Page 3 of 6 FirstFirst 123456 LastLast
Results 31 to 45 of 84

Thread: How long ago was your 1st Grizzly?

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Bellingham, Washington
    Posts
    1,149
    Bought a used 1983 G1182 6 inch jointer 25 years ago. It still runs and does the job I need it to do. Since I periodically go in the store and have bought a lot of small items (they don't just sell Grizzly brand, but carry many brands and generally at competitive prices). I am still waiting for my new G1023RLX table saw that I ordered the beginning of the year. I expect that, when it comes, I'll be happy with it.

  2. #32

    I want to say 2005

    I think I bought the G1276 6 x 48" belt sander right around the '05 Unisaw purchase. Bought the 1x42" belt sander at the same time from Grizzly. Love the G1276, don't really like the 1 x 42 belt sander that much, but, also don't need to replace it until I can decide on what to replace it with......
    I have some metalworking tools from Grizzly as well, just smaller hand operated throat shears and a press/bending brake.

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Williamsburg,Va.
    Posts
    12,402
    I think my first Grizzly was a 12" disc,6" belt sander combo,about 1983. It is still running fine. In 1986 I went to Williamsport and selected 2 16" metal turning lathes. One for my job as toolmaker,and 1 for my home shop. My home lathe is still running just fine,with no scratches or wear visible on the hardened bed.

    For my former job,I purchased several Grizzly machines over the years. Except for one of the motors shorting out across the bearings,they have all run just fine. The Asian motor's armatures aren't dipped in varnish,and are more subject to failure than more expensive motors. I can't complain due to the savings.

    As someone else mentioned,if I had only American machines to choose from,I'd have few machines in my shop. They were always very expensive. In 1964 I purchased a Dewalt/ Clausing table saw,my first machine. Still have it,but at $600.00,it was a very expensive saw when you were making about $2.50 an hour. Multiply that by what you are making today per hour,and it amounts to a LOT of money.
    Last edited by george wilson; 07-01-2010 at 3:53 PM.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    St. Louis
    Posts
    3,349
    Don't have any Grizzlys. Now if I can ever afford that 18" wide belt sander, I'll have one. You also have to like a company who's CEO chimes in on forums.

    And if I still lived in FL, I'd probably have a boat that cost way more than 5k, but in the midwest, I just can't see it.
    Where did I put that tape measure...

  5. #35
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Posts
    458
    2006 - G0514 bandsaw
    2007 - G01033X planer
    2008 - 609X Jointer
    2009 - Steelex Mortiser, 691 TS, 1071 OSS,
    2010 - G7948 drill press.

    MK

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Northfield, Mn
    Posts
    1,227
    Quote Originally Posted by george wilson View Post
    Multiply that by what you are making today per hour,and it amounts to a LOT of money.
    I'm ashamed to say, that some days it would cost far less...

  7. #37
    1991 I bought a G1029 dust collector. Still use it to this day and hours used well in the thousands. Only maint. I did on it was tighten the impeller once.
    In 05 I bought an 8" jointer and no regrets there either. There is a marked improvement in the quality of the jointer over the dc. They've just gotten better. Grrrrrr to the guy who called Grizzly a "starter" brand.

  8. #38
    Quote Originally Posted by Hugh Jardon View Post
    I'll check out Grizzly, sure, but I expect I'll end up with a higher end machine.
    With so many of the machines looking so similar, and in many cases using the same parts, how can you tell that a higher price is actually getting you a higher end machine? I own Grizzly, Delta, Craftsman, Steel City, and Jet power tools. I can't tell a real difference in quality, with the exception of the Jet OSS.

    Even in handheld power tools, folks say they can feel the quality of their Festool products. My Festool circular/plunge saw works really well on the track. The build and performance is no better (from what I can see) than my Craftsman or Makita.

    I'm not doubting there are different levels of quality, but believing all reviews are intentionally or unintentionally biased, I just don't know how you can tell.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Bucks County, PA
    Posts
    296
    Great customer service begins with a machine that doesn't require you to call the 800#! At least not calling them too often. Let me start again:

    I have a bakers dozen of power too brands in my workshop...new SawStop PCS, older-used Powermatic DC, even-older delta DP, used-but-newer Jet Mortiser, new Dewalt planer, cheapie grinder, Bosch routers, etc. And a new G0490 8" jointer.

    Almost all the machines I have bought needed some tinkering, fixture or modification before they really reach full potential. The DW735 is a great planer, but I do love it much more after fabricating a long in-feed/out-feed table flexed just-so to address snipe. PM DC is a strong motor and great design...that only needed a Wynn Nano filter to really do the job...or the x/y cross slide vise and shop built platform to get the mortiser into shop-shape...can't forget link belts for the DP...The PCS was really amazing to put together (a work of engineering art, really!) and nothing but pleasure to use -- once I jury rigged the dust collecting guard to the main duct.

    So, I don't have unreasonable expectations and I am not offended by a machine that needs a thoughtful woodworker/owner.

    In all fairness though...no tool has given me as many fits or seen as much down time as the Grizzly jointer. Packing and assembly left A LOT to be desired. The tables were far from co-planer...and Grizzly does not offer, include, sell, or even KNOW WHERE TO FIND a spanner wrench that fits the bushings?? Customer service suggested a punch or needle nose pliers. This week I have spent many, many hours trying to get the motor and cutter head pulleys co-planer and level...for the second time in 7 months. I did enjoy some nice flat and square boards this spring! But, after a short hiatus to enjoy a few weeks of golf season giddyness I was back in the shop, fired it up and smelled rubber...removed the panel and the drive belt was riding off again!

    Customer service is nice enough...very responsive, trying to be helpful...even sent a new belt back in February...but when I ask them some specifics they are not really equipped to articulate the information.

    As I started...great customer service starts with a machine that doesn't require quite so many calls to HQ.

    I do think it is really hard to make any kind of generalization about brands in the arena of ww'ing power tools. Same is true in hand tools...plenty of great vintage stanley planes, but some that are not worth the trouble in trying to adjust them. But as the purchase approaches and often pass the $1000 mark I think I, like most woodworkers, set the expectations higher and lose patience faster.

  10. #40
    G1023SL table saw November 2009 - an early Christmas present. Took me more than 3 years to save up $700 in my "tool fund". Pulled the trigger at $795 when it went on clearance, and it was a stretch for me to make that purchase. I searched for a good used cabinet saw in this area for a long time, no luck. I was and still am convinced the Grizzly was the absolute best saw I could purchase for the money at that time.

    I would rather build furniture for my family now with a "starter tool" than wait 10 years to be able to afford a "higher end tool". I'm not married to the Grizzly brand, I will buy the best quality machine (new or used) for the price I can afford at that moment. But there is no doubt in my mind that Grizzly offers an excellent value, particularly for a new machine.

  11. #41

    1985

    ....was the year I bought a Grizzly 10" cabinet saw and 8 inch jointer. I wore them both out in my first production run of 50 birch cabinets. For production work (back then) they were uesless. But, the price of Grizzly was(and is) very reasonable. I'll never own another.
    TB

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    League City, Texas
    Posts
    1,643
    No Grizzly machines here. However I have several Grizzly accessories, and a major assembly from Grizzly and it has been a mixed bag...

    I have the H7694 Master Forstner Bit 31 pc. Set, which while cheap, has been VERY accurate, and effective...
    I had the H7827 drill pres table that had the melamine coated MDF swell up like a balloon within a year of being in the shop here in Coastal Texas. It's gone now.
    I have the tension release assembly from a G0555 installed on my Harbor Freight 14" band saw.

    I am pretty sure I have other Grizzly stuff, just can't recall...
    Trying to follow the example of the master...

  13. #43
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Western Maryland
    Posts
    5,548
    I find it funny how many people say that Grizzly stuff isn't made for/won't hold up for professional use. The shop where I used to work had an early 90's 18" BS, an 8" jointer, and a late 90's-2000 20" planer. All worked just fine for a 5 man shop. Production? Not really. But a professional shop, none the less.

    Again, I'm not saying that Grizzly is the best out there. But neither is Ford or Chevy. But they are both plenty good for the masses. Are Benz and Beamers better? Yeah. But we can't all afford the latter.

    I get the feeling that many people feel the same way about Grizzly as I feel about HF, and I, personally, don't think that is justified. Grizzly is the Chevy's and Fords. HF is the Yugo's. Not saying a Yugo won't take you 100,000 miles, but it is rare. You can expect 100,000 miles out of your Chevy.
    I drink, therefore I am.

  14. #44

    Smile

    Bought my first Grizzly tool in 1995 it was a g1021 15" Planer, still works great to this day, so i hear from the guy i sold it to, when i got my 20" g0454z ealier this year

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    LA & SC neither one is Cali
    Posts
    9,447
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Cruz View Post
    I get the feeling that many people feel the same way about Grizzly as I feel about HF, and I, personally, don't think that is justified. Grizzly is the Chevy's and Fords. HF is the Yugo's. Not saying a Yugo won't take you 100,000 miles, but it is rare. You can expect 100,000 miles out of your Chevy.
    I think you have to take into account the different situations and pocketbooks on the forum. For someone who has and appreciates equipment like Felder, Format4, Altendorf etc then talking about Grizzly more like HF makes perfect sense, however that is not to say that Grizzly machines are not servicable. One must appreciate the difference in quality perception and end usage for machines varies a LOT on this forum.

    As for the car analogy I prefer to think of Grizzly as Hyundai and Oliver/Powermatic/Delta as being the Fords and GMs of the tool world. I think anyone well versed in the car industry will see the Hyundai analogy as a compliment and the Ford/GM title as not so much of a compliment.

    I think one also must appreciate that those calling Grizzly "starter" machines is probably accurate in that they probably consider things like HF et al as not even worthy of starter status. HF machines actually need a level of expertise to get them working acceptably, so you can't bestow starter status on them. Grizzly provides the least expensive and best bang for the buck machines BUT the interesting disconnect is when most people move beyond bang for the buck and start playing with diminishing returns most leave the Grizzly line, having crawled over many of their upper level machines in their showrooms and IWF I can say this may be a mistake. I have often wondered if Grizzly might not do well to differentiate their higher quality tools in the way the car industry does ala Lexus, Infiniti and Acura, the Hyundai playbook is interesting here. Hyundai was an Asian manufacturer saddled with years of lower quality "paint" applied to their brand now they make arguably one of the best "standard" line mid-sized family cars in the Sonata and are building a higher line within the brand that they will roll out seperately at some point in the Genesis line. It would be interesting to see what Grizzly could do if they made the difference in their higher quality/ heavier duty machines instantly recognizable. Felder group and maybe WMH have does that and watching perception on forums it seems to work.

    If one doesn't recognize the strides Grizzly has made in quality over the years and refuses to consider them, the biggest loser is the person that refuses to accept reality. That said if one has the desire/need/money/appreciation for a Format 4, Martin, Altendorf, Northfield et al they probably won't consider Grizzly and probably rightly so.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •