# Tool Comparison



## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

I am seriously contemplating building a new shop in about a year or so. I have been out of woodworking approximately 5 or 6 years. Who was king of the heap yesterday is history today and the reverse also holds true.
I will be talking only stationary tools.
I have used various manufacturers tool and was always partial to Delta. When Grizzly made the big wave, I still liked Delta better, so anyway, thats where I am going with this. The real expensive stuff is out of the question for now 
The 3 I am thinking about now are* Delta, Grizzly and Baleigh *mainly because of the price range. 

Years back, when grizzly was growing everyone bragged about it but seems like there was issues with new stuff like missing parts Is this still an issue?
I believe Delta was bought out and some expected quality to take a dive. Did that happen. 

Baileigh I am not familiar with at all. 

If only familiar with only one of the above, please list the pos. and negs of them.
If anyone here is familiar with at least 2 of the above, please make a comparison 

Thanks in advance

Tony B


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Tony B said:


> I am seriously contemplating building a new shop in about a year or so. I have been out of woodworking approximately 5 or 6 years. Who was king of the heap yesterday is history today and the reverse also holds true.
> I will be talking only stationary tools.
> I have used various manufacturers tool and was always partial to Delta. When Grizzly made the big wave, I still liked Delta better, so anyway, thats where I am going with this. The real expensive stuff is out of the question for now
> The 3 I am thinking about now are* Delta, Grizzly and Baleigh *mainly because of the price range.
> ...


Myself, I have used Delta all my career and have found them to be great machines however in recent years what I have gotten from them has been so bad I will no longer buy Delta. Then everyone speaks so highly about Grizzly I bought one of their shapers and it was made so bad I would be apprehensive buying another piece of Grizzly equipment. Baleigh I don't have any experience with. Since the new machinery seems to be junk from all manufacturers I've started buying old antique machinery. They were made to last forever.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

I hate to hear that about Delta but I kinda figured that would happen. I was always a big fan of Delta. Too bad!

I know you are right about buying antique machinery. That maybe the route I will take. If I remember correctly, Delta parts were pretty much standard off the shelf parts, nothing propriatary. For example: all their bearings are standard and could be found at any bearing shop Anyway,Thanks for the input.
Tony B


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Tony B said:


> I hate to hear that about Delta but I kinda figured that would happen. I was always a big fan of Delta. Too bad!
> 
> I know you are right about buying antique machinery. That maybe the route I will take. If I remember correctly, Delta parts were pretty much standard off the shelf parts, nothing propriatary. For example: all their bearings are standard and could be found at any bearing shop Anyway,Thanks for the input.
> Tony B


If you want the best buy Northfield. They are still in business and are making machinery almost identical to the equipment they were making 50 years ago. It's mostly differences in motors and safety equipment. The actual machine parts are interchangeable with the old machines. I have one of their shapers and a 12" jointer and both of them are cast iron to the floor. The jointer was made in the 1960's but the shaper I bought new in the mid 1980's.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Home shop or semi-pro?*

When I think of my "home shop", I have a 6" pointer, some 12" Craftsman table saws, a 13" planer, 12" Grizzly baby drum sander, and 2 14" Craftsman bandsaws.

I was going to go big or go home, and I went home. I bought 24" Grizzly planer, a 8" Grizzly jointer, 2 3 HP Grizzly shapers, and a 19 Grizzly bandsaw with a motor brake. All were very well made, nicely finished and no missing parts. I ran them enough to test them and found no issues. Then my plans changed and I went home without having my new bigger, badder dream woodshop.

I would recommend Grizzly as a great bang for the buck. You have to decide what level of machines you will need, say from 3 HP or less OR 3 HP and greater. Motors rated at 3 HP seem to be on the line between shop and pro, and will work for either depending on the machine.

I also have a 5 HP 12" Powermatic table saw and it's way too much saw for a home shop. It's out of commission these days,and just sits gathering dust even though it works just fine, there's no room to use it.

I also made my own 2 axis panel saw for cutting sheet good into usable sizes. It also sits there gathering dust and has become a hanger for extension cords and shop vac hoses. You don't always need what you thought you did and cabinet making is not on my list these days. But, wrestling a 4 X 8 sheet of 3/4" ply isn't any fun any more either. So, getting rid of either machine won't be an easy choice.

Floor space and electrical supply are also choices between a home shop and semi-pro. Ya can't have too many square feet or too many 220 v. outlets... :wink:

There's a fellow here, Catpower, who is down sizing. Look him up and see what he is interested in selling. He's also a fan of Grizzly. Nice guy too!


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Thanks again Steve, I will keep Northfield in mind


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Bill

How's it going these days?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*hmmmm ....*



Tony B said:


> Bill
> 
> How's it going these days?


Slower?:|


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

like most items, I don't think I would limit myself to one manufacturer for all my stationary tools. I would prefer to choose the best model for me for each tool as I bought it. I guess I am saying that I don't have brand loyalty to that degree, but I own a lot of delta/Rockwell.


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

Sorry, I am a little late to your post. I will add my experience to the thread.


I started with a Delta bench top table saw in 2003. Very inexpensive and worked well for years with the home remodeling projects that I was doing. Sold it in 2009 and purchased a Craftsman (Model 152_221140) hybrid model. It worked very well for me until I started cutting down trees and making my own lumber. The 1-1/2HP motor was no match for ripping >1.5" thick boards. So, I purchased a Grizzly G1023RLWX 5hp in 2015. Sold the Craftsman for what I paid for it. (https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f12/sad-day-happy-day-87114/) The G1023 is a very fine table saw. Check out the link for more information on the saw. I have no doubt that the G1023 will be my last table saw. My estate will have to deal with selling it after I pass in 30 years.


I purchased a Delta 17" floor drill press in 2010. I still have it and use it all the time. I sometimes think about selling it and getting a Grizzly, but as long as it functions properly, I will keep it. When I compare it to a Grizzly floor model, there is no comparison in the build quality. The Grizzly is far superior! I just can't justify spending the money when the Delta still works.



I purchased a Rikon 10_345 Band Saw in 2014 when I started using trees for lumber. I purchased it specifically to use for creating lumber from logs. It worked quite well until the log diameter moved from 8" to >20". I found the 2.5HP motor was no match for the larger logs. In 2016, I purchased a Grizzly G0636X (5HP) to replace the Rikon. It has been making lumber from logs ever since. It too, will end up in my estate... 



In 2017, I purchased a Grizzly G0440 2hp Cyclone to replace my Jet DC-1100 that I had been using since 2010. You can find more information here (https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f32/pipe-diameter-vs-performance-59625/ and https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f24/grizzly-g0440-cyclone-dust-collector-194601/


I also have a Grizzly 20" planer, Belt sander, Bench Top Oscillating Sander, etc


What I am really saying is that my experience with Grizzly products is that they are well designed, well built and are more than what I need in my home retirement woodworking shop. I have found the Grizzly equipment to meet all my requirements at a far lower cost than other manufacturers. 



I can't tell you that ALL Grizzly products are superior to their competition at a lower cost, but I can tell you the products I have purchased ARE superior to the competitors that I evaluated for the money!


Some Grizzly products I wouldn't waste my money on are the track saw, the mobile hand carts, Grizzly brand spiral heads (I prefer the Byrd Shelix brand) and a few other products I have seen in the Grizzly store.


You should feel confident in purchasing large woodworking equipment from Grizzly. I will also mention that my experience with the Grizzly Tech Support line has been very helpful. I don't always get the answer I want, but it is usually correct.


I have seen some posts of damaged Grizzly products from shipping. I always drive the 10 hours round trip to pick up my equipment, so I can't offer any comment on shipping issues.


Sorry for the long post. I hope that it is helpful.


Let me know if you would like more information.

Eric


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

OR Thanks a bunch. 

Tony B


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Myself, I like Binford tools.


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## Mikhail2400 (Jun 20, 2018)

Recently bought a Grizzly Anniversary edition 14" bandsaw and have had zero problems. They shipped it to me fast and customer service was very helpful when I spoke to them though I have not needed to use them for any warranty work. Over all ir was about as hassle free an experience as you can get when buying a semi large tool. I would not hesitate to purchase more of their equipment in the future.
I have a used Jet drill press and have had zero problems with it.
Due to budget I went with Cutech and purchased their package deal jointer/planer during a holiday special. Both of those have ran well. I knocked the jointer off a table and bent the aluminum infeed table and customer service had a new one to me in like 3 days. The jointer has a semi-spiral cutter and it does a great job. Thinking about seeing if its possible to upgrade from blades to the semi-spiral on the planer as well. Cutech is on the lower end of the price spectrum but for what you pay its well worth what you get.

Edit; My shops pretty small but its mine lol


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