The reason why I would go with the Shop Fox is for the foot brake. If you are using both hands to hold a board(s) you can tap the brake and it'll shut off the contactor for the saw. Or you can push down on the brake and it will shut the saw off and the brake will stop the blade from turning. The wheels have a lot of mass and will stay spinning a lot longer than you would expect. My 514 has the foot brake but I think the Grizzly's only come with the e brake in the motor.

I ended up going with the Grizzly over the BX18 was because of the trunnions. The Grizzly has cast iron ones where as the Laguna has aluminum. Also the rack and pinion system for tilting the table does make it solider than just trunnions alone.

[Jim Becker]

ShopFox is Grizzly's retail focused brand that goes into dealers/resellers...I doubt they would pull it in favor of South Bend given the latter is intended as their "premium" brand at higher price points.

[Craig Meaney]

My 514 is 76" without the lifting eye (with it it's 78"). The tensioning handle is almost 80". That's without a mobile base. The way the tensioning handle works is rotated down tightens the blade. All the way up is loose. I would expect that if you can't quite rotate the handle all the way up it will still be loose enough to swap out blades.

Shop Fox is the Grizzly brand that came with an extra year of warranty. I think Grizzly is phasing the brand out in favor of using the South Bend brand. I doubt there will be an issue with parts as I doubt there's any difference between the Shop Fox and Grizzly brands (other than color). The reason why I would go with the Shop Fox is for the foot brake. If you are using both hands to hold a board(s) you can tap the brake and it'll shut off the contactor for the saw. Or you can push down on the brake and it will shut the saw off and the brake will stop the blade from turning. The wheels have a lot of mass and will stay spinning a lot longer than you would expect. My 514 has the foot brake but I think the Grizzly's only come with the e brake in the motor.

I ended up going with the Grizzly over the BX18 was because of the trunnions. The Grizzly has cast iron ones where as the Laguna has aluminum. Also the rack and pinion system for tilting the table does make it solider than just trunnions alone.

Thanks. Sounds like it would just fit in the room with the 81” ceiling. I could probably go without the mobile base… or maybe I should consider a smaller saw. I didn’t even consider the tensioning handle.

[Dave Roock]

Thanks. Sounds like it would just fit in the room with the 81” ceiling. I could probably go without the mobile base… or maybe I should consider a smaller saw. I didn’t even consider the tensioning handle.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-17-2-hp-bandsaw-w-cast-iron-trunnion/g0513x2 On sale (wish it was when I bought) . Height is 73 inches, which helped decision.

[Alex Zeller]

ShopFox is Grizzly's retail focused brand that goes into dealers/resellers...I doubt they would pull it in favor of South Bend given the latter is intended as their "premium" brand at higher price points.

I'm not sure if Grizzly is still doing that. When you do a search for a Grizzly brand tool a number of places show up selling them. In the past only Grizzly.com would list them. Lately it seems like Grizzly has been having sales on Shop Fox tools which led me to think that Grizzly is going to just have their Grizzly brand and the South Bend brand. But I could be wrong.

[Alex Zeller]

I think you'll be fine even with a mobile base with the 19" Shop Fox. It costs a little more than the 17" but for the advantages I think it's worth it. The extra HP, the foot brake (safety), and the rack and pinion table tilt come in handy.

[Charles Coolidge]

I think you'll be fine even with a mobile base with the 19" Shop Fox. It costs a little more than the 17" but for the advantages I think it's worth it. The extra HP, the foot brake (safety), and the rack and pinion table tilt come in handy.

What Alex said ^^^ you MUST do your homework when shopping bandsaws. Download the manuals and spec's sheets and go through them in detail. Pay particular attention to fences and optional features like foot brakes, rack and pinon table tilts, etc. Grizzly sweetens the pot with features as you go up in price BUT some are only marginal upgrades while others are large leaps.

When I purchased my 19" Grizzly bandsaw it offered a LOT more for only a bit more money vs the next lower priced saw. And the next more expensive saw offered very little for a bit more money. So the 19" I purchased was the sweet spot within Grizzly's bandsaw line up. Look for the sweet spot.

[Mitch schiffer]

I got the harvey a few months ago. It has been decent so far but I do agree that more throat depth is definitely something to consider.

[Craig Meaney]

I got the harvey a few months ago. It has been decent so far but I do agree that more throat depth is definitely something to consider.

I watched a YouTube review of that saw and it looks great, hope you’re enjoying it. I’d be leaning in that direction if I owned a table or track saw probably

[Craig Meaney]

Thought I would update this thread as I have since acquired a bandsaw. I wound up finding a local 16" Walker Turner 1100 series saw for a little over $300. I jumped on it. It needs some tuning up, tires and maybe some paint, but overall it was too good a deal to pass up and the thing is built like a tank. Must weigh 600 lbs. I still may add a second saw down the line if the need arises, probably a smaller bench top one.
486428

[Andrew Hughes]

Good looking bandsaw.
I hope you can get it working as good as it looks. Very stylish design

[Jim Becker]

That's a nice looking machine! Congrats on the find.