Used PM Bandsaw

my first instinct would be +1 for PM, but which model PM and which model Grizzly?

-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

good question…For the Grizzly it would be the g0555. For the PM i think it is the Model PWBS-14CS Deluxe. Both are 14” for the same price…

-- If you can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

Go for the PowerMatic.

BTW, I never buy that ‘used once’ argument … who buys a tool like that, then uses it once

If the PM is in good shape, it is a steal at $500.

—Gerry

-- Gerry -- "I don't plan to ever really grow up ... I'm just going to learn how to act in public!"

Zindel, I’d buy the PM in a heart-beat. Especially if it has the quick-tension lever and other bells and whistles.

Gerry, I bought a six year old Delta 28-212 that had been used only once. The owners ex bought it for his BD. He slapped it together at his party and chopped up a 2×4. It wasn’t touched till I came to get it. New wife said he needed the space. -Jack

You mean some guy had a wife that bought him tools for his birthday and he divorced her?

—Gerry

-- Gerry -- "I don't plan to ever really grow up ... I'm just going to learn how to act in public!"

If It’s in good shape go for the PM . Sometimes lite use could be that the saw has a problem.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

If it’s been used once, the PM may be a newer, Pacific Rim machine.

If you are talking 14” saws, a vintage PM is close to a General in
quality. Those saws don’t follow the Delta pattern which allows
the use of riser blocks, but they are solid, accurate saws within
their capacity and arguably superior to the Delta pattern saws.

Jim: Used once could also mean it was never set up properly. A result of not knowing, or not caring.

My Dad has a Delta 14” which he used for years improperly set up. (not knowing)
He always complained about the problems he had with it. One day I was at his house and was a little bored, so I tore it down and adjusted it for him.
It has never worked better, he says.

To the OP: There are plenty of people on LJs complaining about poor quality saws by Grizzly. I haven’t heard much negative about PM.

The closest thing I have is my 19” Shop Fox band saw, which I love, is the same manufacturer as Grizzly’s 19” saw. I get similar performance as I got from my old Jet 18” bandsaw years ago.

Of course, set up everything in my opinion.

BTW, the Shop Fox was a CL find for $450. It needed restoring, as it was kept in a leaky barn when I found it.
It came back to life quite nicely and I am very happy with it.

-- "Hard work is not defined by the difficulty of the task as much as a person's desire to perform it.", DS251

PM all day in my book and PM is not my current favorite right now. When I was looking at new 14” bandsaws, the PM was #1 on the list. I have a good buddy who made the same decision and loves his. Good luck!

-- My dad and I built a 65 chev pick up.I killed trannys in that thing for some reason-Hog

Let me pile on…........PM.

I figured as much and i felt like that is a very good deal…in fact the guy was saying he bought the thing for over 2000 and was trying to sell it for 1000 and i laughed because there is no way this was true. But i told him 500 firm and i am going to look at it tomorrow. Thanks everyone! PM it is.

-- If you can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

In our area, if there is a CL “great” deal and u take time to get opinions from this site, at the time when the popular vote confirms it as a great deal, the new owner is already setting up the great deal in their shop.

So, c a great deal better not blink :)

-- Jerry Nettrour, San Antonio, www.topqualitycabinets.net

I’d get the PM.
Grizz seems to be lowering it’s standards below where they were.

-- When the moderator chooses sides, his site sucks.

Jerry your right about that, but the nice thing is he is posting the CL ad for $1000 and i offered him half that so I am the only one around to know about this price. Otherwise yes it would have been gone awhile ago. I am going to go see it tonight and make sure everything checks out okay.

-- If you can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

At $500, it’s a steal. At $1000? Uh, well, maybe not so much. I’m surprised that he bit on $500 but I’m sure happy for you.

-- My dad and I built a 65 chev pick up.I killed trannys in that thing for some reason-Hog