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If it costs the same amount but is a heavier woodworking tool I would buy this machine from Grizzly first.As for the machine itself, yes, you get what you pay for. I'm sure that you might already know many companies sell just about the same product for about the same price. Well, this sander is no different. For the money you can't beat it.
I need to get a floor model but I plan on spending five times as much as I did on this sander so I'll expect more when I get it. I recommend this sander to anyone that needs a bench sander that they plan on using once in a while. I've used it to sand cabinet door edges when I build kitchens and it has never let me down. If you want to put it in your shop to use whenever you might need it for a few minutes or more you'll do just fine.
The difference is going to be weight. If you think your going to be able to use this sander 8 hrs a day every day then your not going to like this sander. In fact most of the parts in these products are the same. Your going to get a machine that's not made for industrial use.
Most everything else is identical to other brands. In fact, yes, Ryobi does in fact make this sander, as do some other brands. Grizzly has replaced what is normally a plastic base with a cast iron base.
This has ball bearings in all the moving parts. I am looking at another unit, the Grizzly H7761 Combo 2" Belt Sander 6" Disc Sander. what a disappointment.
after a short time of use (approx. I got replacement parts still under warranted and put it back together. I originally bought these for my company for an industrial purpose.
I used it in my home shop for approximately 30 -40 machine hours and the bushings wore out. Grizzly tools can be of good value if you get the right unit. 1-2 months) the brass bushings in the front idler pulley wore out.
The company discarded the machine to me.
Since this tool is made in China by who knows what company, Grizzly doesn't seem to have any idea of how to service or maintain it. It is omitted from the parts diagram as well. But Grizzly tech support says that there is no capacitor.
The 1/3 hp induction motor is underpowered for the type of load a 4" belt puts on it. I was using just the disc wheel for a bit after removing the belt drive, and the capacitor that starts/runs the motor exploded. I've had this one for about a year.
This is not unusual for cheap electrolytic capacitors, so replacing it should remedy that. You get what you pay for. The idler pulley has bronze bushings rather than ball bearings found on higher quality machines.
The idler wheel seized on mine, and when I took it apart to check the bearings I found that the bushings were not replaceable, and not listed on the parts list.
This is a sanding MACHINE I mean it really takes a beating from me, I make turkey calls and I have to do allot of sanding like on the paddle and it ran great even on the Brazialian cherry wood.Had a problem with it when shipped, called Grizzly got a tech and he sent me a new tower and its ok now.great service too.
Don't get ripped off- look elsewhere for decent tools and honest vendors. It is definitely not worth the $100 price I paid; perhaps half that. As if that was not enough, they kept on repeating to me that they would go over the tool with a fine-tooth comb to make sure that it was in exactly the same condition (plastic bags in correct place, all packing foam intact, etc). I have learned that several other vendors, including that wasteland of junky tools, Harbor Freight (which used to be more appropriately named "Harbor Freight Salvage"), sells the identical sander under the Central Machinery name. The answer I received from all levels of Customer Service, including the supposed head of Customer Service, Bruce, was that I would not be reimbursed for the shipping out to me, that I must ship it back out to them on my own dime, that they would charge me a 10% "restocking" fee UNLESS their experts decide that the tool was defective. The "safety switch" is also very flimsy, made of even cheesier plastic than the miter. You won't find these at Grizzly. This motto must be painted on the walls of their Customer Dis-Service department, and feels like customer brain-washing; it seems to be designed to make the customer feel very uncomfortable about whether to risk sending a tool back only to have Grizzly find some tiny little item not to their liking and rejecting the return.
Another sign of a low-quality tool.6. The disk sander table has a sticker showing the angle of degree; this sticker is not even attached the sander, and must be applied by the assembler (you). That sure puts a damper on things. and if it did not meet their criteria, they would NOT issue me a refund of any kind. Now for the Customer Service issues:I called Grizzly the day after I received this tool, telling them that it was of poor quality and requesting a refund. You CAN'T. The similar Ryobi has etched and painted degree markings which can't come unglued.4. A Ryobi combo sander I saw at Home Depot (unfortunately not till AFTER I bought the Grizzly sander) which sells for the same price has a beefy switch which doesn't have a loose "key" which can fall off.3.
Unlike the other reviewer, I would have used mine if it were robust; it is not, and probably unsafe to use. I had high expectations on buying my first Grizzly shop tool. While their Customer Dis-Service staff was polite enough, each one I spoke to (3 different people) kept repeating the mantra about ".no return will be accepted unless tool is in resalable condition, etc., etc). The similar Ryobi's stop is at least 4 times thicker and very robust.5. When my sander arrived, I was very disappointed. How would one turn the sander on without it.
I had heard that they made good tools sold at a fair price. Grizzly's website says "Our goal is simple - provide the best equipment at the lowest possible price and treat customers like we would want to be treated." Well, I guess they actually LIKE being treated like second-class ctizens.This tool is of less than mediocre quality, and possibly unsafe. As another reviewer has noted, the miter is cheap, flimsy plastic and totally useless. 2. So then I would have to pay a THIRD shipping charge returning this hunk of Chinese scrap metal back to me. This is probably the worst Customer Service policy I have ever encountered anywhere (except maybe J&R Music World in NYC where you need your dead grandmother's signature for returns). Man, was I ever wrong. Grizzly's Customer Dis-Service policy strongly discourages returns of any kind.
I felt like the sucker at a 3-card-monte game. Unfortunately for me, thanks to Grizzly's anti-customer policies,I am stuck with the Grizzly.Grizzly's motto is "Purveyors of Fine Tools". Even though at the time the tool was unassembled and unused, it was apparent that Grizzly would do nothing to help their customers, does not stand behind their products and would do everything they could to be sure that no refund of any kind would be coming my way. I would change that to "Purveyors of Overpriced Junk". Flimsy, poorly-cast disc sander table.The moment I saw the tool, I knew I had been taken. The equivelant Ryobi sander, the model BD4600, is much better made and is backed by Home Depot's fair return policy. The castings used to make up the sander are somewhat rough and have sharp edges in places.
If I could give this tool and the manufacturer ZERO stars, I would. First, the tool itself: 1. As if all that was not insult enough, Grizzly will not discuss Customer Service issues on their toll-free 800 number; you must call Washington State long-distance and endure long waits on hold. Lots of plastic used, even in the belt sander table.7. The yellow safety "key", which must be inserted into the switch assembly to start the machine, sometimes would not stay put. The stop for the belt sander is made of extremely light gauge sheet metal, and flexes when the workpiece is laid against it while sanding.
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