Grizzly Go454 20" Planer

[robert cohen]

I was interested in this planer but I have no way to see and feel it. I know some have itbut what is the build quality compared to say PM 209 or Steel city planer.

Is the motor Chinese? I heard of problems with large Chinese motors.

Is the casting milled smooth?

I am looking to buy this soon.

[J.R. Rutter]

As far as I can tell, this style of planer is VERY similar, brand-to-brand. I had the Shop Fox for a few years before I got a 24" RC-63. I never had a problem with the motor, which was 5 HP 1PH on mine. I did manage to bog it down from time-to-time, but the thermal overload in the starter took care of it.

[dale rex]

I have the Grizzly 0454. Just bought it in Nov. 2006. I dont have any other planers to compare it to, but it has performed flawlessly since I have bought it. The milling on the top surface of the cast iron table is fairly smooth, but not perfect. Good enough for performance reasons, but not real pretty.:rolleyes: The edges are somewhat rough on the table. No big deal. Everything else is nicely finished on the base and the top cover. How far away are you from Muncy? Maybe you should take a field trip to Grizzly and check it out yourself? I live near Allentown, PA and it only took me 2 hrs to get there. I would consider it if I were you. If you are interested in looking at my planer you are more than welcome to come to my house to check it out. Grizzly also provides a list of references of people in your area that already own this planer. I did this before I bought my Grizzly 8" jointer and it helped me alot in making my decision to buy it. PM me or email me if you are interested.

[Brian Ross]

I recently purchased a GRIZZLY 17 INCH BANDSAW, G0513. I was very impressed with the quality of the castings, very smooth and uniform castings. It is not a mini max or Laguana but is excellent value for the money. It was made in Taiwan. I have a DC that that is 6 yrs old with a Taiwan motor and it is a good as the day I bought it.

Brian

[fRED mCnEILL]

I have had the 20 inch Grizzly planer you are looking at for about 10 months. Previously I used a Dewalt lunchbox planer.

It takes bigger cuts and when the blades are sharp the cut is S-M-O-O-T-H. There is more adjusting you can do as far as rough and smoother wood is concerned whereas on the Dewalt what you see is what you get. The Grizzly is MUCH quiter than the Dewalt.

I did have a problem with the griz motor as the plastic fan on the motor shaft worked loose but I was able to tighen it and haven't had a problem since. Also I had a problem with the Dewalt in that a gear broke, which I understand is still a problem on newer models. I'm not really that impressed with any of my Dewalt tools though.

I like the Grizzly and would buy it again as it gives me MUCH greater capacity and the end result is smooth accurate cuts.

I will say though, that I was a little surprised at the cost of having the knives(4) sharpened. On the other hand a new set of 4 knives cost me $75 Cdn while a set of 2 Dewalt knives was $60 Cdn.

[robert cohen]

would I begiving up anything if I bought this planer versus a PM. I have a PM66 and thus this colors my judgement. If the two function the same, there is no need to spend the extra money. as a matter of fact, I can get the Grizzly and shelix head for almost same price as the PM 209.

I am looking for a final push.

[lou sansone]

I had a grizz 20 inch and ran a boat load of lumber through it. not a production machine, but for most hobbiest, a great machine. it is one of their tried and true designs.

lou