grizzly bandsaw

any thoughts re. the grizzly 14" ultimate bandsaw

Reply to
fsteddie
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nope

Reply to
Vic Baron

Buy 2 and give me 1. :-)

Reply to
KB8QLR

Ok Im asking......... who knows anything about the ultimate bandsaw Im thinking of buying one,good idea or not so good not going to be a high production saw

Reply to
fsteddie

So far I like everything about mine. Had slight shipping damage but it was taken care of in short order and have had no problems since. I bought TimberWolf blades for it and never looked back. I get little or no drift in the small amount of resawing I have done. Made my own resaw fence, a loose interpretation of one I saw here in this group and it straddles the factory fence and clamps to it. It uses an "edge guide upright and works well. I can try to post pics if you are anyone else has interests in it. I would buy this saw again in a heartbeat.

Reply to
SwampBug

On Fri 23 Apr 2004 06:28:45p, "Steven Bliss" wrote in news:hpjic.15673$ snipped-for-privacy@fe2.texas.rr.com:

Well, no doubt there's always going to be somebody who's got another opinion, but what's wrong with pointing out a way to easily get a whole bunch of opinions? Seems like the right thing to do is point the newbies at the tools, so they'll know they're there. And google's good tool. :-)

Dan

Reply to
Dan

A counterpoint for you:

Many experienced people stop responding to FAQs, so the OP is missing out on a lot of good info by not also checking Google. I vote for Googling, and posting requests for more specific questions. I can't count how many times I've done this and gotten much more usable data, so I can formulate BETTER questions, as opposed to asking "Is the XYZ Fruraffer any good?"

One can only participate in the same thread so many times.

To the OP:

My investigation of the G0555, when I needed a band saw, led me to realize that it's not all that different than any other $400-500 Chiwanese saw. Some people have excellent luck with Grizzly's delivery, others wait and wait while replacements for missing or transit damaged parts are sent. The G0555 I looked at compared favorably to the Ridgid, imported Delta, Rikon, and Jet. If you don't have a dependable local dealer, you'll probably do fine with the Grizzly.

I don't necessarily agree with Grizzly's "Cut out the middleman" claim based on the number and placement of Grizzly ads I see. Tools need to be shipped to a local dealer, who then usually provides post-sale support, pays local taxes, local employees, for floor space, etc... From what I know about retail, apples to apples comparisons say Grizzly tools should actually be cheaper than they are, if they were truly wholesaling them. Direct comparisons to dealer prices often have the G0555 beating truly comparable tools by only $30-40, but the buyer gives up local post-sale support and the money completely leaves his community.

I ended up buying a Delta X5 for $800 on sale, including a free genuine Delta mobile base.

My original plan was to seek a used American made Delta, but the $800

  • free base, including the honestly rated 1 1/2 HP motor and blade quick release made the X5 a value that worked for me. I preferred the X5's fit, finish, and feel in actual use, enough to spend the extra money. Delta forgot to put the top plate of my base in the box, so it took almost 4 weeks to get my saw up and running.

Barry

Reply to
B a r r y

You might want to go to and enter the keywords "grizzly ultimate "band saw" OR bandsaw group:rec.woodworking" (leave out the quotes on the ends but include the ones around band saw. You'll get more than 80 hits. If you leave out the "ultimate" you'll get well over a thousand in which Grizzly bandsaws are mentioned--it may be worth reading some of those as well.

Generally before posting a question on a newsgroup it's a good idea to check google groups for previous discussion of the topic--if it's one that has just been the subject of a 500-post thread which ended in a flamewar then the regular participants in the group may get a bit surly about reopening the discussion.

Also you'll find a broader discussion on most topics by that method--posting to the group you get the benefit of the views of those who are participating _now_, going to google you'll likely get their views as well as the views of others who for whatever reason either no longer participate in that group or don't access it while your post is active.

Reply to
J. Clarke

So when we cut to the chase, you paid more than twice as much for a saw that does the exact same thing? ie same cut capacity, same HP. Does that sum it up?

Reply to
Bruce

If that's the only thing you measure tools by, it seems he did. There may be other factors differentiating the two that he feels are important that you may not.

Reply to
Dave Hinz

I measure tools by their ability to perform the function for which they were designed. Is there another way?

Reply to
Bruce

Of course. How is the fit & finish of the parts? How easy is it to find replacement parts on a saturday when you have to have a (blah)? Are there ready-made accessories for your brand, or will you have to adapt them? How do the wheels track? Does the band adjustment stay where you put it? How easy is it to adjust for different width saw bands? Will you be able to get replacement parts in 20 years? Will it _last_ 20 years? Are there bearings, bushings, or just holes for the shafts? Etc, etc, etc. To imply that horsepower and throat distance are the only factors in deciding if two bandsaws are equal, well... cheap tools are their own punishment.

Dave Hinz

Reply to
Dave Hinz

I just bought the Grizzly 15" about 2 weeks ago. Went to the factory store in Bellingham, Wa to look at the different sizes. Had to retire my old Craftman 12" and found the new Grizzly to be a great saw. The instructions for putting it together were bad but other than that it has worked great for me. I am in the middle of making a craddle out of maple and it has done all that I have asked it to do.

Rob Shohomish, Wa

Reply to
Rob

Reply to
Steven Bliss

Yup! I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Barry

Reply to
B a r r y

As have I.

In some cases, this has removed Grizzly from consideration. If I can't touch one, I won't buy one.

In every case where Grizzly was considered in a major power tool decision for me, they compared fine with similar Chiwanese stuff that sold for 5-10% more locally. For instance, the G0555 and imported Delta 14" saws, or your typical 6" $400-500 jointers.

I have yet to see a Grizzly tool that was the equal of anything costing twice it's price, but why should it?

Barry

Reply to
B a r r y

As the owner of a G0555, I don't blame him for going with the Delta and wish I would have. The Griz works, but not as well as the Griz G1019 I had before. I don't care for the roller bearnings and it just doesn't have a solid feeling. I use a bandsaw for quite a few things and wish I wouldn't have gone with the Griz on this one. That is not to say that I don't like Grizzly, I also have a G1023SL cabinet saw and a 6" jointer G1182Z and like them fine. In fact, I would put the jointer up against any other brand, but wish I would have spent a little more and got a Delta TS and BS.

Don

Reply to
V.E. Dorn

I basically agree but not when it comes to the jointer. My 1182Z and the

1182 I had before were both the equal in quality as far as I'm concerned to the old 8" Delta that a friend bought. (Outside of the capacity of course). The only other advantage to the 8" is the length of bed, but then I can get that by going with an 8" Griz.

Don

Reply to
V.E. Dorn

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