How is Grizzly overall as a brand?

[Charles Coolidge]

Charles, I'm asking rather than telling here. The amount of power needed for one head vs the other is all I'm asking about. Felder ran tests and I'm assuming others must as well when developing a new design. Byrd heads consume more power than a straight knife and I assume some spirals will be different than the Byrd. Everyone talks about noise and finish quality, but another benefit is the smaller chip size which requires less cfm from your collector. I was merely hoping Shiraz would let us know if the Grizzly head is more or less efficient than the Byrd and what if any other benefits it might have. Dave

Well based on the image of the Felder cutter head I found vs Grizzly and Byrd it seems logical it would consume less power as there are fewer inserts in the cut at a given moment in time. This would explain to a degree the reduced noise as well. I don't know about smaller chips but the Felder seems to have a deep trough for chip evacuation. I always thought my Byrd heads produced small chips, I remember being impressed with the dust sized chips my cyclone was able to capture and keep out of the filter when I emptied it a while back.

I tried to find out what RPM the Felder cutter heads are spinning but they don't seem to list this, that's also part of the equation as is feed speed. Its entirely possible Felder has invented a superior cutter head I don't know. In metal working someone is always inventing better tooling that cuts faster lasts longer and hogs more material. Wood working is just getting its feet wet in this area by comparison, the tooling/cutter choices in metal working is vast.

[David Kumm]

Charles, I'm not attempting to rank the heads or determine any as superior. Just identify the differences if any. I've got planers with Byrd, Straight knife with onboard grinder, Oliver ITCH, and Tersa. Each has its plusses and minuses and each excells at some things but no one head is superior to the others all the time. Its only about collecting the details to make a decision based on individual needs. As to spirals, it may be more about the quality of the machining than the design of the cutter. In the early days of the Byrd there were posts about inconsistency but you seldom ( or never ) read of those anymore. Dave

[Jake Helmboldt]

Michael, I own PM, Jet and Shop Fox (Grizzly's retail line), so I'm not partial to any one brand. I had horrible quality problems with the American made fence on the PM table saw. The only thing worse was the pathetic PM customer service. The Jet 1642 lathe has been a great product for the price, and they replaced the motor when it went bad. The replacement was damaged in shipping so they sent another right away. It was a bit over a year old, which would have been a problem with Grizzly's 1 year warranty, but covered under the 5-yr Jet warranty. For a lathe with electronic variable speed I wanted the longer warranty and am glad I got it.

Grizz still needs to improve their lathes, but have continued to do so and their customer service is good. Jet and PM are not, in my opinion, worth the extra money for a comparable piece of machinery. Years ago, yes. Now? No. BUT it also comes down to specific pieces of equipment. Like I said, the Jet lathe was the best for what I wanted to spend, but I also got a great price which brought it closer to the comparable Grizz. I call pure BS labeling Grizzly as a Yugo. Fit and finish on my Shop Fox (i.e. Grizz) machinery is as good or better than the Jet.

I'd call any of the Asians a Toyota comparable. But remember, Toyota has a lot of products in their lineup, just like the woodworking machinery. And some Toyota's have problems, while others don't. All manufacturers have some products that don't measure up to their typical quality.

[Ruel Smith]

You can go through the Grizzly catalog and spot the very same machines sold by Jet, Powermatic, General, Rikon, and others, in many cases. The differences are in the motors used, some parts are different such as the Grizzly may have a pedestal power switch vs. a wired box on a Powermatic, and I also suspect that Grizzly are "seconds" in quality, meaning the castings may have defects or whatever. However, generally, they are the same machines with minor differences, sold at different prices.

Just to point out a few, check it out:

[J.R. Rutter]

How can they be the same? Those Powermatics are like 50% larger than the Grizzly!

[scott vroom]

how can they be the same? Those powermatics are like 50% larger than the grizzly!

@j.r. Lmao!

[scott spencer]

How can they be the same? Those Powermatics are like 50% larger than the Grizzly!

You get what you pay for....larger thumbnails come with a larger advertising budget!

[Ruel Smith]

How can they be the same? Those Powermatics are like 50% larger than the Grizzly!

Oh gawd that was funny! You made my day... lol

[Ruel Smith]

I know it's been pointed out that Jet and Powermatic have a much longer warranty, but just look at the price differences. The 20" planer with helical cutter (Grizzly catalog shows one that looks dead on a Shellix and Powermatic uses Byrd Shellix) the PM is $4284 at Woodcraft while the Grizzly is $2995. A whopping $1289 less! The oscillating sander is $4979 at CPO whereas the Grizzly is $2995, a full $1984 difference! That's eye opening...

[Shiraz Balolia]

and I also suspect that Grizzly are "seconds" in quality, meaning the castings may have defects or whatever.

That is just factually wrong!

[Dave Zellers]

Glad you weighed in on that. That was a pretty silly statement.

To think that Grizzly's business model is to sit around waiting for 'seconds' off of other company's production runs is ridiculous. The volume alone belies it.

[Ruel Smith]

Well, thanks for straightening that out for us!

[Ruel Smith]

I did not say it was a fact. I've just seen reports of minor defects from people who have received their Grizzly machines and simply made an assumption based on that as to how they keep prices low. But, people have reported machining defects on other brands too. We probably hear more about Grizzly because they are both affordable and popular.

[Mark Ashmeade]

I've had a few Grizzly & Shop Fox tools, and generally find them to be excellent. I just HATE the paint job! The Polar Bear and Anniversary versions address this, and obviously ShopFox. But the mainstream Grizzly brand has a far wider range, and I just couldn't face a shop full of that awful green color!

Each to his own, but if Shiraz is looking for feedback, then change the color!

[david minnery]

Before buying any new tool, I always do a lot of research. I own a small commercial shop, so dependability and value are important.
A few years ago I bought the 1023 TS and 555x BS. I based my decision on reviews, both on forums and magazines and just talking with colleagues.
I also own Dewalt scollsaws(which need repair every 6 months), Jet Tools and a Camaster cnc.
The Grizzly tools I bought were a solid value. I use them every day and the fit and finish is good. I was looking for an American made TS at the time, the Delta Unisaw was the only option. Asian made tools can vary, buyer beware. After years of heavy use, I'm very happy and would get them again.
My .02. We are fortunate to have so many options out there.

ps- I also own Festools, value does not always mean a low price.