[Greg Needel]

My team has some grizzly tools and I have used many in the past. They are for sure the budget brand of industrial equipment.

Here are a couple of things to think about when buying any tool.

* there is no brand of tool where every tool is great. You need to look at each tool independently based on your needs and use case.

*The only thing that a brand will tell you is about the support for the products that you will receive.

*If you are not experienced or an expert in using the tools you are considering (specifically for mills, lathes, etc) you need to consult with someone who knows more than you do. Chiefdelphi is a good place for this, but a local resource might be better.

*Used equipment is both a blessing and curse - you can find some very high quality good deals on older used equipment. You also won't get much (or any) of a guarantee with any of it so if it does break you are probably on your own to figure it out (another reason to find a local expert)

*tooling can cost as much or more than the machine - get good tooling, it makes a huge difference. There are some ways to get cheap tooling, like calling machine shops and asking for donations or any re-grinds they are going to get rid of.

* Since you mentioned rookie team, I recommend you get through this season before you make any decisions. The lead time to get equipment up and running is not insignificant and you have a big challenge coming up in a week. It is not the time to try and setup and learn a new tool.


Good luck! We are all here to help, and I am sure some others will chime in with their opinions also.


Greg