Grizzly Tools: Yay or Nay?

[Buggzilla]

I'm considering purchasing a Grizzly drill press.
Specifically, a 14" heavy-duty benchtop unit (model G7943).
Anyone have thoughts or experience on this model or Grizzly in general?
Up until now, I've been more of a "home center" tool purchaser (e.g., dewalt, porter cable, rigid, and the like).
Grizzly feels like a step up in quality and durability to me, but that's based more on a "feeling" than any actual hard data.
Any thoughts and/or advice would be welcome.
Cheers!

 

[Davefr]

If your choices are Asian tools, then Grizzly is better then most. Generally higher quality standards then other no name Asian tools/machinery. Better support also (ex: replacement parts).

 

[ar2stp48]

I have a Grizzly thickness planer and have been very pleased with it Quality and customer support have been excellent. On the imports, look for made in Taiwan rather than made in China.

 

[Grant Gunderson]

Depends. I’d run away from their drill press after owning one I bought new. Had so much runout you could see it! On the other hand their cabinet saws are very well made. So is the Profesional drill bit sharpener I have from them.

 

[tarbellb]

Better then Delta, Powermatic, Jet, etc for the price.

BTW all of those are Asian made, and more money for name sake only.

 

[dogdog]

It's not a bad at all tools, it out performs a lot of box store tools for very similiar price... saw their 14" band saw in action on one of the shows... it's really nice...

I am eyeing on their 4003G but this price jacked up (might be due to tarrif) is freaking crazy almost 100% more of the original price before 2017. when I was eyeing on it.

They do run sales and free shipping sometimes... so...

 

[Lennyzx11]

14” bandsaw here from them.
It’s been good for the years I’ve had it and the previous owner liked it also. He moved into a retirement village and had no place for his equipment so sold it to me.


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[PugetDude]

Bought a 17" Floor Drill Press and 10" Contractor Table Saw from Grizzly in ~1986.
The drill press has drilled tens of thousands of holes in wood, aluminum, and steel, still on original motor and belts; did replace the chuck a few years ago.
I traded the contractor saw when I moved- really wish I still had it. It was heavy, well-balanced, plenty of power, and almost no blade runout.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again, it's a well-run company with a focus on quality and customer service- a rare combination these days.

 

[James-W]

We have a Grizzly sharpener that is very much similar to a Tormek. My grandson got it from a guy he knows for $50 and we have it in the garage. We use it to sharpen chisels and it works quite well. I bought the Tormek tool to true up the grinding wheel which was worn unevenly and it works perfectly on the Grizzly. Not saying the Grizzly is as good as the Tormek, just saying that it works reasonably well and it does a good job of sharpening chisels. We have not really tried sharpening other things with it, I suppose we could, I guess we just haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

[Higgins]

Bought there Table saw, Drill press, large joiner, and dust vacuum back in the 80's and used them up until 2018 when I moved and downsized! My kids are now using them and they are having a ball! All were great tools ...........

 

[seber]

I don't know if it is true today but some years ago, Grizzly was the only importer that had US supervisors and quality control personnel on site at the manufacturer's location. It made a huge difference and you could see it when the Grizzly was put next to a Jet.

 

[GeddyT]

I buy a lot of Grizzly stuff because I happen to live two miles from one of their warehouses. A lot of it is surprisingly good for the money. As much **** as Harbor Freight gets, I find the same is true there. Most of it is garbage, but there are some real gems (the tool cabs and the motorcycle lift, for instance). Grizzly, on average, is definitely higher quality than HF, but some things there are pretty sketchy.

I haven't used one of their drill presses, but a coworker has one of their larger mills and larger lathes, and he loves them. I have the 9x20 G4000 lathe, and let's just say I'm glad I got it on sale...

Lot of words later, the executive summary is that it's really hit or miss, particularly the lower cost (smaller, lighter) machines, but I doubt they're worse than the equivalents from the other brands (probably made in the same factory).

 

[Jayman17]

I bought their cabinet saw years ago, it's done everything I need it to do and has given me zero problems.

Jay

 

[HenryAZ]

I have the Grizzly G0619 mill drill. It is just right for me. It runs very true with no runout. I tossed the included R8 Jacobs-style chuck (which did show some runout) and bought an Albrecht, which is pricey but very nice. Then once I acquired a full set of ER32 collets, an R8 collet chuck for them, and an excellent spanner wrench that grabs 4 of the slots, I don't use anything but them. It's not a Bridgeport, but it suits my DIY homeowner needs just perfectly.

 

[skippydoo]

Went to one of their annual tent sales in PA back in 2002 or 2003 and picked up a belt sander for a friend who builds 75-150 race car frames a year. The belt sander is used constantly to deburr notched round tubing. The sander is still going strong!

 

[brianh]

I have several grizzly tools 1986 6x48 belt sander, 2014 G0512 6x80 edge sander, 1986 4 bag dust collector, 2014 G0454 20" planer all work well. The planer after looking at Powermatic and Jet are identical besides cosmetics. but grand cheaper.

These tools get used in my shop all the time. The cheapest built is the 6x48 sander the metal platen wore below the rollers so I laminated a piece of oak on, 15 years later still going strong.

 

[anndel]

Go for it, Grizzly tools are great for the money.

 

[dogdog]

Went to one of their annual tent sales in PA back in 2002 or 2003 and picked up a belt sander for a friend who builds 75-150 race car frames a year. The belt sander is used constantly to deburr notched round tubing. The sander is still going strong!

LOL talking about the PA store... the months I planned the visit to get my lathe... I needed to see the physical size and dimension... they closed the store two weeks prior to my planned visit date... Dam it.

 

[ZRX61]

Had a 8in jointer/planer. Tried to sell it before I lost my house 8 years ago, ended up giving it away.

 

[Buggzilla]

Well, I bit the bullet and ordered the Grizzly. The unit showed up within 3 days or ordering. I mounted to the top of an old "bottom" of a roll-around tool chest I had. The plan is to use the tool chest as a repository for drill bits, sharpener, chucks and keys, tooling, and the like.

The unit took me about an hour to assemble, and probably another hour to get securely mounted to the tool chest. Thus far, I'm impressed with the build quality of the drill press. The only complaint I have is the hinged top lid that houses the belt drive assembly got banged up in shipping somehow. I had to do some creative "body work" on it with a mallet to get it straight and able to close. Otherwise, the drill press is in great shape and ready for use.

 

[Eddie H]

I have had the 14 Inch bandsaw for the past 2 years and It's worked without any flaws.