grizzly vs harbor freight

[big tuck]

are the grizzly and harbor freight 4x6 band saws the same thing
is there a big difference like pulleys and motors or are they exactlly the same thing. same with there lathes , mills and every thing else i know they are all made at the same plant but are they totally diffrent or not the lady at grizzly told me that there made at there specs but she didnt help me much wondering if ther is a big enough difference to justify the price

[Brad-Man]

The HF has a (overrated) 1hp motor. The Grizzly a 1/2 hp

The HF has aluminum external blade guides. The Grizzly integral cast iron.

You might try Enco - they have the cast iron guides and are available with a UL approved motor:

Enco

[hankj]

There are more than a few HF bandsaw afficionados on board - search on "bandsaws" and you'll get a lot of info. on HF saws and the modifications the guys have made to turn them into real tools.

The Grizzly/HF thing is just what you heard. The manufacturing specification determines how good a tool you get from any given plant. JET tools are made to Delta specs, but they sell them cheaper. Must be name brand recognition. My JET tools (6" rabbeting joiner, 14" bandsaw (wood), 4X6 H/V bandsaw (metal) all work as well as any tool in my shop.

For quality of the machine, I'd buy the Grizzly.

Be well.

hank

[Tankee]

Grizzly has a manufacturing plant here where I live in Bellingham, WA. They have an awesome reputation for reliability and for thier customer service. I am not sure about HF's warrenty policy but in my honest opinion Grizzly's policy is tough to beat. I had a friend who flat out abused his drill press and broke it. He told them how it was used and they still replaced it. Thier manufacturing standards are very strict as well.

[big tuck]

so what yo guys are saying is even though the band saws mills and lathes look identical they are far from it

[Brad-Man]

Actually, they don't look identical (bandsaws)

[hankj]

I've worked in one trade or another for over 40 years. I can tell you from long, hard-learned experience that the looks of a tool will not tell you anything about it. The only valid test is "how does it work?". For me, that's been true for everything from manual screwdrivers to the big core drills I used to use.

I'm a big "touchy-feely" guy when it comes to tools. Can't trust looks - in tools or women!!

Be well.

hank