Why does Grizzly have such a bad reputation?

[Breaddrink]

I keep butting in on other threads whenever they mention they have grizzly machinery because a couple of pieces of machinery of theirs have been on my mind,

...So I really should just ask outright in it's own thread than branch those topics out...

What is it about grizzly that is bad exactly?

I don't have a very wide knowledge of their tools but the two items I've had my eye on (the 17 inch bandsaw and the 8 inch jointer) seem to have worshiping owners who think they're absolutely fantastic tools.

I can't find a bad review and they seem to have been awarded best of tool awards in magazine shootouts...

To make it even more confusing for me, they seem to be identical to a whole load of General International tools that themselves cost from usually a good few hundred more, right up to double the cost.

So why the bad reputation?
Could this be something that was in grizzlys past and they just had a bad run of things, or do they just have a few good items that are bought, and so they're the reviews I'm finding?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Rob.

[WoodMangler]

A lot depends on just which tool you're talking about...

.... as with any manufacturer, they have their good and their bad... and believe it or not, different forums give different opinions based on their experiences... birds of a feather flock together eh.... go to The Oak and they love Grizzly over there.... Look at the woodturning forum we have here... lots of people starting turning eh?... a lot of that is the influence of the forum members....

Best advice I can give is to evaluate each and every tool and model based on it's own merits....

My complaint about Grizzly is that they use really cheap switches and motors (NOT all of their tools though) and they overrate the HP.... and I have read a few bazillion posts that say "I just got my Grizzly (whatever)and this or that doesn't work or arrived broken or missing or warped or etc, etc, etc......"

Anyhoo, that's my dos centavos :)

[Messman]

I have to agree with this. there are good tools and bad tools, just like good vehiclesand bad ones. You need to look at the tool and ask if it has the features I want at the price I want. etc, etc, etc. It is what you want not what others want...and you need to take tool reviews with a grain of salt.

Keep On Woodworking
Chris

http://members.cox.net/messman123/messman.htm

[michael perata]

"and I have read a few bazillion posts that say "I just got my Grizzly (whatever)and this or that doesn't work or arrived broken or missing or warped or etc, etc, etc......""

Hyperbole I say, absolute hyperbole.

On another forum I no longer visit, almost everyone buying a Delta 6" jointer complained about warped tables and fences.

I don't believe we get to hear from the entire universe of owners with their compaints and kudos. Remember, Grizzly has been in business since 1983. I bet they have more than a couple of satisifed repeat customers.

[Breaddrink]

Yeah, that holds true to all brands I supose, but you take a few, and they're pretty much solid throughout their whole product line.

I just don't understand the "NYARGH! I'd never buy grizzly" kind of attitude when a good proportion of the tools seem to be genuinely very good, regardless of their cost, which pleasantly enough seems to be very low.

Perhaps the quality control is lacking...
Something has to be responsible for such good prices no doubt.

Might also explain how some people have terrible times with them and others cruise through the purchase and receive theit item that hardly even needs setting up.

Rob.

[ecklesweb]

>Perhaps the quality control is lacking...
>Something has to be responsible for such good prices no
>doubt.

That sounds exactly right to me. I get the impression that there's a lot of variability in their process (breaking out my Six Sigma speak here). Average quality is probably high, but some uh-ohs are sneaking through now and then in their manufacturing process.

I don't own Grizzly, but I would certainly consider them if I was buying a large piece of stationary equipment. You take a chance that you might get one of their few mistakes in exchange for superb prices. If you're a value shopper, Grizzly's probably going to be pretty hard to beat on some tools. From what I hear, they're certainly capable of building the highest quality equipment, so if you buy from them you hope you get lucky and get more than you paid for!

Jay

[Burt]

To be brief, "They deserve it".

Let me explain. I do woodworking full time and bought 6 of their tools that I consider major. The two sanders are pure junk but adequate for what I use them for. The two dust collectors are basically adequate if you don't mind the shaking as they wind down. The two shapers were a real POS. The veritcal adjustment was impossible, the fences were so bad that I had to shim them to get them to line up half way right. A router was stronger than the 1.5 unit.

I have friends with Grizzly cabinet saws who have problems with table tops that rust easily. Also the 90 degree stop won't hold in place, the saw changes elevation while making a cut, etc.

Most people who sing the praises of Grizzly equipment haven't had any experience with good quality equipment (IMHO). Also I have seen more and more internet posts about problems with Grizzly. Most often younger hobbiest sing their praises and older full time woodworkers offer words of caution.

To summarize my true opinion of Grizzly. Some people do a lot of good work with Grizzly equipment. But don't buy it thinking you are getting Delta, Powermatic or General quality. You are getting just exactly you are paying for - a cheap import machine of questionable quality.

People talk about Grizzly service, I have seen worse but let me compare Grizzly and Delta. Grizzly shipped a sander with a lower horsepower motor than they advertised. The only way to correct it was to send the motor back and wait until it got back to Grizzly so they would send me a replacement. I was without a sander for at least 3 weeks. I broke a part on a Delta Stock Feeder. It would cost more than the grizzly motor. I called their customer service and they immediately sent out the replacement part and didn't even ask that I return the broken part. Which company has better service?

[Breaddrink]

I'm staying high end for my cabinet saw.

The general or powermatic is still undecided, and it will no doubt come down to availability at the time, so therefore PM will win.
Hear tale of general being a wee bit cheaper, but hardly anywhere stocks them and there seem to be near constant specials on PM stuff that brings them level...so I dunno yet...

It's just that darn bandsaw that I can't find a bad word about...same for the jointer...

Rob.

[bobleverton5]

I have never purchases a grizzly tool - although I have examined some of their tools and a friend of mine has purchased some grizzly tools. After my exploration, I decided to steer clear of grizzly and bought delta and powermatic instead. While I agree that all manufacturers have their lemons, we have had great success with the delta tools we use at work.

The grizzly tools that I have monkeyed with, (while I have not ran them and would have limited exposure to their line,) have revealed something either by sight, or feel, or sound that seemed to me to point to a machine that would not hold up as well over the long haul.

One thing that I have learned in the carpentry is business is that you generally get what you pay for. To be honest, when you consider the high costs of manufacturing these days - I become a little suspicious when I look at what looks like comparable machines that are priced a couple hundred dollars or more apart.

But as with any tool - one should make the comparisons and if possible, talk to some people that have the tool and find out what they have had for an experience. Many companies have greatly increased their quality control - and perhaps a manufacturer that was cussed 7 years ago may well be praised at the current time.

What did surprise me, when I received the Grizzly catalogue, was their rather extensive line of products.

Bob

[Breaddrink]

I can't tell if it's my temptation to buy that's caused my finding and hearing more good things about them, or if they're actualy improving and expanding, and doing it in the right way.

Their sudden and entire range on amazon is kind of interesting to say the least.

Rob.