Grizzly Opinions wanted

[Jason Solodow]

Hey everyone-
I'd like to know your opinions on the Grizzly line. I may be getting the oppurtunity to build a new shop and I was looking at the Grizzly stuff and it looks pretty good. Anyone out there used it? Let me know what you think....

Thanks

[Joe Chritz]

Did I just hear someone open a can?

My opinion is that they have a decent product, good customer service and excellent value. I have a knife grinder (2 in belt grinder/buffer combo) and the 3 HP shaper. Both are excellent machines and are serving well.

Piece for piece they are on par with most other hobby machines and for the prices pretty hard to beat. Not the best machines around but not the bottom either. When I upgrade my planer and jointer and look at a widebelt I will be looking at the Grizzly units again. I would not feel bad purchasing several of their items.

When you look at purchasing check the search for a specific model. Some are better than others.

Joe

[Tom Pritchard]

Hi Jason! I have 2 Grizzly products, a drillpress and a 2 HP dust collector. Both machines have operated flawlessly since I brought them home almost 3 years ago! I went to the showroom in Muncy, PA to pick them up, and I was very impressed with the sales staff, as well as the quality of all the tools that I saw. I believe their customer support is very good, and they will work hard to make sure you're happy with your purchase. I plan on purchasing a jointer from them in the next 6 months or so, and would do it with no hesitation. Good luck in your decision!

[willie sobat]

I would say that it is best to approach the issue on case-by-case basis. Rather than opt for Grizzly, Delta or Jet product lines research each machine purchase individually. In some cases one manufacturer (or reseller) will have a superior product while another machine in their line may be a dog. That being said I have a couple of Grizzly machines and they are fine. I purchased them though because they reviewed well against their competition.

[John Hebert]

and I’m 99% satisfied with it all. That 1% is for a missing bolt on something, or teeny scratch somewhere. I keep on getting from them till I get burnt on something, but so far I’m very pleased and just about all my shop is Grizzly.

http://www.cjohnhebert.com/grizzlygreen.jpg

[scott spencer]

My experiences with Grizzly have been mainly positive, and find their CS to be excellent. The Grizzly president stays active on a couple of these boards and gets involved occasionally as needed. I admire that kind of commitment.

I've got 3 Griz machines in my shop....2 are excellent (DC and jointer), the $70 benchtop DP is what it is...I don't see it as any better or worse than others in that humble category.

Their showrooms are incredible if you ever get the chance to visit. I like to touch before I buy whenever possible, but I did order the with no complications.

[Craig Zettle]

Willie speaks the truth. Every manufacturer has their strong points. Seek them out.

[tod evans]

jason,
what are you wanting to do in your shop? will this be a hoby shop, small production or light industrial? what is your budget? what are your space constrainsts?
these are some questions that you should address before you start looking at tools. once you know where you`re headed you`ll have a better idea of what equipment you might need, from that point you can start researching the offerings available. it`s very possible that you will opt for older industrial type equipment over new once you`ve taken the time to research? if you do decide to go with new take the time to visit folks shops who have the type of equipment you`re looking for from several manufacturers/importers/rebranders.
putting together a shop is a major financial outlay and should be approached slowly with all of the information you`re able to gather. never has the old saying "the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweet price of a bargain" been more true. i`m a firm beliver in "only cry once".
so given what i`ve said i`ll not comment on any brand of equipment untill you`ve researched your options and know where you`d like to be...02 tod

[doug webb]

I was hesitant when I first started equiping my shop. Went with more established names. Now own 3 Griz tools, drum sander, jointer, and bandsaw. I can compare my Griz alongside the 'name' brands I own. Fit and finish equal or better. Price is a lot better. I have had less trouble ordering things from Griz than the others. Till something changes my mind, I will check with them first before buying a large tool .

[Chris Barton]

Hi Jason,

I own some of almost all the major brands in WW and griz tends to offer great value and acceptable quality in most cases. However, do understand that this topic can "open a can of worms" since we have memebers that are great griz fans as well as those that think griz may be the first sign of the apocalypse.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I`m a firm beliver in "only cry once".

Boy those are words to live by!! :D

[Jim Becker]

Grizzly has a strong presence in the market with good value and a wide selection. Early on, comments were less than positive, but over the past few years, they have been getting a lot of "thumbs up" from the woodworking community. They should be on your short list for tool along side of Delta, Jet, PM and others. But as someone already stated, every tool should be evaluated individually.

[Jim Hager]

My machine buying philosophy is about the same as Tod. I agree with the saying only cry once. I have a shop full of Delta machines mixed in with some generals and a grizzly or two. I sometimes overspend my budget when making a major machine purchase but once I get over the initial sticker shock I am usually very well satisfied. I have been burned a few times trying to save a few $ and have learned that I am much more satisfied if I go ahead and stretch out a little and get what I really want. As I have gotten older, wiser and more experienced, I have developed these ideas and they are working for me at least.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Griz makes fine machines. Like the folks say you gotta line up your priorities.

I'm looking to get a new TS. I thought about a Griz, a Delta, a Powermatic, now I'm looking at the european saws. The more I look at what's available the more I want the best I can afford.

A sticking point for me is reconciling the cost with what I know about manufacturing. Someone is making one very large markup profit on those things.

If Grizzly made a good sliding table I'd probably buy it.
They do have a panel saw but I don't want that.

[lou sansone]

some of their stuff is good and some is not that good. take a look at the particular tool and then look at how others are made. don't forget about the used market of quality old iron that many times is far superior to the new stuff

lou

[Barry O'Mahony]

Did I just hear someone open a can? I got the popcorn machine warmed up. :D

[Ben Roman]

I love my shop it is almost all Green :) I love Grizzly CS is awesome order process awesome.... I love em

[Michael Adelong]

I bought an 8" jointer from Grizzly last year (G1018). The price was great. Ordering it was a breeze, and the CS rep I spoke with was very helpful. I placed my order on Monday evening and picked up jointer at the Overnight terminal (undamaged) on Thursday evening. I could have picked it up on Wednesday evening, but Overnight called my cell phone 15 miles or so after I had already passed the terminal on my way home.

Nice jointer. Does it's job well.

So yes, I will be buying Griz again. :)

Michael

[Doug Jones from Oregon]

It looks like I'm about to sell my sawdust producing business and I'm beginning to comtemplate life without a woodworking shop....and not liking it.

In all likely hood, I will be making a trip to the closest Grizzley outlet (Bellingham, WA) and outfitting a new shop in the very near future. I have had good experience with the Grizzley tools that I have purchased and I'm quite pleased with the response given to any problems that have come up here on the forum.

Since one is hard pressed to find any American made equipment anymore that one can afford I figure I may as well go with flow and go to where I can get it done in a one stop go.

Doug

[Dev Emch]

Griz makes fine machines. Like the folks say you gotta line up your priorities.

I'm looking to get a new TS. I thought about a Griz, a Delta, a Powermatic, now I'm looking at the european saws. The more I look at what's available the more I want the best I can afford.

A sticking point for me is reconciling the cost with what I know about manufacturing. Someone is making one very large markup profit on those things.

If Grizzly made a good sliding table I'd probably buy it.
They do have a panel saw but I don't want that.

Hey Papa Grizz....

How about working out an updated knockoff of the older wadkin PK saw? That one had a nice sliding table that was a good compromise between a full fledged panel saw and a conventional cabinet saw.

The biggest problem I have found with full scale panel saws is the size. They are HUGE and take up lots of space. These include the euro format sliders. But here is the pickle. The slider works god given wonders on the cross cut. Now I can parallel rip cabinet sides up to 8 feet in length on most table saws with excellent parallelism. But what if you need to build a kitchen base cabinet that is 5 feet wide? Hmmm. Even though the sides are in the 36 inch tall area depending on counter top options, etc., you will have to cross cut that 5 foot dimension to be perpendicular to the two parallel sides. The more accurate you are the easier your final assembly.

How does one do this quickly, accurately and often? Well, the ideal solution would be either a vertical panel saw like a striebig or a euro format slider like a martin T-73 or T-74 or T-60, etc. The cross cut capacity of even the largest of the older RAS saws like my old DeWalt GE were at most around 24 to 30 inches maximum. So they work great on cabinet sides which are no more than 24 inches in width. But those pesky back panels... Urgggggggg! And you cannot rip these because you need a reference edge to base any ripping from and that is what your intially trying to cut here. Something about a chicken and an egg.

So I hate to admit this but this sounds like an opportunity for one of the guided fence systems. If your space limitations and budget limitations probibit you from populating your shop with a euro format slider, then this may be the only reasonable solution. By the way, this solution includes any homemade guided fence systems as well. I am sure all of us have used a ripped section of lumber to guide a router or circ saw in the past.

Another item of note here. In visiting some other shops, I have found that many shops who make extensive use of euro format sliders also have a dimensioning saw of some sort. Be that a smaller sliding table saw called a dimensioning saw or a radial arm cut off saw such as the dewalt. Examples of dimensioning saws would include the Unisaw with a slider attachment, the Wadkin PK table saw or the venerable Hammond Glider saw. Also in this group would be the smaller oliver saws such as the 232 or 270 using twin mitre gages linked with a horseshoe attachment. Hammonds were super precise smaller sliding table saws made for cutting lead printing type. They usually need to be modified for woodworking as they have a goofy non-standard arbor but once done, many hammond owners swear by them for small parts cross cutting. They do not tilt however!

Another thing to note about panel saws is that most of the modern panel saws do not support dado blades. But this is one short comming you live with if your using a conventional router equipped with the Micro Fence. Or once again, you can use one of the commercial guide systems if that solution floats your boat. I personally prefer the Micro Fence. I love mine!

[Mark Pruitt]

One nice service Grizzly provides is to help you get in touch with someone who already owns a specific machine you're interested in buying. They provide you with contact information and it's up to you to set up a time to go and take a look. I did this before purchasing my first Griz machine (a drill press) and the guy I visited happened to have a whole shop full of "Green," so I was able to check out a lot of equipment. Your ability to benefit from that service depends on your location--if you're in a metro area you're more likely to find someone close by. BTW, Griz does not give out their customers' names for this service w/o their permission.

Besides the DP, I've owned a contractor table saw (which I'm selling b/c I bought something bigger), a 6" jointer, and an 8" jointer (which replaced the 6" after I sold it). All have performed to my complete satisfaction, and Griz's customer service has never disappointed me.

Mark

[Bobby Hatfield]

Jason, Grizzly fills a void for low priced equipment for us hobbist and small shop owners trying to make our own furniture or hobby projects at low cost or make a living in a small shop building cabinet doors and other projects. I have a shop full of Grizzly machines, build cabinets and furniture at low cost for equipment, i'm a machinist/diemaker and spent days repairing and upgrading the low cost machines, now have been using them for years building everything without a lot of repair on the machines, you live with a machine you learn how to make it perform to your specifications. I am about to order the new 8" Griz jointer, if that tells you anything, saving a few bucks to buy lumber with. Bobby

[Paul B. Cresti]

I got the popcorn machine warmed up. :D

Hey, pass the popcorn Please. I like mine with butter & salt, it is that ying/yang thing

[Jerry Strojny]

I own a griz table saw and a 14" band saw. Love them both.....will buy from them again. I'm looking at a jointer next.:D

[Paul Downes]

I now have 5 grizz machines in the shop. They are not all perfect but you're hearing this from a diemaker. I had to shim one TS wing to get it resonably flat. This being said, I know of no wood that would know the differance. (how's that for a mouthful?) I couldn't help myself, I'm used to precision.
Word of the experianced griz buyer; If you get the green machines, check all the bolts for tightness, I had the motor mount on my 8" jointer come loose. My only complaint about my woodworking machines involves the new combination sander I got from Jet last week. The base was made from plastic. There was nothing in the product description that indicated this when I bought the machine from Amazon. It will be useless to me for grinding metal for more than a few seconds. I have griz; 3hp TS, 17 bandsaw(really nice), 8" jointer, Drill press, and a lathe. I would buy precision where it counts. For instance; I would not repeat the purchase of a cheap lathe chuck. I tried to buy a Oneway chuck last week when the wife walked in and torpedoed the idea. SHE WANTS ME TO EARN SOME MONEY FROM MY WOODWORKING HOBBY TO JUSTIFY NEW PURCHASES! imagine that. I haven't told her yet that I'm looking to upgrade to a variable speed HEAVY lathe as soon as I can afford it. The Powermatic might fit the bill. Turning bowls on a lightweight machine is an adventure sometimes.:D

[Scott Vigder]

After extensive research to buy a new 8" jointer last month, I opted for the Grizz 0490. Feature for feature, pound for pound the best buy currently in the marketplace BY FAR. I am extremely pleased with the way it was shipped, the clarity of their manual, and the fact the machine does exactly what it is supposed to do.
I have a new X5 unisaw, and the finish on my Grizz aircraft carrier is better. Yes, I would Grizz again.

[Steve Clardy]

1023 saw
1033 20" planer
24" drum sander
1/4 hp feeder.
Happy with all of them.

[Vaughn McMillan]

I've got a 6" Grizzly jointer and the Shop Fox 14" bandsaw...I'm very happy with both. The jointer had a couple belt alignment issues when I first assembled it, but nothing that was too hard to overcome, and the price was unbeatable. I'll be including Griz (and Shop Fox) on the list of brands to check closely for my next major tool purchase, whatever and whenever that might be. As others have suggested though, don't get all locked into one particular brand. Any brand has their high and low points in the product line.

- Vaughn

[Rob Blaustein]

jason,
what are you wanting to do in your shop? will this be a hoby shop, small production or light industrial? what is your budget? what are your space constrainsts?
these are some questions that you should address before you start looking at tools. once you know where you`re headed you`ll have a better idea of what equipment you might need, from that point you can start researching the offerings available. it`s very possible that you will opt for older industrial type equipment over new once you`ve taken the time to research? if you do decide to go with new take the time to visit folks shops who have the type of equipment you`re looking for from several manufacturers/importers/rebranders.
putting together a shop is a major financial outlay and should be approached slowly with all of the information you`re able to gather. never has the old saying "the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweet price of a bargain" been more true. i`m a firm beliver in "only cry once".
so given what i`ve said i`ll not comment on any brand of equipment untill you`ve researched your options and know where you`d like to be...02 tod
OK, I agree with this except for the part about "only cry once" (with all due respect to Tod, Jim and Stu, and wishing my 10 week old would heed this advice). Although this a very natural and understandable response to getting a bad machine, the argument for avoiding any future purchases, assuming the company has a good track record, is not really sound. The reason why is a statistical one. Imagine that company X makes a bunch of different machines and that most of them have been well received by most users. But we recognize, say because of posts here (which is a sort of bias), that there are the unlucky few customers who will get a dud, for whatever reason. So if you write off company X because you happen to be unlucky with your first machine, you will never get the chance to try out their others, even though the odds are in your favor that the other tools would be great. Now this argument doesn't hold of course if the company reliably makes bad tools, but the companies we're talking about are not like that. That said, there are particular models of tools made by some companies that are just not well thought out or put together, and so researching the particular tool by reading posts here or reviews elsewhere will help one avoid them, as Tod points out.

[Dale Thompson]

Jason,
Grizzly has been sort of an enigma ever since I invented the www back in the 1840s! ;) Five or six years ago, most people either HATED Grizzly or LOVED them. Just like every other manufacturer, Grizzly has had their problems over the latter time frame. :( Perhaps they have had a few more quality problems than some of the other manufacturers but, then again, maybe not! :confused:

Even in their WORST times, however, Grizzly has always been a company that gave you a "GREAT bang for your buck"! ;) :D Personally, I do not have any "major" Grizzly tools but I DO have a number of their "support" tools such as dial verniers, magnetic "last word" equipment, faceplates, etc. They have functioned as well, or better, than my Starretts! :)

If I had a bigger shop and was looking to add a "major" tool or two, I would CERTAINLY have Grizzly on me "short list"! :cool: :)

If I were looking at a specific Grizzly tool, I would PM John Hebert! He may be a crook and a scoundrel - but I think that he would be HONEST!! (-:

Dale T.

[Gary Swart]

When ever and where ever this question arises, it always gets pages of replies that can really raise the hackles on both sides of the issue. To me it comes down to the old, "Bang for the Buck" adage. The reason Grizzly can sell a good quality product for less money that other good companies is based at least in part on three facts. One: Grizzly clones many of the machines the produce, so they do not have the expense of development of new products. Two: This is the big one. They sell direct to the consumer. This means no middle man costs and reduces shipping, and because of their volume, they have worked out sweetheart deals with transportation companies to further keep prices lower. Three: Grizzly quality has been constantly improved over the years and they stand behind their products very well. It used to be folks would argue about Grizzly importing everything for Asia, but that isn't much argument anymore since virtually every company import all or most of their machines from Asia. I have 5 Grizzly major machines and several hand tools and have be quite satisfied with all of the big guys, but some of the small tools have not proven to be too reliable. However, when I have return a defective product, it has been promptly replaced without question.

[tod evans]

OK, I agree with this except for the part about "only cry once" (with all due respect to Tod, Jim and Stu, and wishing my 10 week old would heed this advice). Although this a very natural and understandable response to getting a bad machine, the argument for avoiding any future purchases, assuming the company has a good track record, is not really sound. The reason why is a statistical one. Imagine that company X makes a bunch of different machines and that most of them have been well received by most users. But we recognize, say because of posts here (which is a sort of bias), that there are the unlucky few customers who will get a dud, for whatever reason. So if you write off company X because you happen to be unlucky with your first machine, you will never get the chance to try out their others, even though the odds are in your favor that the other tools would be great. Now this argument doesn't hold of course if the company reliably makes bad tools, but the companies we're talking about are not like that. That said, there are particular models of tools made by some companies that are just not well thought out or put together, and so researching the particular tool by reading posts here or reviews elsewhere will help one avoid them, as Tod points out.

rob,
"only cry once" was intended to refrence buying the absolute best machine you can possibly afford. these machines usually tax the pocketbook hence making you "cry", and you only do so once `cause every time you use a high quality machine from that point on you usually smile......02 tod

[Paul B. Cresti]

When ever and where ever this question arises, it always gets pages of replies that can really raise the hackles on both sides of the issue. To me it comes down to the old, "Bang for the Buck" adage. The reason Grizzly can sell a good quality product for less money that other good companies is based at least in part on three facts. One: Grizzly clones many of the machines the produce, so they do not have the expense of development of new products. Two: This is the big one. They sell direct to the consumer. This means no middle man costs and reduces shipping, and because of their volume, they have worked out sweetheart deals with transportation companies to further keep prices lower. Three: Grizzly quality has been constantly improved over the years and they stand behind their products very well. It used to be folks would argue about Grizzly importing everything for Asia, but that isn't much argument anymore since virtually every company import all or most of their machines from Asia. I have 5 Grizzly major machines and several hand tools and have be quite satisfied with all of the big guys, but some of the small tools have not proven to be too reliable. However, when I have return a defective product, it has been promptly replaced without question.

Gary,
Very true but I will add a #4.... they manufacture products in a country(s) where labor is so below our own labor costs that is ridiculous. Is is very hard for those designs, which originated here, to be produced here cheaper than over there (over there, over there..... the yanks are coming, the yanks are coming ....sorry could not resist:D ). Our own standards of living are so high, insurance costs, legal costs... are out of control. So in many ways we as a society are the reason for companies like this, good or bad.....The interesting thing will be to see how these companies will adapt to the market as it changes in the future. Eventually consumers will want even cheaper prices and higher quality standards....something that generally does not go hand in hand. Also eventually the labor costs & standard of living in these countries will increase and then so will the prices.....

[Rob Blaustein]

rob,
"only cry once" was intended to refrence buying the absolute best machine you can possibly afford. these machines usually tax the pocketbook hence making you "cry", and you only do so once `cause every time you use a high quality machine from that point on you usually smile......02 tod

Oops--totally misunderstood you. Thanks for clarifying. I feel like Emily Latella from SNL--"never mind."

[Charles Bruno]

I have the go555 bandsaw it has worked well for me. No complants.

[Keith Foster]

Wow! Did I just enter an alternate universe or something? 3 pages so far an no one is really ragging on Grizzly? How is that possible? :)

I'm on the "Buy Grizzly" ban wagon - Got a garage full of green and satisfied with everyone of them. Just not use to NOT having to stick up for them. You guys getting mellow or something? :p

Seriously though. Great customer service, great pricing, excellent value.

[Don Blaise]

Hi Jason. I am new to this site but not Grizzly products. I have a 6" Jointer and have been very pleased with the quality and performance not to mention the price.

Don Blaise
from lower Alabama