Are grizzly tools good quality?

There are a number of Grizzly posts on the site. There has been a lot of discussion about thier bandsaws lately. I have a Delta, Unisaw, but looked real hard at the Grizzly. The Jointers appear to get good reviews. (assuming you ment a 8” jointer)

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I have several Grizzly products and I’m very happy with them. Grizzly has some very nice products at really good prices. Here’s what I have and I’m happy with all of them.

14” Band Saw – G0555
6” Jointer – G1182ZHW
12.5” Planer – G0505
Drill Press – G7943

I see these tools being my shop for a long time. Also, their customer service is excellent.

Do you get more if you buy something like Powermatic, Delta, Jet, ect? You might, but what value is to you? I’d say don’t discount Grizzly when you are looking. Be sure you are comparing apples to apples when you do. You might see a cheaper Grizzly product, but make sure it has the same features and specs. If you are looking at a product from any manufacture, post a question out here and I’m sure you will get a lot of opinions on it.

-- Mike

I have a low end contractors saw – G0444 – it’s all I had the power for in my garage. I bought it last August at their tent sale here in Missouri. I also picked up a Shop Fox 4” belt sander for a song. It needed a $5 part to be good as new.

I don’t think I can be much help as I don’t have much experience with higher-end tools. I will say that I had trouble with a dado blade from them (http://lumberjocks.com/topics/431). The second replacement arrived today. We’ll see.

I will say that the people that work there couldn’t be nicer. I was down there last August and they were working their tails off making sure all the bargan hunters got their stuff. The heat and humidity in Agust were horible and they were running cold water out to the folks waiting to pick up equipment. Nice.

Let us know what you decide to get.

-- Jerry L.

I too have a couple Grizzly tools. I have a 10” cabinet table saw with built in router table, model G1023SLW as well as a 6” jointer, model G1182ZHW. As Mike noted above Grizzly has great customer service. A little plastic handle on the jointer was broken when I received it, probably happened in shipping. I called them up and they sent a replacement right away.

My only complaint about the tools is that the 6” jointer is too small for the type of stuff I’ve been doing. I’m looking to purchase the G0490 8” parralelogram model in about three months. I’ve sent several questions to Grizzly customer service about this jointer as well as the replacement Shelix cutter head for it. I’ve had replies to every question in less than 24 hours each time I sent an e-mail. I give Grizzly two thums up and will buy more products from them.

-- Owen Johnson - aka IowaWoodcrafter

Glad to hear the good customer service stories on the Grizzlies. I’m having fun with my new bandsaw.

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

I have had good service from the tools and fantastic customer service from the company. My favorite Grizzly tool is my 8” spiral head jointer. I was able to joint highly figured curly maple with no tear-out. The 24” dual headed drum sander was how I milled the wood since a straight knife planer would produce tear-out. The end result was the big entertainment center I have posted in my projects.

I know a couple of guys that also bought the cordless drills and air nailers. Those items were not spoken of very well. I was advised to stick to the bigger machines from Grizzly.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

I have a grizzly planer,lathe and jointer and have been real happy with them .I use these in my business so they get a lot of abuse and no problems.Like Todd mentioned I did get an air nailer from them and ended up sending it back do to too many malfunctions.

-- Scott NM,http://www.shangrilawoodworks.com

Todd, which jointer did you purchase? As noted above I’ve been considering the parallelogram model G0490 which I would later upgrade to a Shelix cutter head. Do you happen to have the G0593?

Comparing the cost of the G0490 to the G0586 there is only a $100 difference after adding in a mobile base and shipping. This is why I’m considering the G0490 model. Does anyone have experience with a paralleogram jointer? Is it worth the extra $100?

Which model drum sander do you have?

-- Owen Johnson - aka IowaWoodcrafter

My limited take on Grizzly: I own and use a Grizzly1023S Cabinet Saw. My prior saw was a piece of junk benchtop saw. I have nothing negative to say about the saw from Grizzly, but would have to admit that I have not used the more expensive saws that Grizzly is more or less cloning. I get straight cuts at any angle. I had to do a lot of initial tuning as it wasn’t perfect out of the box. It took a few tedious hours, but I haven’t had to go back and retune in almost 2 years. I’ve used a 0555 bandsaw and a floor model drill press. I was suprised how well the 0555 bandsaw did while resawing as it only has 1HP. One great thing about Grizzly is that they stand by their products, no questions asked. If somethings wrong, they take care of it fast! This is based on other people as I have had no problems. They say that if the Grizzly tools aren’t performing to the user’s desired tolerances, they will take it back.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

Iowa-

I don’t see the model that I have on the website for Grizzly. The unit cost me about $1200 total with shipping. The G0593 has a different colored base and the switch is in a different location, a better one I might add, but those may be the only differences. Mine also has the 2hp motor. You will never lack for power, even for face jointing.

You can scan my workshop images to see if that helps. I also have some shop photos in flickr that I have not been able to get into LJ (technical illiteracy) and there might be something over there. I did a few different angles than in the workshop posting here.

The benefit of the parallelogram table is that the opening remains smaller or tighter to the cutter head as the depth is changed. I talked to a guy that had one in a 12” model, but that was because that is just the way it was offered, not because that is what he was trying to buy. He admitted it was nicer but was fairly indifferent about it. You might research it more.

I wouldn’t buy a jointer and then upgrade it. Buy it the way you want it.

The sander is the variable speed 24” dual head drum sander. I just went to the website and cannot find the exact model on that either. I love the machine. The rub collars wear out about once year at my rate of usage, and cost maybe $4 to replace and 45 minutes of my day. Not too bad.

The drums are wrapped in velcro to help hold the sanding strips and they have an added benefit, I can sand veneered panels without burning through. The adjustments have held on the drums and they are very accurate, they still are set from the factory. So it sands parallel from side to side.

My brother has the Grizzly model here in Ohio in his shop where I am currently working. I bought the ShopFox model for my shop back in Montana. It is the same machine, some of the parts are even green under the hood. The dust collection does not work as efficiently on it, and the worst part is the customer service. Grizzly will send out a part immediately when I call. ShopFox only sells through a distributor and it took two weeks to get a new velcro drum wrap after a friend of mine crammed a piece of wood into it too thick and it melted the velcro. As a business I can’t afford that type of customer support and will never buy another ShopFox tool. I bought the sander because the drums are slightly longer and I can get a true 24” wide sanded.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

My experience with grizzly (power tools, hand tools, accessories) is that they are a great value. The price to performance is great. Good performance at a great price. BUT, my experience is that 100% of anything I have ever bought from grizzly has required some tweaking, from the small, cleaning up flashing and machining marks, to major, needing to grind out castings and drilling or redrilling holes.

Back when money was worth more than my time I bought grizzly. Good price and I was willing to spend the time to make the tools right. Once the tools were tuned / fixed I’ve been pretty happy. Never had to go back and mess with them much and they worked well.

Nowdays my time is too valuable to me, and I my finances are not as tight, I pretty much don’t buy grizzly anymore. I’ve picked up a few small things recently and my opinion still holds, great price, marginal product.

Personally I just dont get the same feeling of quality and attention to detail from grizzly that I get with other higher end tools.

I do have to echo what others have said about grizzly tech support, fast, courteous, helpful, willing to send small parts and replacements. If you’re the type who is either willing to or wants to mess with tools to get them right grizzly seems to support that model.

WOW!!!!! Is this site great or what? A big thank you to all that replied. Now I know where to go if I have anything I need to know. At the ripe old age of 40 I know that you get what you pay for. As I said most of my tools are craftsman and other then some of the slides on a few of there tools being loose I can’t say I have had much trouble with them. The guy I work with finds it hard to buy mid range tools. Most of what he buys is from the local Rural King. I have to admit I fell for one of there cheep tools. I bought an angle grinder for I think it was $12.00 and the thing gets so hot you can’t hold it and the noise it makes you would think it is going to fall apart in your hands. I will keep Grizzly in mind when it comes to buying large shop tools. Many of you have said the customer service is great and that is a big deal now days were most time when you call for help you have to talk to a computer for a half hour before you get to talk to a real person and when you get the real person you end up playing phone tag trying to get the right department. Again I thank you all. You have given me more things to think about before spending this kind of money.

-- Jesus was a Carpenter too!!!

I haven’t had to tweak any of my Grizzly tools as ColoradoClimber has. They have come shipped with very accurate factory settings in my case.

I would not consider the tools that I have (Jet or Grizzly) to be commercial quality tools. I have been looking at higher end tools like SCM, Format, and MiniMax. They are ultra smooth and reliable. There is no question of straight and square with these machines, or the reliability year after year.

I started out with the tools that I have because my shop facilitated my remodeling business which needed custom this or modified that and I did it all myself. As I start using my shop on a daily basis I see the need for higher quality tools.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

The only Grizzly tool that I own is the G0555 The Ultimate 14” Bandsaw. I’ve had it for about 4 years and have not had any trouble with it. It was set up perfectly out of the box. The built-in 4” dust port in the rear keeps the interior and belt clean. It cuts very well and came with a fence and miter guage – would not hesitate to buy another Grizzly product.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

I have a Grizzly lathe and belt sander. No problem with either. I’ll certainly consider them with my next tool purchase.

-- Bruce from Central New York

That’s funny about the angle grinder, Sparky. I bought a $20 trim router not too long ago. My plan was to keep a flush trim bit in it all the time. I use it a lot and the time it takes to switch bits on my “real” router adds up. So I thought, ”$20, worth a shot”. I’ve had the bit come out during operation twice now. The whole tool jerks your hands around as it contacts wood. It has resulted in burning and the ever so good looking zip zag dado! I’ll have to save up for the little Bosch.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

That Colt Router is on my wish list too…

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I just received another order of small tools and parts from grizzly today, should’ve thought twice, but anyhow, here's what I got

I have the following equipment from Grizzly:

• 14” Ultimate Bandsaw
• 6” Jointer
• G0538 1/3 HP Oscillating Spindle Sander
• G8994Z VS Jigsaw

I am satisfied with all of them. If I had more money, I would buy better, more expensive tools, but for my level of expertise and for my budget, Grizzly equipment is pretty good.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I have a few Grizzly tools, and my overall satisfaction has been high.

I think you kinda get what you pay for.. in other words, if you buy their top of the line, they are pretty good. The low end tools are just that.

I would rely on reviews etc because even though most of their tools are built in the same place as other major manufacturers, there are design differences that make a lot of difference.

Here are some of my good and bad experiences.
I bought an 18” bandsaw for cheap, it has a strong motor, and a big throat, but you cant keep the table square to the blade. I twisted off one of the cheap plastic knobs the very first day. I have learned to live with it. The magnetic switch tends to fall apart too.

I bought a compressor, pretty cheap and very satisfied with it. It puts out a lot of air for the cost. They have since stopped making it. The only problem I had was that it was layed over on it’s side on the pallet when it arrived, and the fan blower and cover was broke and it was covered with oil. They were nice, but it still took about a month to get a replacement.

I have a 10” buffer – never had a problem and it is heavy, balanced, and strong as an ox.

My brother has a high end table saw that is fantastic, same for his 8” jointer. Very good cost/value relationship on those two tools.

One thing I will say, you get lots of mass usually, they use a lot of cast iron in their tools and the fit and finish is pretty good.

Overall I think they are a good equipment manufacturer and I will definitely consider them for future purchases

-- Jeff - Pflugerville, TX

I have a small cabinet shop in Mississippi and the best sander for the money in my opinion is the dewalt dw421 some we have had for 4 years And getting parts are easy.and none of them have had any trouble with there motors….also the most important tool is the table saw and after 2 powermatics we went with the sawstop and have not regreated it for a second…its a very good saw and i hope we never test its safety features Oh and i dont have any grizzly tools but i am looking at a band saw.

I also have some Griz machinery—17” bandsaw, 8” (non-parallelogram) jointer, 2hp DC, and most recently a $20 pin nailer. I think they’re all great. Even the pin nailer (for which my expectations were obviously pretty low). I’ve visited their Bellingham showroom twice and spent quite a bit of time looking over the equipment and talking to the sales staff. I know some people have had shipping problems but I picked everything up (except the pin nailer) myself. The two mobile bases I got initially had defective casters making them almost impossible to roll, but Griz shipped out replacements right away and they solved the problem. The fit and finish is excellent—the cast iron table on the jointer is a thing of beauty. I also have a PM 66 tablesaw, and although that’s an amazing saw I can’t say that the workmanship is necessarily better than Griz. The DO have some super-low-end tools for the extremely budget minded, and some of those (their lunchbox planer, for example) don’t look all that well built. But I wouldn’t hesitate to buy more of their machinery, and happily pour over the catalog like a kid with the Sears wishbook!

I have there 8” jointer,&14”extreme bandsaw,and 12”planer. I have had the equipment for about 2months, I have been a machinist in my previous life and this is great equipment.

-- Billp

Sparky I have the grizzly G0593 8” jointer and I also bought the 20” spiral planer. I love them both and as Todd says you can plane curly maple with no chipout. That was what I was looking for. I bought the jointer to check it out before I bought the planer. When I saw the cut quality I went for the planer also.

One thing that I’ve noticed (As shipped to me no modifications) that when I joint a board, it actually sticks to the outfeed table. The surface is so flat that there is no air under the board. When you pick it up you can feel the suction as the board is lifted up. A strange feeling. But a great feeling.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

I just tuned up my jointer and love that super flat suction effect on the outfeed! It’s like lapping waterstones…when they get to flat they develop that “suction.”

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

I am in the process of upgrading my shop. Dumping my Craftsman 1/2 hp 6” jointer and 12” bandsaw. I am ready to pull the trigger on a Grizzly G0586 8” jointer and a G0457 Re-saw Bandsaw. They seem like the most bang per buck. But my shop is in the basement. The bandsaw is 250 pounds. I would think that I could take off the table and maybe the motor and remove the base and then carry it all down the steps. (?)

The jointer is a real problem. It is 480 pounds. Yikes. I guess it comes completely assembled. Do any of you have any idea how I might (with help) wrestle it down a flight of stairs? I don’t. I really wanted to step up to 8” but it looks like I will have to go with a 6” just because of the weight. Could I take the tables apart?

Thanks,
Steve

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

Hire a moving company for an hour’s worth of work. And when they’re done after 20 minutes, you could have them move things around your shop so you can clean behind the stuff.

I have several Grizzly tools. 14” bandsaw with the riser block, an OSS, and a palm sander. I have also bought luthier supplies from them. They ship quick, and talk nice on the phone.

-- Maplewood, MN

Grizzly, just like Delta, has a wide range of quality standards that they make their tools to. Both brands offer bottom-of-the-barrel bargains which are very poor as well as top-dollar professional lines.

You pretty much get what you pay for.

I have a low-middle of the road 6” jointer from grizzly and it has been a fine tool. I had a hell of a time trying to figure out how to assemble the thing but when I called them for help I learned that they do have excellent customer service.

-- Dust collectors suck.

SPalm,

Most Grizzly jointers are shipped in several boxes. The jointer bed is normally shipped separate from the base. Also, the fence is not attached or is easily detached. Call or write Grizzly to see how the parts or broked down. Or, you can review the manual online by clicking one of the buttons next to the product picture. The button should say something like “Manual PDF”. The manual has assembly instructions, from this you should be able to tell how the parts are broke down for shipping.

-- Owen Johnson - aka IowaWoodcrafter

Hey IowaWC, Thank you! That was perfect. It never dawned on me that the user’s manual would have the assembly instructions. I have their belt/disc sander that came very disassembled but I just kept reading that most Grizzly tools worked fine right out of the box, so I assumed that these larger ones came assembled. Yea! Yippee! These will arrive disassembled just enough to carry them. This has been driving me crazy for weeks. (They do mention that the 17” bandsaw requires a forklift, so I guess I am glad that I decided on going with the 14”)

This place is the best.
Steve

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

Sparky,
I have only a few Grizzly tools, a brad/stapler gun and a dado set. Their customer service is GREAT! My dado blade lost a carbide tooth, and as it was under 1 year old, they paid for the shipping back there and rfeplaced hte set with a new set! Their air nailer works like a champ, too! I only wish i had bought their bandsaw last Christmas! I have only heard good things about them.

God Bless,
Hawg

-- Saving barnwood from the scrapyards

I too am in the market for a table saw and was hoping to read some comments in this thread. I find it interesting that although many here own many of the Grizzly tool line, very few have mentioned owning a Grizzly table saw. Now, I want to spend in the $1000 neighborhood. What do you all recommend?

-- Geoff, Lillington, NC

What i’ve found about tools is not to depend on one manufacture for all your tools. Over many years i’ve learned to do alot of research on tools and manufacturers. I’m lucky that there is a guy near me who sells several different lines of tools and will be perfectly honest about his likes and dislikes of everything he sells. i do own the grizzly GO555 14” bandsaw. I love it, I’ve had only one problem with it, one of the guide bearings locked up. I couldn’t find the replacemant part on their website, so i sent an email, on the sunday afternoon before christmas. I had a reply from them the next morning telling me the new part number, the price, and the number and person to talk to. I love their customer service, it is the best of all the tool manufacturers i’ve dealt with for parts. the only drawback on the grizzlys, is the added cost for shipping. Alot of that is offset with their lower prices, and they do run sales alot.
I think one of the was that they do keep their prices down is that they are selling factory direct. The do not sale to resalers or other marketers. I know that most of their bigger machinery is made in china, but most are today. And they clain to have high quality control standards their. My suggestion is to try the websites of the bigger manufactures like delta, jet, powermatic, steel city. They will tell you how to get in touch with a local dealer. Keep something else in mind Delta, porter-cable, and dewalt are all owned by the same company. Jet and powermatic are owned by the same company. I’m not sure about steel city, i’ve heard they are good tools though.

-- Joey, Magee, Ms http://woodnwaresms.com

I own both a Griz table saw and a jointer. I have had them for years and love them. Got both at their tent sale and saved a fortune. My table saw is a left tilt 10” model with the extended table and my jointer is an 8”model. I have had great luck and always look to griz for my new machines. I plan to get a cyclone dust collector from them this year as well as maybe an osc. spindle sander.

-- making sawdust....

I have their 8” jointer and LOVE it. I got the Shop Fox mobile base and it is junk. The wheels do not roll smoothly and hardly ever swivel. Just after I ordered my jointer, Grizzly upgraded it with a build in mobile base.
Again I love the jointer and will be purchasing a shaper from them this year.

To all a Happy And Safe New Year. Keep the chips flying!!!

-- Neal Meyers Jr

Thanks to all for your imput. I am looking at the Grizzly G0462 Wood Lathe.
Does anyone have specific comments and advice about the Griz lathes?

Thank you.

Peter
Allen, TX

-- TexasOpa, Allen

I was asking this same question to myself… Thanks for posting it…. Lotta good information here…
by the way HAPPY NEW YEAR…. Patrick. woodnut

-- PJM.`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸ ><((((º> why's there a light in fridge and not the freezer? , aka, the wood hunter.aka tigermaple5

I have a Grizzly G0555 bandsaw (14”) with a resaw riser on it to allow resaw of ~12” boards. It works great. Resaws birdseye maple without difficulty.

Their tables saws are also good. I don’t have experience with the saws, but I’ve only heard good things.

Regards,

Brodie

I have the Grizzly 1023 SL 10” Left tilt table saw with the optional Shop Fox base and a Grizzly 1HP dust collector that I use in my garage/wood shop. I have only great things to say about the saw. I am using Forrest blades and recently picked up a magswitch 30 mm feather board, as a result, I’m looking forward to the next project.

-- Brian, Virginia Beach

Peter,

I have the G0462 lathe. I have used extensively for about 1 year (I like to make natural edge bowls). The only other lathe I used is a small Jet. Here is what I think about this lathe:

The good

1. For a 16” lathe, it is very cheap. Even if you want to make 12” bowls, a 16” lathe is very convenient.
2. The head and the motor are decent
3. It comes with legs which are good
4. 42” between centers (can turn almost anything)

The bad
1. Basically all the accessories it comes with are junk: faceplate, live center, toolrest
2. When running has a little vibration even with the special link belt (probably the bearing)
3. The tailstock does not align perfectly with the head (1mm higher)
4. The slowest speed is 600rpm
5. The speed indicator died within few months (I did not bother to contact Grizzly since I run the lathe at the slowest speed most of the time).

Now, this being said, I think if you get better accessories you are still well below a 16” Jet. I do not think that the alignment of the tail and head or the slight vibration is what will prevent you from doing good work (it does not prevent me, anyway). Somehow, I like the fact that, when other woodworkers see my work and ask me what lathe I have, they are usually shocked when I say Grizzly. The only things I would really like to have is lower speeds and reversing rotation direction. All in all, if you have a low budget but you want to turn big things, this lathe is a good bargain.

Alin

-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida

My Grizzly really has been top of the game for me. Both from a support perspective, and from a quality tool perspective. I have a G1023SL, and I really love it. Of course, it is my first cabinet saw, so I’m comparing to a contractor’s, but still!

Their high end bandsaws, the whole 1023 line, planers, and the jointers generally get great reviews. They are not always tops with some of the other areas, like Lathes.

Alin,

I really appreciate you taking the time to give me a DETAILED response about the G0462 lathe. I also am interested in bowl making.

Thank you.

Peter

-- TexasOpa, Allen