I am by no means a tool expert, but I do have opinions.
A few years ago after I got into this woodworking silliness, I shopped around for a bandsaw to complement my shop. I ended up buying Grizzly’s G0555 and have been very happy. It’s a 14”, 1-hp saw with aluminum wheels and a nice table. The fence is pretty good. Other than having a bad vibration when I first got it (Grizzly warranteed a new top wheel and tire which fixed the problem) it has been a super saw. I’m almost 100% happy.
I use it quite a bit with various blades and seldom find it lacking. Once in a while on a resaw task I can get it to bog down, but it really does quite well and I think most of its limitations are operator related rather than the tool’s fault. It is limited to 6” depth of cut but can be outfitted for another $80 to cut up to 12” deep. 6” has been sufficient for me…and I already have a bunch of blades which would be rendered obsolete if I added the riser.
I think it is a two-speed unit (change belt position) but I have never bothered with that. Perhaps on heavy tasks it needs to be slowed down.
When I picked up my Mk V 510 from a coworker it included a SS bandsaw. I assumed I’d never use it since I already had the Grizzly. But during my basement remodel it became a handy occasional-use item since I had the Mk V already sitting out in the middle of the room for other tasks.
Mine is the newer (1995-ish) aluminum table version. I’ve owned two cast iron table versions but didn’t put them to much of a test. A larger table – like the Al one – is better in my mind. I like the grooves on the Al table too since they seem to reduce sliding friction a wee bit.
Had I bought the Mk V and its bandsaw first, I wouldn’t have bothered with the Grizzly. I’ve found it easy to keep the blades running true and I haven’t had an occasion that it’s run out of power. Granted, I haven’t done much resawing, but the several 2x4’s and 2x6’s I had to split went thru like nothing. The blade ran (generally) true and the saw didn’t bog. Resaw capacity of SS’s “small” 11-inch saw is the same as many 14-inchers. And the big motor backing it up makes it a horse of a tool.
It does give up an inch or three of ripping/cross cut capacity to a 14” saw, but unless you have something obscenely thick those are tasks best left to other tools anyway.
I have no intentions of dumping my Grizzly since I really like it and I already own it. It’s a pretty nice piece of equipment (although the Shop Fox mobile base it’s on isn’t). I’d buy it again if I wanted a standalone tool. They've raised the price about $90 since I bought mine on sale, but it still is a pretty good value.
I like to cut dovetails with a bandsaw, and I envision eventually setting one saw up for this task semi-permanently…so having two is a real luxury. And my SS saw was essentially "free" since I didn't assign it much value when I bought my 510.
The only downside (to me) of the SS saw is the fact that it ties up your Mk V. If you’re bad at planning ahead – like I am:rolleyes: – you might want to consider a stand for it. Or a Power Station.
Steve