Another mixed bag from Grizzly

I’m not pleased to hear this. I just bought a new Grizzly bandsaw. My experience so far has been good…but then I haven’t even opened up the riser block kit yet. This is my 1st bandsaw so take what I say with a grain of salt or three, but I had no problems with parts or quality. I bought my new 105” blades from Highland Woodworking online.

Don’t think I’ll be ordering much else from them if this is more typical.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

I ordered a mortising attachment for my drill press about 3 yrs. ago and as I was putting it on it cracked around the collar. I sent it back to Grizzly with an explanation as to what happened. They replaced it like a good company should with the same defective cast iron mortising attachment as before which cracked also. This time they would not replace it saying it was my fault I was using too much force installing it. I told them I should’nt have to use any force installing the damn thing. Well I argued and threatened to sue and wrote to the corporate execs and never got anywhere. I still get Grizzly catalogues in the mail and I still toss them out without opening them. Screw Grizzly as far as I’m concerned. Bandsawblades.com is a good place to get band saw blades if you’re interested. Olson Blades mostly I think, and cheap. I’ve got a 12inch bandsaw from sears which takes an 891/2 in saw blade. At sears or anywhere else you’ll pay 50.00 dollars they are 18.00 dollars on this site. Jockmike

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

I got some Grizzly tools. The 4 big tools havnt let me down but the small stuff is junk. I’ll trade for Laguna anyday though.
My plan was to buy cheap just before years end sale and resell later without taking a beating on price. They are inexpensive.

I don’t necessarily mean for this to be a complete indictment of Grizzly.

The consensus seems to be that the smaller tools vary from a complete crap shoot to just plain junk but the larger stationary tools seem to be a pretty good value. Reasonable quality for a pretty good price. A lot of people seem very happy with the larger tools. Bob, I expect if your bandsaw runs well and was defect free when you got it then it’s probably a good tool.

The last large piece of equipment I had from grizzly was a 1023 table saw. It took a lot of work on my part, including grinding the trunnion castings, to get it working properly, but when I was finally done it wasn’t a bad saw.

I’ve never had to go through more than one exchange of a broken or missing part. It is my experience that grizzly has been very willing to exchange or replace parts.

I was just trying to be cheap I guess. It’s not like I had the house mortgage in this so I’ll not be loosing too much sleep. And if I had a large piece of grizzly equipment I’m guessing I’d not be loosing too much sleep over that either.

Quick update on the tenoning jig. Got most of the oil cleaned off, the thing was soaked, dripping oil, but it looks like all of the pieces are there and nothing is broken. I’ll do a more detailed write up later but keeping my fingers crossed.

We have a brand in Canada called Craftex sold by Busy Bee Tools. I’ve had sort of the same experiences. Sorry to hear about your troubles. There is nothing quite as demoralizing as looking forward to a shipment and then having the experience you just had….again.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Thanks for posting this. I would have bought the tenoning jig from them if I hadn’t built my own. Now, I’m glad that I didn’t.

-- Jesus is Lord!

I have good luck with their larger tools, 8” jointer and 20” planer, I’ve not bought smaller items.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

I have the same Grizzly tenoning jig, and bought it after reading some reviews at you did. I have bought quite a few tools from Grizzly over the years both large and small. The tenoning jig has worked well for the past year or so since I bought it. No complanits on it quality. I only realy problem I had was with a wood lathe that I bought. The was no handle for the tail stock and tool rest in the box. When I called customer service they told me they would ship me some when they came off of backorder. Which would be about four weeks. I did get ahold of the parts department, and they rob some off of a lathe that was on the shelf, and shipped them to me. I hope they did not reseal the box, and ship it to someone else.

-- Greg Mitchell--Lowell, AR--gdamitchell@sbcglobal.net

I had the worst customer service experience I have ever had this past spring ordering from them… needed a quick workbench and ordered a maple top from them and shopfox legs. The legs have adjustable height feet… One was a front foot one was a back foot on one side… the other had 2 fronts… The issue is they would not replace it… I finally threatened to sit out front of the AWFS woodworking show with flyers detailing my experience and to call the state attourney generals office about their not sending me what I ordered and it came… It only took 6 months. What a fiasco. They said tough luck first.

Drew

-- Drew, Pleasant Grove, Utah

about 7 or 8 years ago, I ordered a grizzly drill press. It arrived in pieces and I sent it back in disgust and never looked back. I then went out and bought a Delta and I’ve been very happy with it. I’ve been turned off grizzly forever. Love the bear, hate the tools.

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com

I ship a lot of stuff in my business.
We have a rule: If you can’t kick it or drop it you can’t ship it.
We get less than 1% damage per year using this rule and a lot more satisfied customers.
What is missing in your shipments is called Dunnage and it’s what absorbs the shock between the box and you products. It’s as old as shipping itself.
If the box is too large and the dunnage is not proper for the type of shipment damage will occur.
Until suppliers realize that just replacing the product does not appease the customer they will continue to ill equip the shipping departments and hire well intentioned people with absolutely no experience in this import area.
I have had to stop dealing with companies based entirely on the fact they have no clue how to ship their own goods.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Ill never buy from them again.. had a very bad experience with them as well. (this year, took months to straighten out)

Drew

-- Drew, Pleasant Grove, Utah

Wild. If you read on many of the other forums you’d think Grizzly could do no wrong – their pucker holes don’t stink according to many. Glad to see peoples’ real experiences.

-- --==[ Pappy ]==--

Thanks for sharing this info. Like others, my Bandsaw and 6” planer have been great. Troubling to hear about the small stuff.

-- Branden - Sacramento, California - www.ShopDogUSA.com

I think Grizzly’s equipment – the big tools – are specified by Grizzly and even though it is produced overseas, Grizzly has reasonably good quality control. But Grizzly is just a reseller on the little stuff – they buy it cheep and sell it cheep – and the products are basically the same junk you can buy at your next local truckload sale. Caveat Emptor!

-- http://www.north40custom.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com --

Oh, a thought on the bandsaw blades – I’ve been really happy with Carter blades, and they each come in their own box!

-- http://www.north40custom.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com --

Regarding my first post on this topic, I wanted to say that I do know the difference between cheep (like a bird) and cheap (like me)! And I’ve never heard a Grizzly cheep before – although my bandsaw has been making a funny noise. Anyway, I guess I could say “Hukked on foniks reely wurkt for me!”

-- http://www.north40custom.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com --

:)) LOL

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I happen to be a happy Griz customer—have a 17” BS, 8” jointer, DC, and most recently a $20 brad nailer. Had a couple of bum casters on my shop Fox mobile bases; one call and they replaced them and the replacements work fine. Bought 3 Timberline blades from them, you’re right, they’re not boxed up, but they arrived buried in styro worms and they cut like a dream.

since I live near Seattle I made a couple of trips up to Bellingham to visit the showroom, first to make sure I wanted the stuff and second to pick it up (save freight and possible damage). Most of their machinery looks really well built; their sales staff is knowledgeable (mostly) and helpful.

Just my $.02—few companies are all good or all bad.

Colo, sorry to hear of your problems with Grizzly. I have their brad/staple nailer and their dado blade abd have been very happy with their tools. I only have had problems with their dado blade. It lost a carbide tooth off the outside blade. When I called them 8 months after I bought the dado set. (it was within their 1-year warranty), and they replaced it and even reimbursed me for the postage to return it!

Bob’s comments on dunnage are right to the point. A company should spend the time and cost to fill any “dead” spaces in their shipping. Try Woodcraft or Rockler if you want themn shipped professionally. Most times you get what you pay for! I order my bandsaw blades from here . I, too, have a Sears with 89 1/2” blades and this company fills my needs and custom welds the blades. Carter will, also, and I hope to try them next!

Try calling or emailing Grizzly’s customer service. You have the pictures to document your case. They should give you satisfaction. I hope they do!

God Bless,
Hawg

-- Saving barnwood from the scrapyards

I am going to echo what several others have said. I have a 14” bandsaw that runs like a top. I bought an OSS that works great. I bought a palm sander that I have tossed out. Small cheap, bigger better.

I recently purchased a Grizzley 14” G0555X ultimate bandsaw and have been using the heck out of it, I love the quality and the fact that it comes completely assembled in two pieces. It got top reviews in woodworkers Journal and other magazines. I would recommend Grizzly when it comes to their big machines but I tend to stay away from their smaller power tools. They have quality control problems.I guess you get what you pay for…..MIKE

-- never enough time in a day so use it well

GOSH!! Sure are some extremes in opinions on this subject.
I, for one, have been well pleased with both product and customer service from the bear. Have the G0444Z TS and their lathe (don’t remember the model #). Orders have been processed and shipped in a timely manner, and packaging has been just great.
Bill

I love my Grizzly tools: planer, bandsaw, hanging air filter, and several smaller tools. No problem here.

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

New to the forum but this topic caught my eye as I’ve had the same experience as others. The heavy stuff is pretty good quality and my experience has been that they stand behind the products. I’ve got a 10” cabinet saw, 6” jointer, 12” planer, 650cfm shop vac, floor stand drill press, and band saw. No problems with any of them other than the band saw when upper wheel axle snapped off after about 4 months, no problems getting replacement.
The small cordless hand tools are a different story however. Over the past 10 years I’ve bought their hand drills, recip saw and small circular saw, all due to low price. You get what you pay for, the only one of these tools that was even half-way decent was the recip saw, the rest were a waste of money. I’m back with Bosch now and have never been disappointed with any of their cordless products, quality in every way.

-- geeman, NC

All the equipment I own from grizzly is great . I think the other smaller products might have some problems.
I have bought what I consider high tools $3800 band saw and have more trouble with that than any Grizzly product.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Does the ”carrier” have any responsibility in the delivery of an undamaged product?
Seems most of the damage occurs in getting the products through the last leg of the process.
What’s that about?

I’m just sayin…

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

General response about the possibility of it being a carrier’s fault, I dont think that is the case for most of my complaints with Grizzly.

On my Grizzly table saw the trunnion was improperly cast and I had to remove that bevel indicator collar and hand grind the trunnion it to get full travel, and that was on Grizzly’s recommendation.

For the calipers above, the stop came cross threaded and the shaft ruined, no carriers involved there.

On the Tenoning jig, the box was not damages or punctured so whoever slammed it hard enough to bust the Styrofoam inside did not damage the box. I think it was packed at the factory that way. The tenoning jig has a bent shaft too.

Poor castings, bent shafts, excessive flashing on the castings, cross threaded shafts, holes not lining up, these all sound like manufacturing defects to me.

Update on the tenoning jig:

I guess I’ll have to say the jig “works”, just not very well. The threaded shaft that sets the tenon width came bent from the factory and the sled sticks and binds. Between bent shafts and a binding sled this jig is a drag to use. Loosen the screws, tap it with with whatever is handy, sometimes a little tap, sometimes it needs a BIG tap. Measure the offset, repeat, overshoot, measure, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat.

It works if you want to fiddle with it enough, kind of fits my experience with Grizzly tools.

It is nice and heavy, if you can fiddle it into place it locks down well enough. If you are making lots of the same tenon it’s probably not too bad, but if you have lots of different tenons it’s more PITA than it’s worth.

So like all of my experience with Grizzly tools if I am willing to tear it completely down, hone, file, drill, rethread, etc, you could probably turn it into a reasonable jig, but I’m past that phase of my life, I have other priorities than fixing brand new equipment.