How is Grizzly overall as a brand?

[Art Mann]

If you want a quality machine at an affordable price , used Euro is the way to go. Takes more effort, and a bit of homework but its better than some stuff that's green. Seriously, I do not consider any of the tools that I used last winter to be safe, especially the shapers.

Larry

I have stated this many times on these forums but it is worth repeating. For many people like myself, advice on buying used European equipment is useless. There simply is no such equipment available on a regular basis from any of the normal outlets within a 100 mile radius. There isn't any old US made equipment either. If I upgrade equipment, I am going to have to buy new or wait for years. I don't plan to spend the money to buy commercial/industrial or high end hobby equipment so what is my next best option? I don't own any Grizzly equipment but judging by what a majority of people on these forums say, they are a pretty good bet for many tools.

[Michael Yadfar]

I have stated this many times on these forums but it is worth repeating. For many people like myself, advice on buying used European equipment is useless. There simply is no such equipment available on a regular basis from any of the normal outlets within a 100 mile radius. There isn't any old US made equipment either. If I upgrade equipment, I am going to have to buy new or wait for years. I don't plan to spend the money to buy commercial/industrial or high end hobby equipment so what is my next best option? I don't own any Grizzly equipment but judging by what a majority of people on these forums say, they are a pretty good bet for many tools.

Thats my issue. I really like the old USA tools, but I've been searching Craigslist at least once a day for a few months. Some stuff you can find like bandsaws, but planer? Forget it. Only a few planers go up that would even fit what most hobbiest and I would look for, and you obviously got so many people looking from many miles away, so these go quick. The machines you actually do find that still fit standards are either overpriced or in too much need of work. I'm sorry but I, not willing to buy a machine for $2,000 with 30 years of wear even if it does run. I'm also not willing to spend $400 for a rust bucket that doesn't work. I'm not dissing anyone here, I do respect the people who restore these things, but it's not me. I buy a machine to cut wood, not spend thousands of dollars and take a few years to find parts for

As far as Grizzly is concerned, what I'm learning is the value of it for me. I've suspected this before posting in this forum, but from what I understand all the Asian tool brands are basically the same product, different name and price. Maybe a few differences, but I would rather go with the lower priced. Obviously a good company like MiniMax will outperform the crap out of a Grizzly, but for me spending a few hours a day in my hobby shop, I feel like it wouldn't be worth spending thousands of more for the better machine. If I was small commercial or a serious hobbiest, hell yea I'd go with the top of the line machine. It all comes down to my purpose is what I'm really feeling here

[Kevin Womer]

I guess I don't understand the lovefest around here either. I certainly hope posts aren't tinkered with as some have mentioned, it would undermine the legitimacy of this forum. That being said, I own or have owned Delta, Jet, Steel City, Ridgid, Dewalt, Sears, Sawstop and Grizzly. You get what you pay for. Grizzly is a decent machine for the money, not the best and not the worst either. It serves a person well if it's your hobby, if I did this as a professional, I would want a better brand, but like I said, that would also be more expensive. A consumer must weigh factors other than cost as well, shop room size, how often a machine would be used, customer service, replacement parts and so on. All things considered, Grizzly is dependable, middle of the road machinery with a great track record for customer service.

[Charles Coolidge]

I actually said both Powermatic and Jet are made in Asia. My perception however is that they are generally better machines than Grizzly with a bit better quality control and finish.

They are not, I own both and for some machines Grizzly is superior at a much lower cost. Not every machine in every category but one example is the Grizzly G0696x 12" 5hp table saw, it is superior to the Powermatic PM2000 10" and cost less. I have both and know them both well. The 8" parallelogram jointer is another example where Grizzly and PM are about the exact same machine, same castings same factory both have CHINA motor. I called up PM and asked them if they could tell me what I would get for the much higher priced PM and they couldn't list a single feature.

[Rick Fisher]

Grizzly is IMO about the same as the rest of the Asian Imports.. Powermatic has nicer knobs such but its way more money ..

Euro tools are way nicer.. and way more expensive. You get what you pay for ..

One thing to remember is that Grizzly sells direct to the public. Jet and the rest sell through retailers. So Grizzly is cheaper .. More competitive .. Customer service .. Grizzly wins.

[Peter Quinn]

If you want a quality machine at an affordable price , used Euro is the way to go. Takes more effort, and a bit of homework but its better than some stuff that's green. Seriously, I do not consider any of the tools that I used last winter to be safe, especially the shapers.

Oh, Tata motors now owns Jaguar, so if you know anyone with a Jag make sure you mention that fact.

Larry

I was looking for a used shaper to replace my delta Hd for almost 3 years, never found a thing that fit, was saving for a new powermatic when one day on a whim after long since giving up I looked at Craig's list and found a barely used minimax t-40 in my back yard. Sure can take patience. On the green thing, I'm using a few now, haven't found anything unsafe, but changing spindles or speeds on the shapers has proven madening. And the fences? More like a Hollywood prop or strange joke than actual tool. Never seen a 7hp motor that small before either!

[Scot wolf]

I have and have had more than a few griz tools. I have also used my share of high end stuff. I have not problem making what I need to make with the green tools. I don't have the resources to fill a shop with high end stuff, so the griz fits the bill. Other than a few elec issues, I have had years a service with all my griz stuff. Although I will admit I can't glout and strut aroung a interweb forum because I have the best and you don't.

[Jeff Duncan]

I usually try to stay away from these types of posts as it's hard to give an opinion without sounding like your bashing one company or other. Or for guys to feel like your trying to boast about your equipment. I have to say though I think Peter's posts hit the nail on the head and I could not have said it any better.

The question becomes what do you want from a machine and what do you want to spend? As another guy who depends on my machines to make a living the majority of the equipment I buy is used. I have a thread here on an old 40+ year old SCM tilting shaper that I just rebuilt. I spent a good amount of time on it and invested a little money in it. Now I have a machine that I couldn't replace with anything new. Probably the closest would be well over $10k conservatively. Is that boasting about my equipment….I don't know? But for me it was by far the cheapest way to get a quality machine, as it cost me less than a new Grizzly! Also for me the idea of not being able to find a machine locally is a non-factor. Sure it's easier, but if you need a machine you get it. I've had equipment shipped halfway across the country. Now I'm not saying a guy doing this as a hobby in his garage should go so far. I'm just clarifying that the equipment is out there if one has the desire to get it. When you use your equipment to make money I think you look at it somewhat differently.


So it all comes down to what you want/need for your shop. In the beginning of this thread you sounded like money was no object and you wanted good quality equipment. Now it seems as though it's shifted to buying the least costly machine available? It's your shop so you have to make that decision. But I'll say again that I agree with Peter, I've bought new Grizzly and Bridgewood machines, and I've bought a lot of last generation new or almost new Powermatic and Delta equipment, and regardless of looks, they are not the same quality and they do not perform the same. Whether or not they are worth the premium they charge is a different issue, and one that only you can decide.

good luck,
JeffD

[Curt Harms]

I was looking for a used shaper to replace my felt Hd for almost 3 years, never found a thing that fit, was saving for a new powermatic when one day on a whim after long since giving up I looked at Craig's list and found a barely used minimax t-40 in my back yard. Sure can take patience. On the green thing, I'm using a few now, haven't found anything unsafe, but changing spindles or speeds on the shapers has proven madening. And the fences? More like a Hollywood prop or strange joke than actual tool. Never seen a 7hp motor that small before either!

That's one thing I've noticed as well. Both my Rikon 10-325 1.5 h.p. and Jet JJP-12 3 h.p. motors are smaller than I'm used to. I have a 1.5 h.p. G.E. motor which has to be at least 25% larger and heavier than the Rikon motor. Both Asian motors seem to have adequate power for my uses but there have been complaints about the Jet JJP-12 overheating. Not when run for a few minutes at a time but when run continuously for perhaps an hour. It's in a fully enclosed base so little or not air circulation which I'm sure doesn't help. I doubt a Minimax or Hammer J/P would have the same limitation. For me it doesn't matter though, I only run it a few minutes at a time. If I were processing 400-500 bd. ft. at a time rather than 4-5 boards, it'd likely be a different story.

[Ruhi Arslan]

What would you consider the "Toyota" brand of hobbiest tools?

For hobby use or not, in my opinion, Hammer is Toyota, Felder is Lexus made by Toyota. Then there is all those high end European luxury and/or performance cars.

[scott vroom]

I've owned a Griz 15" spiral planer, 8" spiral jointer, 10" table saw for about 5 years and use them regularly, mostly on cabinet projects. I made my decision to purchase based on my belief that they were an exceptional value. 5 years later I still believe this to be true.

There are a few of posters at this site that consistently rip on Grizzly and I don't understand their enmity. Grizzly is a fantastic entry point for a hobbyist willing to deal with occasional (and mostly minor) mechanical issues.

[Charles Coolidge]

This G0696X 12" 5HP table saw with a 2" thick 48" wide cast iron top costs $2,374 shipped. There is no new table saw under $5000 that is better than this saw. Lets see how it compares to the Powermatic PM2000 I have that cost substantially more. The PM2000 has a considerable crown right in the middle of the cast iron top a straight edge will rock back and forth on, the built in casters are falling apart I keep picking up pieces of the wheels that fall off, its currently broke down I think the start cap has gone bad, it uses puny fasteners on the rails, there's only 3 bolts holding on the rear rail, PM says you can drill a 4th hole if you want and install your own bolt, the Grizzly comes standard with 6 bolts front and rear. The table finish on the Grizzly is vastly superior to the PM2000. The PM2000 contact strips on the front rail are ground to about a 80 grit finish that chews up the nylon contact pads, the Grizzly is ground to about a 220 grit finish. Its not even a contest the Grizzly puts a beat down on the much more expensive Powermatic.

In my opinion on certain machines such as this saw Grizzly table saw, quality has been improving while at the same time other former top brands like Powermatic and Jet have gone down hill. This is not a universal truth, you can still find Grizzly machines with quality issues, you can still find other brands with a better machine in a given price range. That's why I have a mix of Powermatic, Grizzly, Jet, and Delta in my shop. But the days where you could count on Powermatic brand machines to be better than Grizzly are long gone.

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[J.R. Rutter]

Grizzly is a fantastic entry point for a hobbyist willing to deal with occasional (and mostly minor) mechanical issues.

I think that's what it boils down to. Just be aware that "mostly minor" implies "sometimes major." At least they have warehouses full of new equipment and parts, and you can actually talk to a tech to help remedy problems.

[Frank Martin]

My only experience with Grizzly was with the Jointer / Planer combo with a spiral head. It was the first ever machine sold in the US. It was supposedly checked by technicians before shipping. First time I turned it on the cutters hit the dust chute and damaged many of the cutters, which was due to an issue in original assembly. Customer service was great, they sent me new dust chute and cutter inserts. Then it worked fine for a while. Then, first the motor start capacitor went bust. Another time, the wheel that enables change from jointer to planer function got damaged. Again, service was great I could buy all the parts to make the machine operational again. All of this was actually with minimal, infrequent use because life got too busy and we also moved. I only made one dresser using the machine. In the end I sold it because it was the only machine that gave me so many problems. I also had a Unisaw and before the Grizzly Delta 6" jointer and lunch box planer. None of the Delta machines gave me any problems. Recently I have upgraded to a Minimax combination machine and it is easily better than both the Delta and the Grizzly machines. So, I am sure Grizzly has some better machines than the combo I had at one time, but seems like quality is not consistently good across different models. However, the price is also low, so basically you get roughly what you pay for.

[Rod Sheridan]

Peter, were you using a General International or a General planer?

Big difference, General was made in Canada, General International is made in Taiwan....................Regards, Rod.