Sf1988 Posted March 3, 2023 Report Share Posted March 3, 2023 I am in the market for a new 8” jointer and I have a tough choice to make. Do I buy a dove tail ways or spend the extra money on a Paralellogram jointer? Either will be bought with a helical cutter head. What are the pros or cons for your choice? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted March 3, 2023 Report Share Posted March 3, 2023 A DT way jointer is fine . . . when it is. After going through getting my tables co-planer on my last DT jointer I swore, never again. P-beds was number one on my short list for my new jointer years ago with a helical head as number two. There are a ton of DT way, knifed jointers out there doing great work. Nothing wrong with them . . . until there is. Then the adjustment process nightmare begins. Just my experience. Your mileage may vary. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted March 3, 2023 Report Share Posted March 3, 2023 If you can check it before you buy it, I wouldn't worry about getting a DT jointer. I wouldn't want to order one without being able to put a straightedge on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sf1988 Posted March 5, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2023 Thanks guys, you have confirmed what I should do and that is spend the extra money now and be happier later when it counts. Now, one more question: Finewoodworking rated the Grizzly jointer higher than the Powermatic - do you have an opinion one brand over the other? Other than the higher price of the PM? thanks for your feedback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 I'd have to read more into the why of the rating but also the specific models and features. My guess is that price played a factor. I did find the article and it appaers that wheel adjustments and rack and pinion fence are what nudge the grizzly ahead. These are 2 features I would NEVER use. My fence is all the way back and the depth adjustment is quick and easy on the PJ882-HH i have. "Micro adjust" on the depth is silly on a jointer. WHY! The BIG numbers that matter are helical cutting on the inserts and 54 for the PJ882-HH and 34 for the Griz. The powermatic is going to get better cut quality every time on difficult woods and that is the one thing that mattered to me, so i bought the PJ882-HH myself. That said the Girzzly is probably a great jointer and you'll be happy with it. Ge the pj882 on 10% off sale later this month and the price difference is pretty close as per the prices on that article and if it's $200 i'll take the PM every time. The benefit that PM is supposed to have is tighter quality control and quality assurance. Grizzly makes up for their supposed poor QA/QC with top notch customer service. I've never had to call PM customer service to know if it's good or not. I did get to talk to a PM rep in person and mentioned some chipped paint and got a free touch-up can handed to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sf1988 Posted March 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 Chestnut, I really appreciate your perspective since you own the PM. I think I really need to just bite the bullet and be upset once with the price and not look back. I have read a lot of Grizzly reviews and have not heard anything good about their customer service. I have talked with JPW, who owned PM and Jet and they always got back to me to answer my questions. I have the PM 2000B 3 hp table saw and I love it. Nope, I would never consider selling to buy a SawStop. Thanks again, I believe my best machine for the long term will be the PM. 8” w/HH. How do you know they will be going on sale next month? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 7 hours ago, Sf1988 said: How do you know they will be going on sale next month? https://www.woodcraft.com/pages/woodcraft-sale-flyer?page=1 Got the woodcraft flier in the mail. They may be on sale else where cause i don't know that woodcraft's shipping terms and prices are the best. Hopefully their competitors would price match. I just checked and frieght is $99. Sometimes you can get that free so watch the date and shop around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 A link to the article or the specific models would certainly help folks respond more specifically. Grizzly, like Powermatic and everyone else, have certain machines that they do really well and others that just seem to round out the pack or hit a certain price point. Back when I bought my Grizzly G0490X (a Delta clone design that has been mostly unchanged for decades) it was the best bang for the buck. I have used the machine weekly (and often daily) for 15 years without a hiccup. Even with the Grizzly price increase the PM is thousands of dollars more so I would have to see some serious payback for that money. PM makes some great stuff and have some nice features like heavier bases, metal hand wheels where others may be plastic, well thought out controls, and a faithful following. We have all certainly read good and bad CS stories about many makers, even the high end names. I find it interesting that you have only found bad reviews of Grizzly. They have always been top notch for me and I often wonder what is happening to those folks that seem to get screwed around. A good thing may be that your Woodcraft is located where you can walk into the store if you have an issue. I would talk to the manager though before I put too much value on that. There are plenty of stories of Woodcraft giving issue the big old Ole' and referring customers back to the maker. It's just not a perfect world. When you are spending the prices that makers get today you really need to do your research and make the best decision for you. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 49 minutes ago, gee-dub said: Even with the Grizzly price increase the PM is thousands of dollars more so I would have to see some serious payback for that money. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2018/11/19/tool-test-8-in-jointers The Grizzly price is quoted at $3880. PM price is $4450. the 10% discount running this month would put that at ~$4,000 so $120 difference. If it was $1,000 difference that'd be a tougher consideration. The sheer cutting helical with 20 extra cutters is a nice feature espically for figured and tough to work wood. Over $1,000 difference the grizzly would probably be a solid recommendation. Availability may also come into play. I don't know that I'd want to wait a year for one or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 Thanks Chestnut. I was obviously comparing the wrong jointer . That Griz machine is one of their newer offerings and I have no experience there whatsoever. I do tend to feel better when things are wrapped in a little more cast iron but that could just be an age / generational thing. With that narrow of a price difference and a local supplier's brick and mortar to walk into for support I would certainly dig deeper. I have a wide range of colors of paint in my shop; Saw Stop, Jet, Griz, Delta, Supermax, etc. so I have no bias. I look for the best machine for the type and rely on the color of the paint later . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Sf1988 Posted March 9, 2023 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 Thanks guys. I also have a lot of different paint colors in my shop. Now that I have recently retired I want to buy my new jointer and bandsaw once. The new machines will definitely be used in my shop until the end of time. I currently have an old Delta 14” bandsaw I bought new back in 1991 and it’s still a great machine that is very accurate. That being said, I have just read way too many bad reviews of the Grizzly products and their even worse customer service. It appears to be a hit or miss type of risk and I don’t have the patience for a lack of support. So, even bough the PM is more money, I feel that will be the best choice for me. Just as I will buy the PM 1500 bandsaw. I got some great feedback directly from Alex Snodgrass and his bandsaw pros and cons. Thanks again for your willingness to provide your input and recommendations. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 Well keep us up to date on the new acquisitions and feel free to share some projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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