Customer Reviews
A junky product coupled with poor customer service 
2006-08-10
I had high expectations on buying my first Grizzly shop tool. I had heard that they made good tools sold at a fair price. Man, was I ever wrong! When my sander arrived, I was very disappointed. It is definitely not worth the $100 price I paid; perhaps half that.
First, the tool itself:
1. As another reviewer has noted, the miter is cheap, flimsy plastic and totally useless. Unlike the other reviewer, I would have used mine if it were robust; it is not, and probably unsafe to use.
2. The "safety switch" is also very flimsy, made of even cheesier plastic than the miter. The yellow safety "key", which must be inserted into the switch assembly to start the machine, sometimes would not stay put. How would one turn the sander on without it? You CAN'T! 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. 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). The similar Ryobi has etched and painted degree markings which can't come unglued.
4. 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. The similar Ryobi's stop is at least 4 times thicker and very robust.
5. The castings used to make up the sander are somewhat rough and have sharp edges in places. Another sign of a low-quality tool.
6. Lots of plastic used, even in the belt sander table.
7. Flimsy, poorly-cast disc sander table.
The moment I saw the tool, I knew I had been taken. I felt like the sucker at a 3-card-monte game. 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. 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. 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.) and if it did not meet their criteria, they would NOT issue me a refund of any kind. So then I would have to pay a THIRD shipping charge returning this hunk of Chinese scrap metal back to me. 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. 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. That sure puts a damper on things! 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.) 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. 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).
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. Grizzly's Customer Dis-Service policy strongly discourages returns of any kind. If I could give this tool and the manufacturer ZERO stars, I would. 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 equivelant Ryobi sander, the model BD4600, is much better made and is backed by Home Depot's fair return policy. Unfortunately for me, thanks to Grizzly's anti-customer policies,I am stuck with the Grizzly.
Grizzly's motto is "Purveyors of Fine Tools". I would change that to "Purveyors of Overpriced Junk". Don't get ripped off- look elsewhere for decent tools and honest vendors. You won't find these at Grizzly!
bang for buck this tool rocks 
2006-05-22
i've had this for about a year and would recommend it for small jobs.
I sand wood, fiberglass, and small concrete pieces with this. Its a great buy and a solid machine. as th olther reviewer said, the mitre is junk. waste of plastic. i'd never use it andway though, as a mitrer doesnt suit my needs.
blets are easy to change, and its very easy to adjust.
Inexpensive = a few drawbacks 
2004-04-20
I had always wanted a combination belt/disc sander for its versatility and convenience, yet never seemed to want to spend the money to get one. When I saw this little machine come on the market, at this price, I thought it was the perfect solution for my small home shop. Besides price, this unit has a lot going for it. It is compact yet sturdy (the base is cast iron)
and for its size, it is powerful enough to do anything I would ask of it. As an added bonus, the manual provided by Grizzly was absolutely excellent! All of the set-up instructions were clear and accurate. Now for the downside... I realize that you get what you pay for, but there are several things which bother me about this tool. First, the "miter gauge" included for use with the disc sanding table is a joke. It is cheaply made and mine is not square. Second, the motor turns the sanding surfaces at 3450 rpms. This is way too fast for a lot of the sanding you may want to do with this machine. If you research it a bit you will find that most of the better quality belt/disc combo machines have motors that turn at 1725 rpms.
All in all, this little machine is worth the price but I can't help thinking that with a little more time in the design phase, this tool could have been great. If you are on a very tight budget and find yourself in need of this type of sander then don't hesitate. Otherwise, spend a little more and get some high end features.
