band saws

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Hi folks,
If anyone has advice about buying a 17 inch bandsaw... let me know. I have a 9 inch jointer (with a 76 foot bed) from Grizzly that I love.
Grizzly has three different models of a 17 inch bandsaw. Does anyone like or dislike Grizzly? Are there certain things I should look for when buying a bandsaw
cheers,
bird.

 

[thinmac]

I have used a Grizzly horizontal band saw for a few years, and for the money it's a great saw.

BUT.

I had to order a replacement part for it recently and it was unbelievable how much hassle they put me through. First, they sent the wrong part. Annoying, but we all make mistakes, so whatever. After that they said it would take 24 hours to open up another saw to find the part number. Four days (and three calls) later, I asked for a manager and was told there wasn't one around. Three days after that I get a call from a manager who said they had just sent me the part fedex ground. Between shipping twice and getting the runaround for a week my saw was out of commission for almost three weeks. No apology.

Bottom line, Grizzly makes a good saw for the price, but if you ever have a problem you're up a creek.

 

[Rusty Musket]

In my experience, bandsaws are one of the more finicky tools and quality can make a big difference when you are doing precision work or resawing expensive lumber. I started out with a 14" import which proved to be un-satisfactory with wheel runout, a guide post that moved sideways 1/4" when raised or lowered, etc. Next, I tried the Grizzly 16". It had more power but fit and finish was not great and it still did not perform great even with upgraded guides. There was a horrible vibration that I could never dial in and again the guide post sucked and required resetting both upper and lower guides every time I move the post up or down more than an inch. I now have one of the 16" Italian Meber saws from Laguna tools. It runs very smoothly and I use ceramic guides right up against the blade.
The best bang for the buck is going to be an original rockwell or delta 14". these are well made and you can find upgraded guides and bearings for them from companies like Carter. You can also add a riser to increase the cutting height. I see there all the time for around $300 but you can certainly find them for cheaper if you are patient.