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Thread: Are grizzly machines good?

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Are grizzly machines good?

    I noticed the newer stuff seems to be a good bit cheaper than the other brands, powermatic, jet and delta. Is it a cheaper knock off? I know for the helical cutter heads, I believe they have their own in house brand of head.

  2. #2
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    Your replies have a chance of being a little lopsided on this forum.

  3. #3
    Simple answer is yes. Yes they are good for the most part. They do have some less expensive items that aren't great, but I don't think anything in that price range is.

  4. #4
    This is all I’m gonna add. Staying out of this one..


    https://media.giphy.com/media/tFK8urY6XHj2w/giphy.gif



    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Coers View Post
    Your replies have a chance of being a little lopsided on this forum.

  5. #5
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    Let me know when you run out, I'll bring you a refill. 😁

  6. #6
    Well, they are pretty popular around here, and the owner is a sponsor of the site. That said, they are a pretty good value for what you get, and their selection and support is good. The "big four" for the last few decades have been Delta, Powermatic, Jet, and Grizzly (you could maybe include General in here, but alas, they are no more).

    Delta kind of went into a tailspin after Pentair sold them, and is just starting to recover. Powermatic and Jet are owned by JPW. Powermatic is known for their warranty, which probably drives up the cost of their tools. Jet was kind of a quality but still value line, but has crept up in price over the years. Grizzly started out with a little bit of a suspect reputation (I'm thinking 30 years ago), but is now known as one of the more quality and reliable brands. My next jointer will more than likely be a Grizzly (someday, sigh).

    I've had tools from all four, Delta, Powermatic, Jet, and Grizzly. No complaints on any of them, other than the fact that my jointer is too small, but that is not the fault of the jointer; just the guy to cheap to upgrade it.
    Last edited by Andrew Seemann; 02-15-2020 at 11:58 PM.

  7. #7
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    I don't think that the statement "Is it a cheaper knockoff" is true at all. They are marketed direct to the buyer ,essentially eliminating at least one layer of "middlemen"and therefore reducing cost to the consumer. I have a Grizzly cyclone dust collector and a grinder to sharpen planer knives,both are good machines that do what they are supposed to do. I pretty much put all Asian made equipment in the same category no matter the color,it works . Yes there are better made machines out there but they cost far more. There are different quality levels in Grizzly's catalog as well. Get a catalog and spend some time looking you will quickly figure out there are "budget" tools and then better ones,kind of something for everyone.

  8. #8
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    It’s hard to classify by brand in today’s market. It is wiser to shop the machine, not the color of paint. Through no preplanned sort of grand scheme I have ended up with five grizzly machines in my shop. I also have Jet, Delta, Supermax and an array of other colors. For the particular grizzly machines I have I feel they are the best bang for the buck. In the cases where Powermatic and others make near identical machines the cost difference makes no sense to me. This does not mean that Powermatic, Jet and others don’t have their particular machines which excel; they do. The point being that a generic brand question is not really viable in today’s market.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  9. #9
    In general, Grizzly machinery is a good value. I've seen plenty of their machines do commercial duty day in and day out for years.

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    When Grizzly first came on the scene they did sell some Harbor Freight level machines. I still have one, a Shop Fox metal cutting band saw. It's pretty crude but it cuts metal pretty accurately and given my frequency of use - rarely - and I paid $80 for it at one of the last tent sales in Muncy PA, pretty good value . Their higher $ machines compare favorably to Delta/Powermatic/Laguna etc. etc. I know some cases where owners of orphaned "American" conpanies' machines have found Grizzly parts to fit perfectly. So yeah, some Asian machines are indeed knock-offs of U.S. machines.

  11. Like most things- you get what you pay for. If you have never used a better built machine then you will be just fine.

  12. #12
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    Travis

    I have absolutely no dog in this fight. I do not own, nor have ever used a Grizzly machine, but I have seen this question asked many, many times through the years.( I do have a Grizzly 3HP motor though.)

    On this forum you have professional woodworkers, "prosumer" wood workers, some very talented hobbyists, and DIYs that need machines for home maintenance and the odd projects.
    if you're processing thousands of linear feet cut of material through a machine on a weekly basis, than a Grizzly probably won't have a robust enough build for your needs.
    It comes down to build quality and machine tolerance. Their machines are much lower priced than others, but they're not really intended for widespread application in a commercial, or industrial environment.
    I will also say, at the risk of offending some folks, that the machine lines you are comparing them too, are overpriced when sold as new. This is reflected in Craigslist,and FaceBook Marketplace, adds all over the country.

    The machine name, or color, has nothing to do with the quality of what is produced by the wood worker. I've seen folks that could pull a tablesaw out of a scrap dumpster, and do wonderful work with it, and I've seen folks with tablesaws that cost thousands of dollars that can't cut a straight line, square to a side, with it.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Cutler View Post
    The machine name, or color, has nothing to do with the quality of what is produced by the wood worker. I've seen folks that could pull a tablesaw out of a scrap dumpster, and do wonderful work with it, and I've seen folks with tablesaws that cost thousands of dollars that can't cut a straight line, square to a side, with it.
    Very well said Mike!
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  14. #14
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    Well, in today's world I would not call Grizzly machines knockoffs. Yes, when Powermatic and Delta were made in the U.S.A., Asian companies copied them but that was over 30 years ago. So most of the name brands are made by the same equity firm in China. So a Grizzly is Grizzly. Good machines at good prices.
    Ask a woodworker to "make your bed" and he/she makes a bed.

  15. #15
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    Dec 2005
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    Lake George NY
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    My grizzly 17 inch bandsaw works flawlessly. Very happy with it.

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