Quote Originally Posted by Larry Edgerton View Post
Took the words right out of my mouth, and thats because Yugo is gone.

I recently had the unpleasant experience of working in a shop full of Grizzly tools. I can not say what I honestly think or my post will be deleted, but suffice to say, I was glad to get back to my own shop filled with Toyota's.

Larry

ditto. Anybody says anything they really feel here against the bear and as an under writer they will shut you down, delete your posts, etc. it's a big green love fest up in here. So read this quick. Grizzly as a brand? It's a case by case basis, they sell a lot of machines, some quite good, some a decent value if not what I'd call best of breed, some are barely possible rubbish I wouldn't pick up for free from the side of the road. As a commercial user I do this for money, so my perspective may differ from a hobby user on the price/ quality/ expectations equation. I own a few and have used far more than that at shops where I've worked. I have never used a single grizzly machine that I haven't used a better version of the same basic tool by another manufacturer. They don't make the best anything IME, but you've seen the catalogue, the prices are great, and not every machine has to be the best to serve its purpose, not every user has the financing to buy the best, so there is a wide market for their goods, thus the popularity. For me it comes often down to set up time...because time is money in a commercial shop. Performance is a base line in custom wood working, the tool had to do its job in an accurate manner, but beyond that, how much time do I have to spend changing cutters, belts, bands, blades, setting fences, are adjustments easy, are controls in the right place? Ask your self these questions as you compare machines.


On the minimax thing, it's small shop commercial or serious hobby, some machines at the upper end are on the verge of industrial like scmi stuff, some may actually be the same, Eric Loza clearly is the one to ask there on a given machine. I love every piece of minimax equipment I've used or owned. Scmi too, good stuff. Not cheap, not Martin or altendorf, but definitely well above the average Asian import quality IMO.


On the casedie planer.....I used to used that planer too in a 24"' almost everything I can afford is a step or 5 down from that level. I saw one on close out once for $10k, desperately wanted to buy it, get a 20hp phase converter....bigger dust collector.....nah. Not for my home shop. It's like bringing a tank to a fishing derby.