Four year update - Grizzly 18/47

[Roger Chandler]

Well it has been almost 4 years since I got my Grizzly 18/47 lathe. I have no connection to Grizzly Industrial and no reason to post anything other than at the beginning when I got this lathe there was a lot of questions and a number of negative comments in general back then regarding Grizzly lathes.

Having now advanced in my skills, and having opportunities to turn on 6 different 3520b machines to date and several other brands......including one Robust American Beauty [boy, what a lathe!🙂😉] I thought I would just give an update.

My model G0698 has been updated to the newer and I feel better G0733. They upgraded the VFD drive and put a different motor on it. Otherwise features are pretty much the same as the original G0698.

I have not had one issue to date with my G0698 and it has seen some heavy usage, large, heavy blanks, etc over the nearly 4 years I have had it. I did break one toolrest........but that was my fault and not the lathe...😱 The lathe performs very well and runs quiet and smooth. I still believe for a large size lathe the 18/47 is likely the best value for features on the market.

When I upgrade to my dream lathe in the future, hopefully a Robust American Beauty, I will look back on my purchase of the Grizzly 18/47 as a positive all the way around.........value, reliability and performance.

It has been a good while since I've posted anything on this forum, but thought that there might still be some that were thinking of an 18/47 lathe as an option they were considering, and while a lot of low end Grizzly lathes from years gone by were not all that good......the 18/47 line up is certainly one worth considering, as it has very similar features to the Pm 3520b and could actually be compared mostly to the Jet 1642 evs 2 hp, only a little larger lathe.

While not a Cadillac, again, I would liken it to a good Buick that will get you to your destination just fine!

 

[Finn Posner]

Roger - Thanks for the post. I had a smaller Grizzly (12 x 42) with the Reeves drive early on and it was pretty good to get started with. I'm currenlty on a Delta 16 x 42 and while it does most things well, I've got one inch itis and would like to move up to 20".

Have you or anyone you know had any experience with Grizzly's largest wood lathe the 0694 (20 x 42).

 

[Roger Chandler]

Roger - Thanks for the post. I had a smaller Grizzly (12 x 42) with the Reeves drive early on and it was pretty good to get started with. I'm currenlty on a Delta 16 x 42 and while it does most things well, I've got one inch itis and would like to move up to 20".

Have you or anyone you know had any experience with Grizzly's largest wood lathe the 0694 (20 x 42).

I don't know anyone personally with that model, Finn. I looked at a similar [clone] one time at a WC store in Tidewater......Laguna brand, and it looked very nice. I cannot give any personal experience from myself or any one I know on that particular model.

 

[Fred Belknap]

Roger I still have mine but don't use it very much since I got the 3520. It works great and I don't think there is anything I can do on the PM that I couldn't do on the Griz. It actually will turn slower than the PM. The PM has a couple more inches but I seldom turn anything over 16". It is for sale if anyone is interested.

 

[Richard Coers]

I don't get your reference to the G0733 model. You updated parts of yours, or has Grizzly discontinued your model and replaced it with the G0733? Doesn't really matter to me since I had a horrible bandsaw experience and won't ever buy Grizzly machines, but if they discontinue models in less than 4 years, it would worry me about getting parts in the future.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Roger, this is good and useful information for anyone looking for a new lathe. I am also a bit confused about your update and couldn't quite figure out if you changed to a newer model somewhere in the last four years or if you changed some components which, in effect, made it the same thing as the newer model. While maybe not a big deal, some clarification would be helpful and what were the reasons for upgrading or updating whichever the case (not that woodturners really need a reason, but we like to pretend that we do). 😀

 

[Roger Chandler]

I should have worded my sentence better...😱 ...Grizzly upgraded the 18/47 lathe with a premium vfd unit [it is a Delta like on the PM3520b] and an A/C 2hp motor, replacing the D/C brushless motor on my model G0698. The newer model G0733 has the upgrades.

Mine has given me superb service and performance.....of course Grizzly does not state the reason for the change.

 

[Bill Boehme]

And so, they gave you a new motor and VFD?

 

[Roger Chandler]

And so, they gave you a new motor and VFD?

No, Bill...........Grizzly updated the 18/47 model.....in 2012 if I recall correctly...perhaps it was this year, I forget. I still have the older version G0698 just like it came from the factory.

I should have read my sentence a little better again.......when I re-read what I wrote, it sounds like they updated my lathe. That is not correct ......they just updated the 18/47 unit in their lineup.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Well tell them that I said they ought to update yours. 😀

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Michael Poorman]

Grizzly replacement parts

I can't speak for how they stock lathe components. However I have a mid nineties 20" planner that they still carry parts for. These parts are also shared with some of the current planers. What I've heard through their service department is that Grizzly will update the casings a bit but the overall machines (within reason) share many of the same components.

 

[Roger Chandler]

When I purchased the lathe about 4 years ago, the ability to obtain parts and service were really large issues for me. My former lathe broke a critical part, and one could not be found anywhere, so that was foremost in my thinking.

I spoke with Grizzly about the issue before I ever decided to purchase.....actually, I had two discussions with them about it. I was assured by them that parts and service would be available for many years to come.....they said that the 18/47 line of lathes were something they were committed to.......not just a purchase of some machines to sell. I asked that specific question.

So far, the interactions I have had with tech support and such has been good.......no complaints [excepting the price of some things! 😀]

 

[Bill Boehme]

The cost of repair parts is always enough to give you heartburn. I think that if you built any product from scratch using only repair parts, the cost would be about 10X the cost of the new product.