Hi all,
Just thought I'd post some feedback about my recent Grizzly experience for any that are interested. I live in a rural area outside of Richmond, VA and opted to pick up my order at the freight terminal in my pickup truck, luckily things fit ok. All items were present, but there was quite a bit of damage on the boxes. "This end up", "Fragile" and other warnings might as well have been written in Latin. Here is a summary of the items and condition:
-1.5 HP shaper: This one was the worst of the bunch. Holes in the box, corners missing, styrofoam packing exposed. Cabinet was not visible so I hoped for the best. Upon unpacking, it was in good shape despite the container. Spindle height handle was shattered though. Cabinet and table surface had no damage.
-14" Drill press (floor model): This come in a long box that had no visible damage to the carton. Once unpacked, I found that the pulley cover (top) had been dented in. Table, pole and motor housing were not damaged.
-1HP Dust collector: This came in a much smaller box than expected. No damage to the box. Unpacked and assembled, no damage.
-Benchtop mortiser: This came in a box similiar in size to the dust collector, but alot heavier! Well packed in heavier grade cardboard than the others. No damage to this one.
-Belt/Disk Sander (floor model): This item had damage to the carton, Styrafoam was visible, but again, the tool was not exposed. Unpacked and assembled, no damage found.
I emailed Grizzly the damage report and part numbers and they were very prompt in replying and sent replacements for the damaged parts. So all in all I would have to say it was a positive experience. A second order is arriving this weekend with a 1023 table say, a 17" bandsaw and a jointer. I'll give a shipping update on that one too. Hopefully this is helpful for any prospective Grizzly order recipients.
-Todd