I had pretty much decided I would buy the 17" Grizzly G0512x2bf bandsaw when I started taking a close look at Harvey's HW615P. Their 15" bandsaw seems well built. Here are the key differences, would love any opinions as to which is the better buy:
- $830 price difference (includes shipping +tax)
- Grizzly has 12" resaw, Harvey has 14"
- Grizzly has 16-1/4" max cutting width left of the blade, Harvey has 14" (Grizzly w/ fence: 15"; Harvey is 12" - I don't own a table saw so this matters a bit to me)
- Grizzly is 2 HP, Harvey is 3 HP
- Grizzly's table is 17-1/4" x 23-5/8"; Harvey's is 20x20"
- Grizzly: 357 lbs; Harvey: 441 lbs
- Grizzly flywheel: 16-3/4"; Harvey: 15"
- Harvey offers the following creature comforts: worm gear table tilting, full enclosure of blade, tire brush, safety shutoff switches for doors, knurled and chrome knobs/handwheels, tool hook for Allen keys.
Seems to me like the Harvey is better built and offers more power.. on the other hand, the Grizzly is a known entity and has a lot more reviews. What do you think?