New Delta Saws

I once tried to find a spare electrical part for my Delta bandsaw. I was never able to get in touch with anybody who knew anything and so I resolved that I would never again buy a Delta product no matter how good they were.

There are several service centers around me that were previously listed as Delta authorized, all have dropped Delta because of a lack of support. I have a few Delta tools in the shop and just hope they continue to hold up as finding parts is becoming impossible. Fortunately all of them are older USA made tools and have been completely reliable. I’d be skeptical of any thing from Delta these days, who knows what they will become.

Some will say grizzly is a good alternative, but I disagree. I have found their machines to be low quality, sub-standard, and a waste of money. I rank them right up there with Ryobi, rigid, and harbor freight.

It seems the SawStop is making good progress with market share, and the reviews are consistently good. Politics aside, I don’t see one in my future because I see some issues with the technology. I spent some time with a chair maker the other day who uses a lot of riven green wood for his bent parts. Due to the high moisture content, he is unable to use a SawStop without disabling the sensors. Its a good safety feature but has some ramifications.

I’m sticking with my PM and Jet tools………….

I think it was on the other forum I said this, but the guy that mentored me had a PM TS. I had every intention of owning one myself, but due to him having an accidental kick back and loosing 2 fingers, I and several of my WW friends all bought sawstops. I really like it, it is a fine, well built saw, but I do think that his PM was built some better. I do understand that PM has somewhat cheapen their saw and I am no longer familar with them. I would buy a Saw Stop again with out hestitation. I am very protective of the “cartridge” Not so much because of the cost of the cartridge, but because of the cost of the blade.

I too, really liked Delta tools. With one exception, a friend was trying to sell me his delta drum sander. He dropped it off to see what I thought (hoping I was going to buy it) I could not get rid of it fast enough. It was one of the poorest tools I ever used. I went out and bought a Supermax, and still love it. I do have a 46-460 Delta Lathe, the 12" sanding wheel, the 1200 cfm DC, their Osilating Spindle, and their mortising machine. The only one I fear breaking is my lathe. The others are not that expensive, but are good tools, the lathe I have all the add ons for and have $1200 in it. The local tool store told me that this company that owns Delta was really only interested in the TS line, I just think it is sad given all the stuff that Delta once made.

I too, like Jet tools, I have the 16" planer and the 14" BS. Both fine machines, their capabilties far exceed mine! They have a new 17" wood working DP that looks very interesting too! That guy that mentored me had a grizzly joiner, it was old, in fact it was blue in color….he used to cuss it, “saying they must have painted it with a broom and the rest of it went down hill from there”. I know there are some fine wood workers on this site that love Grizzly and they love them, so some where they did something right.
Mike

I’ve been hit with kickbacks more than once, fortunately with no permanent damage. In the past I was among those that never used the “safety” equipment that came with the machine because it was completely useless. I bought my PM2000 a couple of years ago and have to say the guards and riving knives are not only functional but a pleasure to use. All the major manufacturers have done a much better job of designing safety features that are worth using.

I can tell some difference in my saw as opposed to earlier USA made Powermatics, but it isn’t significant. The best thing about companies like WHM and SawStop is their customer service and support networks. The few minor issues I’ve had with my equipment has been handled better than I expected. Parts were sent overnight even when I told them there was no rush. I have at least 2 servicing dealers close by if I ever need more extensive work done.

I’ve been around several new grizzly machines in the last few weeks and was not the least impressed. Castings are rough, finish looked like a stoned high schooler painted it (I think the broom wore out), parts missing, and simply poor quality control. One guy was bragging about how little he spent on his jointer until we got him to realize that it took him 6 weeks to get all the issues resolved with missing and screwed up parts, plus the fact it still isn’t properly aligned. I haven’t seen anything from grizzly last in a moderately busy shop, much less a production environment. I learned a long time ago that cheap tools are no bargain.