[mgmine]

There is a reason Grizzly is cheaper and you will find out why when you go to sell it or service it. Go with a brand name. Either the Powermatic which would be my choice or the Laguna. Both have sales and you can usually get 10 to 15% off.

 

[mgmine]

Thanks Art. Can you tell me more about resale and service issues with Grizzly. I am seeing where I live that they are keeping value--part of the reason I am looking for new. In a perfect world I would love to have the PM but it is so expensive for what you get. The same is sorta true with Laguna. It seems like so much money for a machine that just makes boards flat. Thanks again.

Grizzly is Harbor Freight with lipstick. They are not quality tools and they do not specialize in anything. One look at their catalog will confirm this. Grizzly has been discussed many times. Those that have the tools will tell you how great they are. After all, they sort of do what you expect them to do. But then again so do Harbor Freight tools. Compare them to a car. Close the door on a Mercedes then close a door on a Hyundai. Even a blind person could teel the difference. I am always buying and selling my tools. And over the years I have learned that brand name tools keep their value. Even the old Craftsman tools keep their value. Try an experiment and run two ads on Craigslist. One for a Powermatic 66 table saw and one for a Grizzly table saw Price them both at about half price and see which gets more action. I say table saw because there are more people looking for those and you will get a better idea of the response rate. You will never regret buying quality. As for customer service. I have only had one experience and it was bad but I have read reviews and they have not been good. To their credit, it's usually people that have had bad experiences that write about them. As far as being a good value what does that mean? A Hyundai will get you as far as a Mercedes for half the cost so does that make it a good value? I guess it does but during the time you own it does it feel as comfortable to drive. One other thing are parts. Where do you buy Grizzly parts? Can you buy them from different parts stores online or do you have to get them directly from Grizzly? I have no idea but that's important.

 

[mgmine]

They say that the two happiest days in a boat owner's life are the day they buy the boat and the day they sell it. I can't say that about my jointer but I can say that it was one of the least used tools in the shop. I use only wood from a sawmill (well most of the time which means that it's rough and needs to be machined. I have found that I can get a straight edge, good enough for gluing straight off the table saw. If I'm working with aboard that has a bow in it I simple rip it down and glue it back together. If the wood is too wide it will warp so ripping and regluing it is the best way to go. I also run the boards through the planer on their edges if I don't smooth them out with the table saw. I sold my jointer after 5 years for just about what I paid for it and have never regretted it.