Craftsman Pro Vs Grizzly 1023 left tilt

[John]

Got a friend starting to look into a table saw, and he just read the review in Workbench that gave the Craftsman OR35504 hybrid Editors choice. I have been pointing him toward the Grizzly G1023SL

Since both are about the same price, AND he has been using my Unisaw for the last 6 months - which would YOU suggest is the best for him. Both weigh about the same, and with a mobility base both should be as convenient to roll around his garage. I personally think the 3hp motor alone would tip this to the Grizzly Also, he already has a 220v outlet in the garage, so that is NOT a factor

So, any commnents?? Reasons to choose the Craftsman over the Grizzly??

John

[ecessna]

[Dave Anderson]

reasons to choose the grizzly over craftsman

1) 3 honest H.P. (not rated at max starting current like craftsman) 2) the Trunions are 5 to 6 times more masive (more iron = less vibration) 3) three belt drive system (not single) 4)thicker castiron top(see#2) 5) Built for the commerical market, not the home market I upgraded to the Grizzly Last Fall and could not be happier.Every adjusted was dead on out of the Box . I used a Dial Indicater and no measurement was out more than .002" If you look at the guts of the Craftsman, all they did was mount the contracter type trunnions the cabinet instead of the top and move the motor inside Enough Said,

Dave

[Greg O]

Reasons to pick Craftsman over Griz? I can't think of any! Seems to me the Griz is a bit heavier, plus the motor you mention. 1-3/4 HP

120/240 volt on the Craftsman versus the 3 HP 240 volt on the Griz. Seems simple to me, buy the Grizzly Greg

[loutent]

Hi John,

I went through the same thing recently and bought the Griz.

After checking out the Craftsman, there is no comparison. The motor, trunion action (the handheels on the 1023 move like a finely tuned watch - silky smooth), the fences are comparable.

I've had it for less than a month. I was amazed when it passed the "nickel test" straight out of the box. Set the nickel on end and then hit the "ON" switch. That nickel didn't budge - no matter where on the top I put it.

I could go on, but IMHO your friend will thank you for recommending this saw.

Lou

[tonytn1158]

Hi, I bought the Griz 1023s last summer, love it, no problems....

[Charlie Self]

Dave Anderson babbles:

The Grizzly may well be the better choice. Certainly it is more powerful, and it is a damned good saw. But your points don't bear examination.

1. The Craftsman hybrid is rate at 1-3/4 HP.

1. The Grizzly trunnions MAY be about 50% heavier. It's been a while since I've seen Grizz trunnions.

2. The single belt on the Craftsman is a multi-V poly on machined pulleys, and is actually more effective than a 1-3/4 HP saw needs.

1. Dunno. I haven't measured either one. Have you? If you have, post the thickness of your Grizz top, and I'll go measure the Craftsman in my shop, and we'll KNOW.

2. Nope. It is built primarily for the hobby woodworker, as is the Craftsman.

1. The trunnions in the Craftsman are nothing like contractorf saw trunnions.

You said way more than enough, not much of which was accurate.

Charlie Self "They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program." George W. Bush, St. Charles, Missouri, November 2,

2000

[John]

Charlie

Bottom line, Which would YOU recommend to a friend like I described.

It would probably be a no brainer for HIM if we were looking at the Craftsman vs a Unisaw - but at this price point, I don't really see any reason for choosing the Craftsman over the Grizzly.

John

[BAF]

[loutent]

Hi (again) John,

As another perspective on my previous pro-Griz post, it should be mentioned that the 1023SL is now almost $1100 w/shipping. The Craftsman can be purchased for under $800 from what I've seen on this forum (using sales + coupons etc).

In reality, you are not comparing apples to oranges, but maybe oranges to tangerines (?).

$300 is quite a difference in tool land. I think that I remember a post from someone who got it for around $700.

At those prices, you could not go wrong with the Craftsman. For myself, I wanted a great saw that would be much better than the contractor-type import which I have used for the last 16+ years.

I did not want to buy another TS just to think that I would want yet another upgrade in 5 years or so. Yet, I did not (as a hobbyist) feel it necessary to spend $2K+ on a Unisaw or PM.

In the end, it comes down to $.

Lou

[Dave Jackson]

hmmmm. Hey BAF, aren't you the same spammer who slammed us with a bunch of apprenticeship crap last month? Nice to see you offer something to the group besides your scams. --dave

[John]

Well, they are NOT on sale right now, and the SRP is around $925-$950

The Grizzly is $995 plus $78 Shipping, so unless he wants to wait for the Craftsman to go on sale, price difference is about $125, which is not a bad premium to pay for the better saw

John

[News2]

I'm obviously not Charlie, but I have owned the Craftsman 22124 saw since last October.

I like the Griz. It's indeed a good saw. I bought the Craftsman instead. I'd do it again. And again.

I could look the Craftsman over in the store before I bought it. That's tough to do on a magazine page. I also knew that I'd have local support if I needed it. (Absolutely NOT so with Griz -- unless you live in one of, what? three? places.)

The Griz would be drop-shipped by an anonymous trucker to my curb stone. It would have been up to me and my lonesomes to get the saw into place. MY Craftsman was delivered and then placed on my back patio (and set up on the mobile base, to boot) with a "can we help you get it put together?" !!!

I bought my Craftsman while on sale and the sale happened to coincide with a Craftsman Club discount event. With Sales Taxes, delivery *&* a two-year On Site Service Agreement, my bottom line came to about $870 -- including the mobile base.

I am Extremely Pleased with my 22124 saw. I'm more than pleased with the Biesemeyer Fence. I am Extremely Pleased with my local Sears store!

Yeah, I'd buy it again over the Grizzley. Any Day. (And remember, I like the Grizzley.)

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

First off, I can't comment at all about the Craftsman saw. Never seen one, haven't researched it, let alone read much about it. That said, I just bought the Grizzly 1023SL. I couldn't be happier. It seems to be a very stout saw with a good amount of "bulk" if you will. It went together without a hitch and was pretty much right on straight out of the box. I haven't done my final adjustments but it appears what adjustments I will have to make will be minor. I did purchase just before their price hike.

Having curbside delivery vs. having someone roll it into my garage and set it on a mobile base hardly seems to be a reason to me, to buy one saw over the other. I actually picked mine up at the freight company and hauled it home. From there I put it on a mobile base and assembled the whole thing completely by myself. Mind you, I'm a whopping

5'7" and about 155lbs. so it may have been a bit easier for me than others :)

As for local service vs. phone service, I find I got better service with Grizzly than I could have locally. One of the wings hadn't been properly cosmoline'ed so had some rust. A quick call to Grizzly and another was here in two days with no questions asked. I'm completely comfortable with dealing long distance on product issues with Grizzly given the few times I've called them (I've got their G0555 Bandsaw as well).

So all in all, I'm very happy with my new toy and can't wait to start putting it to use on a few tables and a bookshelf. Whatever about the Craftsman, the Grizzly 1023SL seems to be a fine piece of machinery.

Cheers, cc

[Bob G.]

I looked the Craftsman over pretty well receintly out of curiousity ( I've run a Jet Cabinet Saw for over 10 years and am NOT in the market...

I honestly think it may be a fair saw BUT it just can not be compared with the Grizley my buddy purchased last year... No ands ifs or buts... Price wise I have to ask does dropping 800 bucks hurt? Well it does for me... BUT again dropping 300 bucks more for the grizley will hurt just as bad... (Kind of like slamming 1 or 2 fingers in your car door... hurts like hell but no real difference between 1 or 2 fingers).

Someone mentioned Local service at Sears...? Around here Sears has as much service as the local gas stations... self serve at best...

Having said that when I was shopping I picked the Jet over the Delta Cabinet saw ONLY because the darn top was machined better... in other words I picked it for cosmetic reasons.... Hell of a dumb reason I'll admit... The 150 bucks difference in price honestly did not factor into my deciasion either nor did the stock fences...since I could order either at that time with a Biesmeyer...

Bob Griffiths

[mac davis]

is that with or without the craftsman club 10% discount? the club is free and the discount comes in handy..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[MSCHAEF.COM]

Probably a good choice, although I have the 22124.

I'm happy with my saw, and valued being able to actually see it and touch it before buying it. Also, while I'm not 100% sure about the Shop Fox fence, I know for a fact the Biesemeyer is a quality piece. For me, those two factors outweighed a 70% increase in power and some of the other benefits of the 1023. (Oh, and based on the weight of the two saws, there is _no_ way the Grizzly trunions are 5-6x heavier than the Craftsman trunions... unless the Grizzly has a stamped sheet metal table or something. ;-)

The only other thing I'd counsul is that I wouldn't spend _too_ much time worrying about which saw you get. You'll likely like either one, and the whole point of the process is cutting wood, not buying tools. (I know, it took me eight months to finally decide which saw...)

-Mike