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I did my home work checking out reviews both on the net as well as reading through the reviews written by Fine Woodworking Magazine a couple of years back. The features that sold me were the 1 hp motor, dual speeds, cast iron 14" table, the blade de-tensioning quick release for added blade life, and it came with a fence.This saw arrived quickly via UPS Freight (ordered on Monday; arrived on Thursday)and the assembly was very straight forward. I expect I'll see years and years of excellent service. I am so glad I did. If you're looking for the best value in a 14"-er, you can not go wrong with this saw.
This is one solid saw. It came very well packed and I was immediately impressed by its rugged cast iron frame. I couldn't believe it. I've been looking to buy a solid 14" bandsaw for my home shop. I bought the new Grizzly G0555P (the "Polar Bear" model as it was at a lower introductory price and claimed to be exactly the same to the G0555 only in white. I had read reviews on other saws that had misaligned or unbalanced wheels and really resigned to myself that I'd have to fight these problem as well seeing that the saw was so inexpensive. I easily squared the table and adjusted the guides and then ran some 3/4 oak for a trial cut and she ate through them without any hesitation. I was really expecting some bad vibration or some hidden flaw to start shaking but she just purred like a kitten.
Having set my sights on a new Jet, I decided to look at the other saws once more before I dropped the cash and was very surprised by the upgrades Grizzly had added to their bandsaw since the review was written. Not true for my saw. It lives up to its name: "The Ultimate 14" Bandsaw." The bolts fitted together well and gave no hint of "softness" or thread inconsistency (as many Chinese tools do).I assembled the saw, did a very minor tracking adjustment and then fired her up.
Like everyone else, I received an ideal saw. All in all, I give it five stars. I got the riser block, but have not installed it yet, as I had some pressing jobs to finish first. Having done my homework like everyone else, I found Grizzly's bandsaw to be the top choice. The blade that came with it, like everyone else said, was not the best, but when I replaced that, all was well. I'm happy and making lots of sawdust. That blade made be good for different applications (it is a narrow blade, perhaps 5/16ths or less, and so good for tight curves).
I called grizzly and they sent me out a replacement.To give Saia their dues, everyone I spoke to or interacted with was extremely polite and helpful. I then called customer service and talked to a manager and after talking about the tire problem along with the scratches and rust he told me to take pictures of all these things and email them, but that it was ultimately the freight departments decision whether a replacement could be authorized and they probably wouldn't be able to let me know for another 24 hours. He asked me if I had noted any damage to the box on the bill of lading and I said yes and he said it was good that I had done that. An opinion only to be confirmed when my package was brought out to me with an entire corner of the box destroyed. I assembled the saw and it is working great. Grizzly tells you to write any damage you see down on the sheet you are given before you sign and I did this (MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS). I wasn't too thrilled to see these things, but I figured they were just cosmetic and wouldn't affect the operation of the saw. I decided to test the saw mechanism before putting everything together, and It's a good thing I did.
This time the box was at least intact although it had been scraped and ripped. I asked him if my expectations of having a working saw out of the box with no defects was too high and he actually said yes. I got it home, gave it a once over and everything looked good. Having read some of the other reviews and having received the email notice about how delivery was to be made (I didn't want to pay an extra $30 for a truck with a tail gate lift) and as the Saia terminal wasn't very far from me I decided to go pick it up from the terminal.Maybe Saia isn't any different from any other freight company, but the behaviour of the fork lift drivers I saw when I arrived at the terminal was shocking.
I called grizzly and they said that they wanted to send me new tires, then I would have to cut off the old ones and heat up and put on the new ones (they said that the wheels would not have to be removed for this, but everywhere else I read about changing tires recommends this so as not to cause any damage to the mechanisms).I wasn't too happy about having to do work on a brand new saw to make it right so I asked them if a could pack this one back up and get a replacement saw. So I had to refuse the order. I got a call from Saia (the freight company that grizzly uses) telling me that my order had arrived and they wanted to set up a time for delivery. They let me come to the terminal later than they usually allow to pick up the replacement. It will really help you later if things don't turn out right.So I took the second saw home and unpacked it and noticed that it had a couple of large scratches in the green paint exposing the cast iron. I wasn't too thrilled with all this either but I took the pictures, emailed them and later in the day I was contacted and told a replacement was on hold pending getting the saw back to Saia.When the second replacement finally arrived Grizzly had encased the cardboard box in a wooden frame, so that it was in extremely good condition.
A technician I talked to said it was going to be very unlikely for just a tire problem. The driver admitted hitting it with his fork lift on his first attempt to pick it up. I also noticed that the underneath of the saw "feet" were badly scratched and covered in rust in some places. Grizzly is certainly a company that cares about it's customers.Do as Grizzly suggest and write down all the damage you see on your box. The tire on the top wheel was misaligned so that the blade wobbled as it tracked.
I am extremely happy with this saw. I have only had this saw for a few weeks, but already I am in love.The initial set up only took about 1 hour (with a friend).The provided blade works great on most soft and medium density woods. For hard woods such as rose wood, purple heart wood or ebony, a more aggresive blade and a slow hand are a must. Honestly, I don't know what I did before I purchased it. It even cuts 16 ga stainless steel like butter (with a bi-metal blade).
Add on an additional $30 to that and you can use the trucks lift gate to lower the item to the street. When you pay for shipping one would expect it to be delivered to your door, not with Grizzly. While I love the saw, the shipping and customer service really set a poor foundation for the Grizzly name. You need to unload the package from the truck or opt for the warehouse pickup. Why would I opt for a warehouse pickup after paying +/-$80 for delivery.
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