Are grizzly machines good?

[Jim Becker]

Like any manufacturer, there are both great machines and not-so great machines in the lineup, but as has been indicated, prices reflect the economies of direct marketing and having good control over the actual manufacturing. Buying from them is no different than buying from any other mass market brand name tool company...choose carefully and you'll be very happy. Grizzly is a success story.

[Ron Selzer]

"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."

So true, very true

I have Grizzly tools and will buy more, also have Powermatic, Sears, Harbor Freight, Jet, Delta, Woodmaster, etc.
Look the tool over good, then decide if it meets YOUR needs, YOUR wants and YOUR expectations.
I made a dealer take back a JET table saw in the 80's due to over 10 "defects" that I refused to put up with at that price point. Replaced it with a Delta table saw for $50 more that met my expectations for that price point. Later I bought a Jet jointer that met my expectations for the price point and have used it for 30 years+, happily. I have a 2hp, 2 bag dust collector generic Taiwan made that has worked good for over 30 years for me. A 15" wide belt sander bought used, generic Taiwan made works good for me.
Also have a SawStop ICS with all options available when I bought it. Found a cross threaded bolt, sent letter with pictures they sent me a new bolt, also very helpful on the phone when I was asking about how to disassemble for moving down into the basement. They have a very slick way of removing the motor.

There is some total junk out there so look it over good before buying, even the best companies make lemons sometimes, the really good companies stand behind their product and do what needs done to correct the issues. Some with "really good names" will tell you that is how it is live with it. Grizzly doesn't seem to be one to do this.

Good luck
Ron

[Travis Conner]

That's the other thing is the jet 208HH planer is the same looking planer with 4 or 5 different brand names. Same thing with the jointer. The powermatic jointer looks the same as the grizzly jointer. The only difference visually is the maybe the handle and knob designs, so it's like who originally makes these?

[Edwin Santos]

I don't own any Grizzly tools but I certainly wouldn't disqualify them if I were in the market.

It seems to me that early on in their history, the quality of Grizzly tools was questionable. But at some point they made a commitment to improving the standards of their machinery and things improved quite a bit. I have worked in a shop where they had a large Grizzly jointer with a segmented cutterhead and it was very robust and stood up to a lot of volume. On this discussion forum, there are more than a few very discriminating woodworkers who seem to be enthusiastic endorsers of Grizzly based on their tool purchases.

[Andrew More]

I currently own an original G1023 Cabinet saw from the 90s, a 1 1/2 HP Cyclone Dust collector, and a 8" jointer with segmented cutter head. I am very pleased with all three purchases, at the price point. I think this is an important point to make. Grizzly has excellent machines, that perform the task at hand, but are not luxury products. If you like tools that are functional, then Grizzly is excellent. If you want a tool that will blow you away, with quality in every point, then maybe you want to think about something else.

All of my grizzly tools perform the task very well, in that I have little to complain about. However, the manuals tend to be subpar, generally consisting of simple black and white. In the case of the DC it was slightly out of date with the model I was actually shipped, which said I needed to direct wire the cyclone, but when it arrived actually had a plug. A quick call with one of their very helpful techs addressed the issue. I also had some minor issues with the power coat in the DC.

For the planer the mobile base that it shipped with would drop the base onto the floor with a very hard impact. Not a problem for anybody who occasionally moves theirs, but a problem for me, because I move it each time I use it. I fixed this with a new mobile base, instead of the free one included with the tool. I'm also a bit disappointed with the dust collection, in that the jointer does not appear to be sealed. This means I can feel the DC when I put my hand under the supporting table.

None of these are serious flaws that effect the quality or performance of the tool, but I also not the level of polish I would next expect it from a top of the line manufacturer either.

To me it's a bit of a Honda Civic, vs Bugatti Chiron distinction. A Honda Civic is a perfectly functional vehicle, but it's not going to have the same level of fit and finish. For me I don't need a luxury tool, so Grizzly provides excellent value for the money. I have bought tools from them in the past, and will continue to do so in the future.

I also drive a 13 year old Honda Accord, have a house in a less desirable neighborhood, in a low cost of ownership part of the country, and don't own any Festool products. I make a lot of my own tools, buy used off Craigslist, and look for deals on everything. For me value for money is a higher priority than people who want high fit and finish, cool looking tools, or items that convey status.

So you need to figure out for yourself what is your priority in buying tools. If you want something that works well, with a minimum of bells and whistles, Grizzly is a good brand. If you want something that looks amazing, will impress people, and has lots of bells and whistles, I think you want another brand.

[Peter Kelly]

That's the other thing is the jet 208HH planer is the same looking planer with 4 or 5 different brand names. Same thing with the jointer. The powermatic jointer looks the same as the grizzly jointer. The only difference visually is the maybe the handle and knob designs, so it's like who originally makes these?

Chiu Ting Geetech are one of their suppliers along with Delta, Powermatic, Jet, Sawstop, et al. http://www.geetech.com.tw/index.php/...-partenrship-e

I'm pretty sure Grizzly doesn't manufacture anything themselves which is why a lot of this stuff all looks the same minus the branding.

[Alex Zeller]

Unfortunately a thread like this isn't going to produce much. A much better way to ask the question about Grizzly tools is to either pick out a specific one or what tool(s) you are looking for and then hear from those who own them and the comparable brands. For example I'm looking at adding a 20" planer. I do to the limitations I have it'll most likely be something like the Powermatic 209. But they are made by the same company for Powermatic that also makes Grizzly's X1033 line. From there a simple search will bring up lots of reviews and comparisons. If I still have questions then I would post the specific question.

My neighbor, who makes a living woodworking, hates Grizzly stuff. If you ask him their older stuff was pretty good (because he had a Grizzly planer that was better than he expected) but now they are not worth buying (because he knows people who've had problems with Grizzly products). Most comments are that Grizzly started off with lower quality stuff and has gotten better goes against his impression. But that's been the problem for Grizzly. When ever someone has a problem with their tools some people see a company selling low quality stuff. When someone has a problem with a Powermatic tool made in the same plant side by side with the Grizzly tools its usually dismissed because of their past US made tools. So it's much better to have a tool in mind so someone who bought a Chinese made Grizzly milling machine isn't going to say how good or bad they are when you are looking for a 10" Taiwanese made Grizzly table saw.

[Darcy Warner]

Their high stuff is fairly decent, it's not a lifetime machine, but they will promptly ship you parts you may need.

Mind the fact that a lot of that stuff will be obsolete sooner than later and parts will become impossible to find.

Every manufacturer is this way, they would rather sell new than support old.

I fear all computer controls in most new machines.

[tom lucas]

I own 7 grizzly machines. Obviously, I've found them to be satisfactory, especially for the hobbyist. Generally, they do what you need and expect. There are cosmetic things they skimp on a bit, but largely it's things that don't really matter. I have Jet and powermax in my shop too. I think Grizzly is as good as those brands from my experience. If you've got the extra dough to spend for higher end machines and think they are worth it, great! But, if you are looking for a machine that will do the job and leave some money in your pocket, Grizzly can be a good choice. You just have to able to live with the snobs that might turn their nose up at them.

[Larry Edgerton]

I fear all computer controls in most new machines.

Me too. Its what keeps me from buying a High end shaper just now. I want the programmable bits, mostly because my eyes are not what they used to be and setting up just once per cutter would be nice, but, and this is a big but. They do not provide for manual override should any of the systems fail. Why not is my question? They sell the programmable as being a great option for small shop efficiency, but if I have to keep a manual machine for backup, how efficient is it? The machine I have been looking at are all over 20K so not chump change, but I live in the middle of nowhere and getting a tech here would cost me tooo much, and as an only machine with no possibility of continuing operation with manual controls, I would be dead in the water. I may just put readouts on my trusty Unitronix. If I find a tenoning table for it I certainly will.

[andy bessette]

Having owned Grizzly machines I will say they are not better than 3rd tier machines.

[Jim Andrew]

I have several Grizzly machines, and if you feel a certain machine is not good enough for you, just step up a level. They have all levels, just wish the price difference was not so great. I have a G0453 px planer, and would like to move up to a G0544, but the price is triple. Think some guys just don't realize quality equipment costs more than homeowner grade.

[sean meltvedt]

Travis, my shop has tools from Woodmaster, Belsaw, Sawstop, Delta, Bosch, Festool, as well as Grizzly. About half were purchased new, the others in various stages of use. I can honestly say that Grizzly is second only to the Sawstop for setup and fit/finish issues, and customer support. Recently my Delta planer wouldn’t be much more than a boat anchor if it wasn’t for gearbox parts from Grizzly that fit the Delta just perfectly. Additionally just last month I ordered a new spindle and bearings for my much worn early 90’s vintage Grizzly shaper. I would be in for a real challenge finding parts for many of my other machines. So in essence, Grizzly is well worth the money saved on new machines, and well worth the parts and service availability for older machines.
Cheers
Sean

[Patrick Walsh]

I work and have largely and nearly solely worked in shops with powermatic and or grizzly grade machines. You can make anything on them that you can a nicer machine. It’s just stupid annoying long term if you want to be able to depend on your machine to do what you want when you want everytime you walk up to it.

I have also guided and directed the dame shoots toward better more efficient solutions. With this topic it takes time to show someone the way it can’t happen over night as they need to see first hand with their own eyes the time savings and this cost savings increases in productivity over the long term. Not so long though to be honest.

If however your not annoyed by recalibrating a machine and or dealing. With sub par results such as lopping off the snipe planning in sa dining or hand planing out tear out, having to reinvent the wheel everytime you need a repeatable cut and make some crazy jig to cut cut a basic angle you will be just fine.

I do t say the above being at all critical just realistic and from the perspective of say a hand tool woodworker justifying hand tools only vrs machines and hand tools. If it’s for fun and you have the time by all means do it however you find fun. If part of that fun is and or it does not take the fun away for you to fettle with machines regularly use whatever machines you feel like spending on.

If your like me and get crazy annoyed when you walk up to a machine expecting a result you should be able to full well expect but can’t because the tool is a piece of crap and it thus sucks Andy joy you find in making things complexly out of it then sit down come up with a long term plan and or mortgage the house or take out a hefty business loan. Good machines are stupid expensive if you buy them new. You can buy great machines used but you will first need the experience of taking care of crap machines because you had no choice to tend to the potential problems if only they be enitial setup of used equipment.

[Bill White]

Grizz in my shop....Table saw, band saw, wood lathe. Best bang for the buck in my opinion.