Shop Fox

[DAVE HACKWORTH]

Good morning Iam looking to buy some new shop tools would like to know everybodys opion on shop foX tools. Thanks DAVE

[Steve knight]

a little above grizzly. better motor and switches.
I got my shopfox mill and my bandsaw for several hundred less then grizzly and I did not have to pay shipping or delivery. had local service too.

[Joe Vee]

Dave,

I have both Shop Fox and Grizzly tools. The grizzlys have a better fit and finish, but the shop Fox tools work OK. Both companies are owned by the same person. I lean more toward the Grizzly tools.

Joe

[Joe Little]

I purchased a shopfox cabinet saw (my first real saw) about a month ago from a local dealer. For my weekend needs it has been awesome. Everything assembled perfectly and needed little adjustment. I am very happy.

[Rick Gifford]

I have the Shop Fox 1741 Jointer and like it fine. I think it is made well. Only jointer I have owned so I cant give a comparison. I havent had any complaints with the SF except the mounting bolts for the motor were cheap. I replaced them with stainless. Still far ahead than some of the more costly machines.

[Pat Germain]

I have a Shop Fox 8" paralellogram jointer. I got it from bibbtool.com with free shipping. It's a DJ 20 clone with a bigger motor and I'm very happy with it.

I don't think Shop Fox machines are necessarily higher end or lower end compared to Grizzly. They are Grizzly machines with different paint and a big Shop Fox logo on the front. You will sometimes see a difference in features between Shop Fox and Grizzly tools. Also, Shop Fox offers a longer warranty, for some reason.

The jest is the Shop Fox line was created by Grizzly to be the retail store versions of their machines. What's confusing is some tool sellers offer Shop Fox machine online, just like the Grizzly line.

I would recommend looking at what's available from Grizzly and Shop Fox for whatever machine you want. Whichever machine has the features you prefer for the best value, go with it. If you have a local Shop Fox retailer where you can actually see and touch the machine, as well as get local support, that's a big plus to consider.

[Tim Thomas]

I have a Shop Fox contractor style table saw with a 2 HP motor that is wired for 220. I like it a lot and for the price it had more features than the other contractor saws I looked at. I like the fence system that it came with too, it is a clone of the Biesemeyer fences. I think Shop Fox calls it their "Aluma-Classic" fence. I got a killer deal on it because it was on closeout when I bought it, but after using it for a year I would gladly buy it again even at full price. I put the saw on the heavy duty Shop Fox mobile base, and that also works very well for me.

I'm not at home, so I can't check the model number, but I'm pretty sure this is my saw:
http://www.woodstockint.com/Products/W1726/

[Dave MacArthur]

What Pat said up above. Different companies started at different times by same owner; different marketing models--Grizzly is online direct to customer, ShopFox uses a dealer network for those that want local support. I would estimate that whatever is good product from either company will find it's way across company lines, with some administrative delay. During the last year, it seems to me that Grizzly has updated it's line a bit more with tweaks. Both very good.

[Randy Carnley]

The only ShopFox tool I own is a router table. The table is nice and sturdy and the top tilts for access to the router for bit changing, etc.. The assembly instructions, unfortunately, were terrible. The fence is almost impossible to align properly, at least so far.

[Travis Gauger]

If you do a search for shop fox on the forum there are a few posting from me on my recent purchases. Shop fox is the dominant machine in my shop with 2 large pieces of equipment wearing their name. My Planer and my Bandsaw are both shopfox and I couldn't be happier. They are also my last 2 tool purchases. I have re-outfited an entire shop over the past year and have dealt with Jet, Delta, Steel City, General, SopFox, Powermatic, and Grizzly. I don't have any real complaints on any of te tool companies that I have dealt with. I do have two big recommendations though, Shop Fox and Steel City. Steelcity was a joy to deal with on a jointer, and the local rep for the shopfox is great to deal with. It is also really nice to be able to touch and feel the tool your buying. I wouldn't trade my shopfox equipement in for anything.

[Anthony Whitesell]

So is it being said that Shop Fox line is different or the same as Grizzly line? Is the quality of Shop Fox better, worse, or the same as Grizzly? Where would Powermatic lie in this comparison?

I had a retailer that supplies Shop Fox indicate that they would be ranked 3. Shop Fox, 2. Grizzly, 1. Powermatic for the same equipment (BS, TS, DP, or joiner), and even Jet or Delta (which he also carries) would outperform a Shop Fox. But I'm not so convinced, especially on numbers 1 and 2.

[Walt Nicholson]

I have the Shop Fox 5hp TS, 6" planer, router table, moulder, and combo disk/belt sander. Never had an issue with any of them. Picked them over the Grizzly because of the longer warranty. Customer service has been awesome. One unit arrived with some small scratches so I requested some touch-up paint. They sent some no charge with a note that if I did not like the results of my touch-up, I could return the unit and they would replace it at no cost to me. I was impressed. 2 years with average home/hobby use and so far so good.

[Travis Gauger]

So is it being said that Shop Fox line is different or the same as Grizzly line? Is the quality of Shop Fox better, worse, or the same as Grizzly? Where would Powermatic lie in this comparison?

I had a retailer that supplies Shop Fox indicate that they would be ranked 3. Shop Fox, 2. Grizzly, 1. Powermatic for the same equipment (BS, TS, DP, or joiner), and even Jet or Delta (which he also carries) would outperform a Shop Fox. But I'm not so convinced, especially on numbers 1 and 2.

I have a retailer that would rate those far differently. Same story though, carries all the big brands and likes shopfox over most others. I can say, that if you take comparable models and just compare their weight, shopfox is ussually noticably heavier. In the tools that my floor holds up, I like weight. I had terrible luck with Powermatic. It was bad enough of an experience that the CS manager prevented me from ever buying anothe powermatic tool. Just on principle. I go to the local tool store, look at all the brands, and shop fox usually comes home with me.

[Jim Becker]

So is it being said that Shop Fox line is different or the same as Grizzly line? Is the quality of Shop Fox better, worse, or the same as Grizzly?

They are similar products with some differentiated features. ShopFox is intended for the independent retailer market while the Grizzly products are only marketed direct. (as well as with cooperation with Amazon) Grizzly (and ShopFox) products are considered good quality, value priced lines these days, and the continue to introduce new products with even more features.

PowerMatic would generally be considered a little higher on the food chain, particularly in cost. Jet is a "close cousin" of PM at this point as they share positions under the same holding company, WMH.

[scott spencer]

AFAIK, it depends on the tool.....Some are different from Griz, some are the same. SF has a longer warranty.

hybrid: (same/very similar)