Grizzly track saw

[RussellS]

Sorry I could not find the other threads about the Grizzly track saw.  I know I have seen several of them on this forum.  Here is a long review of the Grizzly track saw.  20 minutes.  Edit:  The guy doing the review is a Festool monkey.  He has to be on the payroll.  There is a 1010 router on the bench.  He compares the Grizzly to a Festool 55 saw.  He has several of those carts that hold the systainers.  And he has a dozen or so systainers and Festool tools.  Not 100% sure its a completely unbiased review.  But...

http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/saws/grizzly-s-new-track-saw.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=jump&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TOTTU_061813&day=2013-06-18

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Russell,

Marc Spagnuolo is certainly not a "Festool monkey". We have sponsored him in the past but currently have no direct affiliation with him, especially from a sponsorship standpoint. Marc has given many favorable reviews to products from other manufacturers that I would consider direct competition to Festool. Despite our lack of sponsorship, and I'm not trying to speak for Marc, but I think he still uses our tools because he has found them to work well for him versus other options.

I think if you do some internet research on the Grizzly, as I have done, you'll find a lot of complaints on the web from people who have bought this saw. I've used the Grizzly saw and it's like comparing a VW to a Porsche. They will both make cuts in wood. That's about where the comparison ends.

Edit: PS - I had watched that video the day he posted it. If I'm not mistaken, he received the Grizzly saw free for the review and said he was going to give it away after the review. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong since it's been about a month or so since I watched it. Does that make him a Grizzly monkey too? Is there even such thing as a grizzly monkey?  [scratch chin]

The Grizzly saw is just a rebadged version of the Scheppach/Shop Fox saw.

There are a LOT of reviews, and I'm talking about in all industries, that are extremely biased and the endorsements are "encouraged" through financial gain. Whether it be free goods, monetarily, or otherwise. After all, folks have to make a living. TV personalities, NASCAR drivers, magazine editors, bloggers, etc. I personally think Marc has done a good job of maintaining his integrity over the years, which is no easy task.

The only true unbiased review is your own. That's why we give our customers 30 days to decide for themselves, risk free. [wink]

Shane

 

[lino-man]

Guys, I've been over to grizzly here in Bellingham, wa, and checked out their track saw. Calling it a vw is far too complimentary, as vw is good German engineering. Its better described as just a Chevy Aveo or a Ford aspire. The most basic of saws, no frills, doesn't slide well on the track, clunky -should I go on?
For the framer who is just needing to cut exterior sheeting it is OK. End of story.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I Would rather be a festool gorilla.

 

[ajones]

Russell I'm struggling to understand the reason behind your post.is it just having a pop the reviewer or do you think the saw is of a good quality and unfairly reviewed.

are you in the market for a great track saw? If you are you would be better looking at the following, mafell festool Makita dewalt and if you have a budget and you are not interested

in a 3 year guarantee and great  customer service go and buy a grizzly it  will keep a few more chinamen in gainfull employment  [wink]

 

[RussellS]

Apparently my attempt at humor was not appreciated.  But if you watch the video of the review, you get the very strong impression the reviewer is sponsored and supported by Festool.  Just like Norm Abrams was sponsored by Porter-Cable on his woodworking show.  You saw Norm using a new Porter-Cable tool on every show practically.  The reviewer has several of those systainer carts filled with Festool boxes.  And a 1010 router sitting on the bench.  If you saw a Festool review by someone with a shop filled with Mafell tools you might wonder how unbiased the review is.  It may be he uses and likes Festool tools.  Good.  But it still looks very inappropriate to have the other company's tools on prominent display when reviewing another brand.  Its apparent the people responding to this thread have not watched the review video.  The reviewer plainly states the Grizzly and Festool and DeWalt and Makita saws are not competitors and are not really comparable.  The reviewer states in the video what several of the people have written here.  And I do own a Festool 55 saw and several track lengths.

 

[ajones]

Ahh OK.. and I thought my humour a bit obscure [big grin] don't give up the day job [poke]

I have watched the review of the saw.

I think you have to take all but end user reviews as biased to some degree. in some everthing is brilliant and  fantastic and where sandpaper is  everlasting... [wink] others are more subtle.

 

[copcarcollector]

But if you watch the video of the review, you get the very strong impression the reviewer is sponsored and supported by Festool.

I did watch it, twice. I don't get that impression at all. The background is Marcs shop, what do you want?  Is he sponsored by Marvel Comics and Brute trash cans too...?

 

[GhostFist]

When the guys shop is full of Festool and he poo poo's another brand it does LOOK like he's got a bias to Festool. Take your green shades off for a second. If you don't know the wood whisperer, and are looking for a review of this particular tool it wouldn't be a far stretch to count this one out as bias (not saying it is) by how it appears.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Specifically, what Marc said was "It is not a Festool.  Its not a DeWalt or a Makita".

I got the impression that his "takeaway" was that if what you are looking for is something to break down sheet goods so you can do the finish cut on a tablesaw, this will get you there for $240 bucks, way less than Festool, DeWalt, or Makita.

To tell the truth, when I bought my TS55 that was exactly what I was looking for, and if I had seen that video 8 years ago, I probably would have bought the grizzly.  Glad I didn't in hindsight!

But still, Marc, you shouldn't make your video in front of a wall of Festools unless the video is about Festools!  Its easy for people to get the wrong idea.

 

[anthonyz]

I did a little counter review on Amazon for the Scheppach/grizzly saw. I very much respect Marc's opinion and enjoy his videos. The main problem in Marc's comparison, I thought, was using a festool blade vs. the cheap $20 blade which comes with the Grizzly saw. I have the saw and was a great starter saw for someone who couldn't at the time afford a Festool. I did a number of mods to the saw to make it better, something of course that doesn't have to be done to the festool saw. The saw was a champ for a budget saw, But Festool still is top saw in my opinion. The best thing of the Scheppach/grizzly saw is it got me through work which has now afforded me a festool collection. I have about 10 Festools and just got the TS55 about 2 weeks ago. Now I can retire the Scheppach/grizzly track saw.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R2OH49KQ4HG37U/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ASIN=B009AQ81FQ

 

[Loren Woirhaye]

They did a real bargain WOOT.com promo on those Scheppach saws awhile back.  It was silly cheap.  Keep an eye out on the second hand market if you want one.

I'm not using a plunging track saw these days.  I prefer a fixed depth for almost all work.  Sink cutouts and things like flooring repairs are the main advantage to plunging and otherwise I find it an annoyance, though probably safer and less failure-prone than a retracting guard.  If you haven't cut through the front extrusion of an MFT table yet due to forgetting to set the depth, you almost surely will and that's an annoying thing to have done to a fine tool.

When Festool was nearly the only decent track saw on the US market, it was the bomb.  Other options have emerged though. The Festool dust collection is still incredible I'll admit. 

 

[lambeater]

I Would rather be a festool gorilla.

Or a festool porn star!  [big grin]

Lambeater

 

[Jwtoolpig]

I used a grizzly track saw a lot before I bought a Festool. It worked fine. In fact I have to give grizzly credit for bringing me to Festool. I liked it so much , I wondered what a really nice one would do for me. Well I found out and now I'm a Festool junkie. I wouldn't want to go back to the grizzly if I had a choice but I wouldn't hesitate to use one where I don't have my Festool. If someone can't afford or simply would rather not spend the cash on a Festool, the grizzly will get the job done and is lightyears ahead of a straight edge and clamps or a chalk line and freehand cutting.

 

[LyallAndSonsWoodsmiths]

I can't comment on the Grizzly saw but I do own a dust collector and power feeder from Grizzly that do what I ask of them. I have (and love) a TS 75 and, if I need a smaller saw for some reason, I'll buy a 55. I can however say I've watched Marc's videos for 6 or 8 years and he seems like a stand up guy. He even states he's a Festool fan before getting into the meat of his review. Yes, he has several green tools in his shop but so do I. I'm not sponsered by Festool but I use them because I like them. Judging from the few Grizzly machines I've actually had my hands on, the review sounds about right. A "no frills" alternative to expensive tools at a much lower price point.

 

[rmwarren]

I pass by Grizzly's Williamsport PA location a couple times a year either on business or when I am visiting friends/fly fishing, I always give myself a couple extra hours to just mill around the showroom in a daze. The tools are generally not Festool level fit/finish but in many cases they are really good and sometimes even impressive. I really think the difference comes down to which particular factory make the tool for them, since I believe they contract everything out in China and Taiwan.

30 years ago I experienced my first Grizzly 6" stationary belt sander in a shop I worked in, and it was a workhorse even back then, before the quality surged @ Made In China.

My opinion is that many of their tools are really good, and a lot more are good enough for the money.

RMW

 

[ear3]

Since this thread was resurrected, I'll just make the point that Marc was pretty up front in his review of the Dewalt track saw about his association with Festool, and managed to give the Dewalt such a good review that I almost bought it over the TS when I was making my decision: 

 

[John Beauchamp]

The only true unbiased review is your own. That's why we give our customers 30 days to decide for themselves, risk free. [wink] 

My own reviews are definitely biased towards the things I think are important. I have read many reviews and most times they are accurate on the things they test but many times those are not the most important to me. Example I have large hands so the opening in a saw handle is very important but may not be part of the review.

 

[leakyroof]

I pass by Grizzly's Williamsport PA location a couple times a year either on business or when I am visiting friends/fly fishing, I always give myself a couple extra hours to just mill around the showroom in a daze. The tools are generally not Festool level fit/finish but in many cases they are really good and sometimes even impressive. I really think the difference comes down to which particular factory make the tool for them, since I believe they contract everything out in China and Taiwan.

30 years ago I experienced my first Grizzly 6" stationary belt sander in a shop I worked in, and it was a workhorse even back then, before the quality surged @ Made In China.

My opinion is that many of their tools are really good, and a lot more are good enough for the money.

RMW

  Well said.  I own several Grizzly tools, and have upgraded to other tools of the same type once I had owned a Grizzly version of the same.  Price point is important.  Now if I could just afford to play around with some Mafell stuff....... [embarassed]

 

[Neal W]

Last year I was in a different position.  I needed to build some cabinets for my garage, and needed a method to accurately breakdown sheet goods for those cabinets.  I also wanted to buy a plunge router and put together a router table (which I used extensively).

I purchased a Grizzly track saw, three 55" rails, and the other things which come with the track saw for under $250, add another $40 for a quality blade and I was in business.  The "stock" blade is a P O S. 

Is it the same quality and level of engineering as festool?  No.  In fact the first time I even touched a TS 55 was last Saturday.  I can say the Festool plunges easier than my grizzly, but I didn't turn the festool on (it was a demo model at Woodcraft).

Can I put the rail down on my marks, clamp the thing down and cut a sheet of plywood down to the sizes I need accurately and efficiently?  Yup.  Can I hook my shopvac up to it and suck up most of the dust which happens when I make a cut? Yup.  Do I have to use care and and caution to make sure the rail is square and thus the cut square? Yup, and I would have to do that with Festool rails as well.  Did I "have to" clamp the rails down? Probably not, but I wasn't going to take chances.  I would clamp the festool rails down as well. 

Was it worth every penny I spent? Yup.  Would I have realized $400+ more value in the TS55.  I don't know.  Maybe, maybe not. 

But what I saved by not buying the TS55, I was able to buy a Triton Router, an Incra Router table top, plate, and incra 17" positioner, and some other odds and ends.  All of which were used extensively for the projects I worked on last year.