G0452 6" Jointer vs. Ridgid 6"

[Ken Alcott]

I have been looking to get my first jointer.

The budget will only allow about $400 for this venture and I was looking at the Grizzly G0452 6" Jointer and Ridgid jointer in that range.

I haven't seen anything used in that range in my area.

I appreciate any opinions you have between the two to help me.

Thanks.

Ken

[Chris Fierro]

I am in the same boat--my original list also included the Craftsman cabinet style 6"er. I am now leaning towards the Ridgid but I can't quite quantify why.

Good luck.

-CF

[Brian Weick]

First: you have to ask yourself what type of jointing are you going to be doing and what are the lengths going to be, if they are within the specifications of the jointer your looking at - great , but if you try to exceed the parameters of the jointer- you may be in for a big disappointment. if you are talking small stock , in my opinion for the money and the warranty ~ Ridged makes some good tools for the money- they are well made and well engineered for the cost. A life time warranty is what is appealing as well. If you have any problem they are more than happy to help and will ship parts out if you need them. I have only had to call them once for a part on the radial arm saw that I have and the service was exceptional. As far as the jointer- second: It all depends on the length and species of wood that you are using and how much use is it going to get. I have the ridged planner and it does a good job with small stock- It lacks when having to plane wide boards of hard wood species- but for small stock - it does a very good job and very clean cuts- just a noisy planer though. I use my 15" Jet planner most of the time - that's a totally different animal.
see what the reviews are on the jointer- grizzly ????? - not a big fan - they remind me of harbor freight tools to some degree and I don't mean to exclude them - but read some reviews. there are those that like grizzly tools , but then again they own them. You have to be realistic and honest~ for example the ridged planner I own - there are things i like about it and things that i don't, but I didn't pay that much for it to begin with- it is more a hobbyist type of equipment. they state that you can run 13' through it- you can , but it is straining to accomplish this - and the blades wear sooner than I like - but I was using it a lot and finally had it- spent the money and bought 500lbs worth of professional equipment. I look at things this way- you get what you pay for and if your budget is what you have stated then do a side by side comparison , check the unbiased reviews on the www and go from there. If it were me - an Oliver jointer is what I would get- very well made and a professional piece of woodworking equipment with professional results- but plan on spending around $2000.00 depending on the size, however it is twice the size of what you are looking at but there is no comparison side by side. If your just starting out working with this type of equipment - you may even want to go with a good,used , brand name jointer-well maintained, but less costly - try it out and if you find yourself at it more than you thought - you can go for the higher end jointer if need be. good luck with your purchase and I hope everything goes the way you would like it to.
Brian

[John Shuk]

I'm not sure that there is much reason at the 6 inch jointer level to go crazy over the choosing process. I have heard very few owners of any brand complain about their choice. Other than that they wish they had an 8 inch jointer.
I have the Rigid and it is a very nice machine. Fine Woodworking did a review of six inch machines a few years back and they liked it as well.
I like the handwheel adjustment rather than levers. I like the rubberized knobs for making various adjustments as well.
I found it to be the best hardware packaging and instruction manual of any machine I have ever assembled. Mine is a bit older. Grey instead of the new colors but no other differences that I know of.
I think they are still coming with a lifetime warranty. Emerson seems to be generous in regard to the support they give customers which can be a good thing if a knob ever breaks or something like that.
A very nice jointer that is locally available.
I would however choose the best looking box you can find in Home Depot if you decide on this machine. They aren't always gentle with the merchandise there.

[Matt Meiser]

I would check out the used market too, especially Craigslist. You look to be close to a major metro area and there's bound to be something. As long as the tables are flat (take a straightedge to check it out), nothings broken, and it runs well, there's not too much that can go wrong with a jointer. There's a Delta DJ-15 on Atlanta CL on there right now for $250 OBO.

Personally if I was choosing between the two I would choose Grizzly based on the fact that Home Depot is the only place to buy Ridgid. If/when they decide to go a different route as big box retailers typically do, will parts be available? Grizzly has been around a long time and while anything could happen in business, I believe they will probably be around to support the jointer longer than Home Depot will carry Ridgid. I'm not saying that one is a better machine than the other.

[Art Mann]

I have the Ridgid jointer and it has served me well under fairly heavy use. The Grizzly is probably good too. The popular entry level jointers are all pretty much the same and work pretty well. I would choose te Ridgid over the Grizzly because, if you have problems, it is much easier to take it back to a local store than to arrange fo a freight truck to come pick it up and return it.

[Brian Penning]

Have had the Ridgid for a couple of years now and no complaints whatsoever.

[scott spencer]

Both should do a fine job Ken. The Griz has an enclosed base but is available as mail order only, unless you're nearby to a showroom. The Ridgid is local but has an open base which is a bit more difficult to put on a mobile base.

I'd certainly include the Jet in your list too...goes on sale often at $400, and I'd look into the Orion made Craftsman as well.

[Chris Fierro]

Confession: when you posted this I was closely tracking a local ebay auction for the Ridgid--I didn't want to mention it in case someone else on here decided to go for it. So I wound up with the lightly used Ridgid (newer one) for $225. I am going to pick it up as soon as I can get the seats out of the minivan! Good luck with your decision, Ken. Hopefully I'll have some views on the Ridgid in a week or so if you want to PM me.

[Matt Meiser]

Well that changes everything. That sounds like a great deal.

[Steven Triggs]

The Ridgid is local but has an open base which is a bit more difficult to put on a mobile base.

The HTC1000 mobile base was easy to setup for my Ridgid.

[Steven Triggs]

I am now leaning towards the Ridgid but I can't quite quantify why.

<and then>

So I wound up with the lightly used Ridgid (newer one) for $225.

I think we can quantify why now!

[Chris Fierro]

Aside from the deal that I got, the 220 on the Ridgid was a real point of interest to me, although I would have liked the integrated mobile base on the Grizz.

[Jack Ganssle]

Ken,

I'll second (or 3rd or 10th) the Rigid. Very happy with mine. It would be nice to have an 8" one but that's impossible in my shop.

Jack

[Ken Alcott]

I appreciate all the great feedback.

I now have a couple of ideas and some things to look into.

Best of luck Chris with your new Toy. Let me know how it does.

Ken