Grizzly G0596 - Industrial grinder review

[Greg Portland]

This review is about my Grizzly G0596 industrial bench grinder. If you read their catalog, it seem pretty obvious that they went about trying to make a direct competitor to Baldor's grinders. The G0596 is a 1 HP 8"x1" grinder with cast iron wheel guards and steel eye shields (with lighting). Compared to the Baldor, you get an extra 1/4 HP and a little more beef/weight for $170 less. Both companies offer a slow speed (1800RPM) grinder which is preferable for tool steel. Baldor is a well known name in motors but Grizzly also claims to use a high quality motor on this unit. I have taken heavy cuts with it and the motor does not get hot at all. Compare that with using my 3/4 HP Baldor buffer (the motor gets hot during extended use). So far, I have had zero issues with either unit failing. The coolant trough is fairly small, you are better off with a larger container mounted to your stand if you are doing a lot of grinding.

I use my grinder for rough sharpening & shaping metal. I quickly ordered Norton 3X stones for the grinder. The included stones (like most grinders) are very hard and make it easy to burn your edges when sharpening. The 'softer' Norton 3X stones are much more forgiving on tool steel. The wheels + the slow grinding speed make a good combination for sharpening & creating initial bevels. I finish sharpening with another method.

I would recommend this tool for people who constantly use their grinder (turners, metalworkers, people who incorporate metal into their work, etc.).

Pros: - indestructible
- Optional stand
- Lots of power w/o motor overheating problems
- Solid tool rests & eye guard adjustments
- built for daily use and abuse
- Price is attractive when compared with Baldor & others
Cons: - Overkill for most woodworkers
- Not portable unless you build a cart for it

[Scott T Smith]

Greg, I have the same grinder and I'd have to say that you authored a pretty accurate review about it.

[Jim Voos]

I was curious if you could tell us how true the shaft is when running. How long does the Grinder run after you turn it off? It would be interesting to know the tolerances if you guys could measure the runout

[John Callahan]

Many thanks for the review .................. this is on my wish list. How good is the lighting?

[Ken Garlock]

Hi Greg. That grinder look a lot like my Baldor 6". If you read the writeup at Grizzly, you will see that Griz contacted an American motor and grinder maker. That company 'wasn't interested in a new account.' So Griz went to Taiwan. You can't keep industry in the US, if the industry doesn't want the business.

[george wilson]

The main problem with the Taiwan/Asian motors I have seen,is that they are not dipped in insulating varnish. I haven't looked into the motor on the Grizzly grinder,of course.

I had the 3 hp. motor on a Grizzly lathe arc across the bearings and blow out. I still have its brother lathe,both bought in 1986 at home. The one at home hasn't been used a lot as I always worked down town. I only hope it stands up,because I'm retired now,and using it more.

It has been recommended that you take your new Asian motors open,and have their armatures dipped. Of course,that is a lot of trouble,but I mention it for what it's worth.

[Greg Wittler]

Thanks for the review Greg, I was looking into Baldor & Grizzly Buffers earlier this evening (and for the past few months) and your review is the first I have found that compares both of them. I am planning on using it with a beall buffing system on a bentwood project that I will soon be working on where I want to achieve a highly polished finish. I am hoping the 1hp will be enough.

Greg2

[Tom Henderson2]

Hi Greg. That grinder look a lot like my Baldor 6". If you read the writeup at Grizzly, you will see that Griz contacted an American motor and grinder maker. That company 'wasn't interested in a new account.' So Griz went to Taiwan. You can't keep industry in the US, if the industry doesn't want the business.

Most likely the issue was price. In other words, the US company wasn't interested in selling to Grizzly at the price point Grizzly wanted.

[David Weaver]

Most likely the issue was price. In other words, the US company wasn't interested in selling to Grizzly at the price point Grizzly wanted.

Ditto that. Most of us claim to want the US made version, but nobody will pay for it when nobody is watching them purchase.

I'd pay the extra money for the baldor, you're only buying it once. Or better yet, wait a few months and find a used baldor for $300 with a stand.

[Gary Herrmann]

I'm curious, how long does it take to spin down to a stop after it's gotten up to full speed?

[Callan Campbell]

I've seen the grinders you mentioned in Grizzly's catalog for years. Always felt they were indeed overkill for my needs, but also always wondered how they stacked up against Baldor and others for this heavy of a unit. The weight alone of the larger units is pretty amazing. Not something you'd move too often.

[Shiraz Balolia]

Most likely the issue was price. In other words, the US company wasn't interested in selling to Grizzly at the price point Grizzly wanted.

No - they told us they already had a dealer in our city and did not want to jeopardize that business. Incidentally, it is a city of less than 100 thousand people and the dealer has three people working there. They primarily repair motors and hardly stock any Baldor products. Our first stocking order would have been 5 years of that dealer's purchases! I personally tried to go up the ladder, only to be told that they would sell to us the Baldor line if we converted every single machine we sold to have Baldor motors. We could not even get to the pricing and costs.

Perhaps they have had a change in mentality now that the economy may have taken its toll. We set out to make a better grinder than theirs and succeeded.

[Andrew Joiner]

No - they told us they already had a dealer in our city and did not want to jeopardize that business. Incidentally, it is a city of less than 100 thousand people and the dealer has three people working there. They primarily repair motors and hardly stock any Baldor products. Our first stocking order would have been 5 years of that dealer's purchases! I personally tried to go up the ladder, only to be told that they would sell to us the Baldor line if we converted every single machine we sold to have Baldor motors. We could not even get to the pricing and costs.

Perhaps they have had a change in mentality now that the economy may have taken its toll. We set out to make a better grinder than theirs and succeeded.

Thanks Shiraz,

It's great to find out how the business really is. I get the feeling Baldor is "old school" and may have lost out on a great partnership with you.

[David Weaver]

We set out to make a better grinder than theirs and succeeded.

Bit early to tell if that's the case, no?

And I don't carry any water for baldor - have no products in my shop with a baldor motor, just figure it may take 50 years or more to tell if that statement is true.

[Gary Herrmann]

We set out to make a better grinder than theirs and succeeded.

Shiraz, I'm thinking about a new grinder. Can you tell me how this one is better than a Baldor 8" slow speed grinder?

I'm not looking for a flame war. I have 5 tools in my shop that have Baldor motors. If a better option is available, I want to know about it.