What happened to the Grizzly Polar Bear Series?

[Eric Arnsdorff]

I’m looking at a used Grizzly G0454PX planer.
I see they no longer have the Polar Bear series and didn’t find anything as to why they quit with it.

Does anyone know why they discontinued it?

[Zachary Hoyt]

Probably because there's not enough sea ice left for them anymore.

[Jim Becker]

Probably because there's not enough sea ice left for them anymore.

ROFLOL!! :D

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Eric, "marketing series" come and go with these mass market machery purveyors. The same has occurred with Jet, Delta, etc., over time. The tools themselves tend to be the same machine as the regular version with just some additional features tacked on and maybe different paint.

[Rod Sheridan]

Probably because there's not enough sea ice left for them anymore.

I vote this comment of the week, humourous, and yet sadly reflective of an actual problem…..Regards, Rod

[Richard Coers]

Yeah, who wants to hook their wagon to a species heading towards extinction!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Where was the Polar Bear series manufactured?

It may be the factory is closed so Grizzly isn't advertising it currently because the manufacture to store lag time can't be determined currently.

[Jim Becker]

Ken, I doubt that's the reason. These "series" tend to come and go over time. As mentioned previously, they are a big marketing/promotion thing based on the principle that they may have additional features that the standard offering doesn't come with and/or different paint and "incentive pricing" for the same.

[Jamie Buxton]

Didn't Grizzly buy a whole brand of machines within the past couple years? I'm not remembering the brand name. But I think the speculation at the time was that this would become Grizzly"s premium line. If so, perhaps it collided with the Polar Bear line.

[Andrew More]

Didn't Grizzly buy a whole brand of machines within the past couple years? I'm not remembering the brand name. But I think the speculation at the time was that this would become Grizzly"s premium line. If so, perhaps it collided with the Polar Bear line.

You're likely thinking of their South Bend line, and it could be that they think they have too many brands, and it's confusing to people.

[Rod Wolfy]

You're likely thinking of their South Bend line, and it could be that they think they have too many brands, and it's confusing to people.

Actually, Grizzly also owns & markets Shop Fox. Grizzly is their factory direct arm & Shop Fox is their retail store brand. If you look at the features closely, they're almost the same machines with a little tweaking to differentiate.

Like others mentioned, brands with often put a couple tweaks in to stimulate sales. I hated Jet's blue line of tools 20 years ago, but I bought their white Anniversary version when it came out. Grizzly had featured some of their stuff in black, and the Polar Bear version in white (which I prefer - both over their usual green).

When I got my 5hp Grizzly 21" in March of '20 (I went to the show room in Bellingham the week COVID restrictions started), I was able to compare the Grizzly ones in person with the Shop Fox ones. It came down to cost, shipping charges & the discount offered by Grizzly that week).

[David Buchhauser]

I was always of the impression that the main difference in the Polar Bear series was the paint color.
David

[Robert London]

They still make some PB series. I have this collector and you can still buy it today.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-2-hp-canister-dust-collector-with-aluminum-impeller-polar-bear-series/g0548zp

[Andrew More]

Actually, Grizzly also owns & markets Shop Fox.

Yes, I'm aware, but that is not the brand they recently bought which is what the comment I was replying to was referencing. So Grizzly has Shop Fox, Polar Bear, Anniversary, and now South Bend. South Bend is also in a white and blue color scheme, which is potentially confusing with the Polar bear white. I'd guess that since the Polar Bear white is an internal brand with less recognition that South Bend, that they're likely moving that brand/product to another color/naming scheme, assuming they continue it. Unlike their South Bend brand, which appears to be high end versions, I'm not aware of any distinguishing theme with the Polar Bear series, and I'm probably better informed than the typical customer.

Shop Fox white + black stripes is also potentially a bit confusing to customers, but the different channels usually help with that. The Anniversary branded stuff has mostly been sold off/out.

[Wes Grass]

Paint color preys on our desire to have things that match. Just got a very lightly used dishwasher and microwave off CL for that very reason.

And I'll 'plus' whatever on the sea ice comment :-)

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Thanks all! I realize there's a lot of marketing going on.

I do like the white with green much better than the all green. I'm pretty sure the white produces a smoother finish - I'm sure all of you would agree ;-)! It's a shame there isn't enough sea ice left.

[Jim Becker]

Eric, I'm with you on the white preference and for me, that's regardless of brand. Functionally it doesn't matter for sure...but some of us have brains that are more comfortable with "the look" when it's uniform in some way. And, as you note, white produces smoother ice. Err....well...you know how things evolve when you pass them around the campfire. :D :D

[Alex Zeller]

I think Grizzly is cutting back on the amount of versions of Grizzly tools they sell. Along with the Polar Bear series they also have their Extreme series, Z series, and Anniversary series line of Grizzly tools. Without a good description what's different (other than color) it's hard to know what you're paying for. Grizzly no longer sells my bandsaw (19" with a foot brake). I think it's because they had too many different versions and wanted to simplify their lineup.

[Alan Lightstone]

Paint color preys on our desire to have things that match. Just got a very lightly used dishwasher and microwave off CL for that very reason.

And I'll 'plus' whatever on the sea ice comment :-)

A few months ago I used my Sherwin Williams paint color matcher doodad to match paint to my Felder machines. Now the new device matches. Cost a few bucks. Just sayin...

Took this picture of a polar bear in 2017. Not sure what my guide thought of it, he's still running away. Smart guide. Photographer - not so much.
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