# Grizzly Tools Quality



## JIMMIEM (Apr 4, 2010)

What is the consensus concerning Grizzly? Tool quality, customer service, etc. I don't have any Grizzly products and am just curious for future reference.


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Jim I have a Grizzly band saw and a 1.5HP dust collector and I am happy with both. There are better tools than Grizzly but they cost more money and I wish I had the better tools. The customer service I don't know about.


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## JIMMIEM (Apr 4, 2010)

hawkeye10 said:


> Jim I have a Grizzly band saw and a 1.5HP dust collector and I am happy with both. There are better tools than Grizzly but they cost more money and I wish I had the better tools. The customer service I don't know about.


Thank you for the feedback.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Kind of depends on the tool. I only have a couple of their odd Grizzly items. A picture frame jig and their Lyon miter trimmer. Both work fine. I think in their price class they're pretty good, but there are better tools out there--they just cost more. I tend to get things a bit on the higher side of the middle and have been happy so far. One of the great values are the Laguna 1412 band saw and their Fusion table saw, especially when they go on sale. Laguna is about 40 percent more than Grizzly with the same features. Never heard a bad word about Grizzly customer service. If money was a serious issue for me, I would seriously consider Grizzly and Rikon, depending on the tool.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

I have an anniversary Grizz band saw and several of their weekly sale items. Love the band saw, and was ready to pull the trigger on a cabinet saw (I should have) when a on older used Craftsman dropped in my lap. Haven't had any problems contacting them or getting answers. Had a lumber rack come damaged. I sent them a pic and they immediately replaced it - and let me keep the one with missing parts (which I got from ACE and ended up with a free workable rack). Overall, they're quality is "middle of the road or a little better" but work great for what I do.


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## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

I have 3 machines from Grizzly, all of them I am satisfied with. I have a G0555P 14" Bandsaw, which I am extremely happy with. It has proven itself in my shop on MANY occasions. I also have a 6" Jointer from them, and it performs well. I also have a drill press that was given to me that was made in '92. It still runs great.


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## CharlesWebster (Nov 24, 2015)

I'm very happy with my new Grizzly 771Z hybrid table saw. It took a bit of work to get it properly setup, you can't just start using it out of the box, but once set up it has been an excellent tool, capable of very precise work.

I can't comment on customer service because I have not used them.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

I had a Grizzly 10" contractor saw and a 14" bandsaw. Both were at the cheaper end of their line. At first I was impressed with the cast iron tables and such where similarly priced machines had stamped steel. Both had motors which were strong enough and the motors never gave me any trouble. If I were doing carpentry tasks, both machines would be plenty accurate. 

However, after a while I found both had slop in their mechanisms which defied accurate adjustment. I could spend an hour adjusting the blade parallel to the miter slots. It would stay in place until I tilted it. When brought back into position, the blade would be out of adjustment again. The problem was that the half-moon sector that serves as the trunnion was cast of pot metal instead of machined from steel. There was just too much slack in the system to get consistent alignment. 

The bandsaw had a steel casting that the guide post slid up and down in. Problem was, the casting was off by a tiny bit. If I adjusted the blade guides properly, all was fine until I moved the guide up for thicker material. Because the guide post was not parallel to the blade, I had to adjust the guide all over again. 

I've replaced both of these machines with top-of-the-line models from other manufacturers. I paid 4 or 5 times as much for the new machines. I wouldn't be "afraid" of Grizzly. They're sturdy machines, they're just not precision machines at the lower price points. If you're just starting out, they make the price of admission easier to swallow. But if you stay with the hobby, you'll probably outgrow them someday.


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## Terry Q (Mar 2, 2017)

I have a tracksaw, a screw fell out keeping the blade guard from retracting. Left a big gouge in my track when I set it down.

I have a 6" jointer, fence never ground flat and difficult to adjust levelness of indeed table because depth gauge is riveted in the way. Frustrating.

I have two shapers, couldn't figure out why the depth of cut on one of them wouldn't stay adjusted until the day the cutter popped up about 1 inch. Took it apart and discovered motor was never tightened down in mounting bracket; has worked fine since. Never had a problem with the other shaper although I made sure the motor mounting bolts were tight.

I know many people are happy with their Grizzly purchases and claim they are made in the same factories as other higher end brands, so I can only relate what happened to me, but I'm through buying Grizzly. I'm willing to pay more for better quality control if that's what it is. 


In woodworking there is always more then one way to accomplish something.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

I am really surprised at all these responses. I have always heard nothing but raves about Grizzly and wondered what the owners were thinking. Grizzly is one step up from Harbor Freight IMHO. They look good from a distance, and are heavy but that's about it. The fit and finish leaves a lot to be desired and if that was the only problem they would be a good value. However like Harbor Freight once you look inside that you can really tell the difference between a quality tool. I made the mistake many years ago of recommending a saw to a friend. My recommendations was based on cost thinking that he wouldn't use the table saw enough to notice. After using the saw for a year he sold it for 10 cents on the dollar and bought a Craftsman which he still has today. I made the mistake of buying a riser block from them for an old band saw. At the same time I bought some blades. Calling the stuff junk would be kind. When I called to try and return the items I was told NO. The blades were used and the time had passed to return things. Compare that to Rikon which warranted my band saw for 5 years. To me customer service is as important as the tool. The warranty offered will give you a pretty good idea on how confidant the company is of their product.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

You don't have to go far to find negative reviews on Grizzly products and service, but you dont' have to go far to find negative reviews on just about anything! 

I picked up a new 17" Grizzly bandsaw couple years back now, and to this date, I have had ZERO problems with ZERO complaints on it. The saw has performed as expected and when its cleaned up, it looks like it did out of the crate. I primarily use the saw for resawing and most of that is maple and walnut. Plenty of power, tracking is excellent and that is with an cheap Grizzly 3/4" resaw blade. I'd have no problem recommending this saw to anyone...


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## Barry747 (Jun 16, 2011)

I have a Grizzly anniversary 14" band saw. After I got it set up I found that one of the guide bearings was very stiff and only turned intermittently. I called Grizzly customer service and 3 days later i had new bearing in the mail. About a year later I ordered a riser block so that I could resaw wider stock. It went in easily. It took me a while to learn how to adjust the saw. I guess i watched Alex Snodgrass' video about a dozen times and finally got it right. When the saw is adjusted properly I get excellent results. I rarely use the blade that came with the saw, i prefer Timberwolf and the Wood Slicer blade. Since money is an object for me, i can't always afford the best, but I buy the best that i can afford. I don't have any other Grizzly products but, from my experience with the band saw and the call to customer service, I do recommend them.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

I got the same band saw, Barry. That bear on the black paint looks cool. Saw works pretty good too.

What'd the riser cost??


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## Bob Adams (Jul 5, 2014)

I live 20 miles from their Bellingham WA show room so I am able to look and touch their tools before I buy. I have had some of their tools for over 20yrs. I currently have a cabinet saw, 14" steel frame band saw, drum sander, and oscillating sander. Besides being close, their tools are within my budget, and I know what I am buying. All of the tools have held up well, and I have found their customer service to be outstanding. 
The only tool that has been "finicky" is the drum sander, but I spent some time with it made a few minor modifications, and now it works like a champ.


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## Barry747 (Jun 16, 2011)

John, I looked up the price I paid in 2013 and the kit cost $79.95. It's now up to $87.95. Besides the riser block itself, it includes a few other parts that have to be changed out. It was pretty simple to do. Of course, if you do install the riser, you will have to buy all new blades at 105". Here's a link to the kit if you're still interested. Riser Block Kit for G0555LANV | Grizzly Industrial Some of the rough lumber that I buy is wider than 6" so I needed the riser. Although I don't resaw frequently, I do it enough that I'm happy that I purchased the riser.

And, yeah, the bear is pretty cool. Best looking tool in my shop.


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## rbm328 (Jan 1, 2011)

i'm going to ditto most of the comments listed above. I have the G0715P hybrid TS, the 0555 polar series BS and i just purchased their lower end router table. Like was said before, its NOT the top of the line, but my money tree in the back yard died several years ago! I too purchase the best i can afford. I also watch craigs list and estate auctions for good deals. many times i can get good equip for cheap.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Thanx, Barry. Probably gonna pull the trigger towards the end of the month. I have a bunch of walnut and cherry that I want to slice and make some multi colored boxes for Xmas.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Nice thread, lots of information for making a tool purchase decision. One of the best parts of the Forum.


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