I've had a DeWalt 735 13" planer for about 10 years now. It has been a real champ and I've built some pretty heavy-duty projects with it over the years. Having medically retired two years ago, I've had more time available to do hobby work - when I have the energy - so I decided to order one of the new South Bend planers that Grizzly announced recently. Order went in somewhere in mid-February. They were showing it as arriving in stock on April 7th. That later slipped to the 30th, but I finally received it this past week.
I chose the larger one - the SB1109. It's a 20" planer, 5 HP, 220v, 719 lb beast. We had a big adventure just getting it from the street down the gravel drive to my shop. Thank the Lord for the SAIA driver - he was a blessing for sure.
My first impressions are all very positive:
- Shipping / packing was first rate. It came on two pallets with waterproof film on the floor and all around the machine. The shipping crate was completely enclosed (unlike the last Grizzly machine I bought which had a 'birdcage' style crate around it). The machine was unmarked and SAIA didn't put a scratch on it OR the crate. Quite a change from my last experience with UPS Freight (who I wouldn't trust to ship my septic system outflow materials). I will always request SAIA going forward. Grease / oil / cosmoline-like substance on unpainted surfaces worked well. Easy to clean off using Goo-Gone and it protected the machine from any rust.
- Runs at about half the noise level of my old DeWalt. You don't even need ear protection to survive it.
- Pulls boards through that I would have had to push through on the DW735. No comparison to the power level.
- Finish on milled boards is ridiculously smooth and from the little I've been able to use it, it looks perfect.
- Digital height gauge set up was a bit different from what the manual specified. I mistakenly trusted it after I set it up via the manual and it was off by about .04". But it was easy to re-calibrate and looks to be spot-on now.
- Fit, finish and paint are extremely good. Better than the best Grizzly machine in my shop.
- Table wings are hefty, straight and true. Everything about this machine screams quality.
Just wanted to share since I was curious as to how Grizzly would do with this new line. I'm very happy that I pulled the trigger on this one.