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Opinions wanted

4K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  rkmcswain 
#1 ·
Hello everyone: I'm new here, but not new to woodworking. I promise I'm not a troll...just wondering...what does everyone think of Grizzly. I am in the enviable position of having the wife's blessing and building/outfitting my very own wood shop. I currently have approx. $8000 in tools picked out of the 2008 Grizzly catalog, and will be taking a trip to the Springfield, MO outlet in March. What I'm asking for is if everyone thinks the Grizzly tools are worth the price, or should I keep my money in my pocket and shop elsewhere.

All knowledgeable opinions appreciated.

thanks and regards,
smitty
 
#3 ·
I'm new here also Smitty, so my opionions may not count for much but you asked for 'em. I really like the Grizzly tools. I have a Grizzly table saw, jointer, planar, drill press, and their cheaper oscilating spindle sander. Some people will tell you the Grizzly tools are cheaply made, and maybe some of them are, but I'm convinced you can get more tool for the money at Grizzly. This opinion started several years ago when I purchased a jointer - I shopped around, and compared prices and features and found that many of the jointers have the exact same castings and features, just different color paint and logos. I went with the Grizzly and haven't regreted it yet. I think many of the Grizzly tools are made in Tiawan and China and if you're a professional and use your tools to make a living, maybe you can afford good quality, high dollar, American-made tools - I'm not and I cant. Aside from a cheap cordless drill, I really like all my Grizzly tools. And the Springfield store is fantastic - just take along a towel to wipe up the drool.:laughing:

Oh, forgot, I have a Grizzly bandsaw too.
 
#8 ·
Grizzly is Two for Two with Me

I have had a Grizzly 8" parallelogram jointer for about a year now, and a 17" bandsaw for about 6 months. Some minor hassles setting both of them up, but am very happy with the way they are made and perform. I'm on the verge of ordering a model 1023 table saw.

I can recommend a visit to their Muncy store in PA, too. WGT
 
#10 ·
I just recieved my G0514X2 19" Grizzly band saw at the beginning of this month. I am very pleased with the amenities it came with and how it set up. I would have had to spend twice what I did to get anything comparable.
 
#11 · (Edited)
If Grizzly had a location in the Houston Metro area (4th largest city in the country and they don't have an outlet, go figure...) I would seriously consider them. With their outrageous shipping charges, they are barely on my radar. The GO580 14" bandsaw for example, is painfully similar to the Ridgid BS1400. The GO580 retails for $325.00, with S&H charges of $76.50, for a total of $401.50. The Ridgid retails at $369.00, with the 20% coupons that hit my mailbox once a quarter, it can be had for $300.00 + $24.75 shipping & handling.

The only CURRENT model Grizzly equipment I have seen, or heard people fuss about is the lathes...

Having said that, with your $8K budget, you could do nicely with Grizz. I guess the question is, what are you starting with? You'd be amazed how fast $8K disappears in the tool stores...
 
#13 ·
Yeah, well... I guess a new shop building would be nice, of course then I would have the room to not have to worry about needing to use a job site type saw, oh of course there would need to be land to have that building on, and, well since the shop would grow, and there would be the room for a dedicated system, I would have to go with a full blown 1 or 2 micron DC system, probably a cyclone of some sort... and of course with that sort of room a good, wide long bed jointer is needed, and then there's always the other hobby of building 4x4s. I would need a paint booth, a compressor sufficient to drive the HVLP guns, a twin post lift, etc... Yeah, money can disappear REALLY fast...
 
#15 ·
I have a very large Grizzly bandsaw, and couldn't be happier with it. I recently upgraded from a smaller 14" Grizzly saw that I used to use. I had some trouble with the table when I unpacked it...The blade slot was not staying flat so my work was catching the bump. They replaced it in a hurry with no fuss.

I also burned out a motor capacitor from turning it off and on too much in a short time period (lesson learned), and they had a new one on my doorstep in two days.

The saw is a dream to tune, and hogs through 12" cedar beams with no problem at all.

Some of their tools are cheap-o, and you can pretty easily distinguish them.

Their showroom is a fun trip. If you have $8000, take a trailer.
 
#16 ·
...what does everyone think of Grizzly.
I have the equivalent of this saw:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-Table-Saw-1-1-2-HP-Single-Phase-110V/G0444

...except with the cast iron wings. Bought it about 2001. At the time, this was the lowest model they sold (except for the same model with the sheet metal wings) - and it's a beast of a saw. I don't think you can go wrong with a Grizzly table saw. Can't speak for their other stationary tools.

I'm with dbhost - if they had an outlet closer to Houston, I would buy more from them. But you can usually find an equivalent tool locally for the same price or less without the shipping...
 
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