# here I go again...Jet 1220 vs. Grizzly 1220



## wickford (Sep 30, 2008)

Any opinions on these 2 lathes?  Both have been out for a number of months now, so I'm wondering if anyone has turned on the grizzly and the jet and has any info on the two of them?  I've heard great things about both companies, and the lathes are very similar, so I'm wondering if anyone has any firsthand experience with them?  I've turned on the Jet, but not the grizzly...

Thanks!!

Jeff


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## stevers (Oct 1, 2008)

JET!


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## jttheclockman (Oct 1, 2008)

I think my Jet 1220 is coming tomorrow. I got a phone call about a delivery of a tool and this is the only thing I have on order. Or maybe I hit a sweepstakes and won a shop full of tools. NAAAAAAAAAAAAAA it has to be the lathe maybe.


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## marcruby (Oct 1, 2008)

I added a Jet 1220 to my toolset about 4 months ago.  I used it for some pens to try it out and it was fine by me.  It won't get a real tryout until this winter when I shift to working in the house.  I'd recommend it.  The only thing I've seen that was better was the little variable speed Vicmarc, and that costs about three times as much.

Marc


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## jeffj13 (Oct 1, 2008)

I have no experience with the Grizzly lathe and while I really like Grizzly's other power tools, I think I would go with he Jet.

jeff


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## Rifleman1776 (Oct 1, 2008)

jeffj13 said:


> I have no experience with the Grizzly lathe and while I really like Grizzly's other power tools, I think I would go with he Jet.
> 
> jeff



Interested in your reason for saying that. Personal preference? Or do you have factual knowledge that one is better/worse quality than the other? Just curious.

BTW, I was not able to find a Grizzly G1220 lathe. That product number brings up sanding disks.
But, I did find the G0658 which may be what Jeff was referencing.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-x-20-Heavy-Duty-Bench-Top-Wood-Lathe/G0658
I have seen, but not used, this machine. It looks very well made and a serious midi sized lathe.


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## jttheclockman (Oct 1, 2008)

http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-x-20-Heavy-Duty-Bench-Top-Wood-Lathe/G0658


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## jeffj13 (Oct 1, 2008)

Rifleman1776 said:


> Interested in your reason for saying that. Personal preference? Or do you have factual knowledge that one is better/worse quality than the other? Just curious.
> 
> BTW, I was not able to find a Grizzly G1220 lathe. That product number brings up sanding disks.
> But, I did find the G0658 which may be what Jeff was referencing.
> ...




Frank, 

As I said, I have no experience with Grizzly lathes, so I don't know if one is better than the other.  I don't recall saying that one was better, only which one I would choose.  I do own two Jet lathes (1014 and 1236) that have treated me very well.  As a general rule, when my knowledge is limited,  I go with what I know.  I have also read many positive endorsements of the Jet on other forums, from turners who have used it. 

I also visited the Grizzly website and noticed the following:


Warranty:      Jet 5 years       Grizzly 1 year

The Grizzly tool post is on the wrong side of the banjo.  Probably not a problem for pens, but would make it difficult to get close on hollow forms and some bowls.

Both of these would keep me leaning towards the Jet.

Again, the Grizzly might be a great machine, but I would want to hear endorsements from turners who have used it before I would dive in. 


jeff


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## Daniel (Oct 1, 2008)

anyone have a link to the jet lathe?


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## marcruby (Oct 1, 2008)

Here's two - variable speed and non-variable.

http://woodworking.jettools.com/Products.aspx?Part=708376VS&cat=333132
http://woodworking.jettools.com/Products.aspx?Part=708376&cat=333132

I just noticed that the Grizzly weighs 30 lbs more than the Jet.  Quality being equal and variable speed not a consideration, that could be a deciding point.


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## Russianwolf (Oct 1, 2008)

marcruby said:


> Here's two - variable speed and non-variable.
> 
> http://woodworking.jettools.com/Products.aspx?Part=708376VS&cat=333132
> http://woodworking.jettools.com/Products.aspx?Part=708376&cat=333132
> ...


now this has me curious. Would it be a good or bad deciding factor?

more mass = less vibration?
or
more weight = harder to move off the bench if needed?


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## Rifleman1776 (Oct 1, 2008)

jeffj13 said:


> Frank,
> 
> As I said, I have no experience with Grizzly lathes, so I don't know if one is better than the other.  I don't recall saying that one was better, only which one I would choose.  I do own two Jet lathes (1014 and 1236) that have treated me very well.  As a general rule, when my knowledge is limited,  I go with what I know.  I have also read many positive endorsements of the Jet on other forums, from turners who have used it.
> 
> ...




That "wrong side of the banjo" comment comes up now and then. I don't understand how, being on the right side makes that "wrong" or even difficult to use. If you don't like it, that's fine, that's your prerogative.
As to heavier. Heavy is always considered a sign of quality. However, a mini/midi lathe can be mounted however the owner chooses and gain stability that way. Unless the item is a real toy, I don't see that as being much of a factor.


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## jeffj13 (Oct 2, 2008)

Rifleman1776 said:


> That "wrong side of the banjo" comment comes up now and then. I don't understand how, being on the right side makes that "wrong" or even difficult to use. If you don't like it, that's fine, that's your prerogative.
> As to heavier. Heavy is always considered a sign of quality. However, a mini/midi lathe can be mounted however the owner chooses and gain stability that way. Unless the item is a real toy, I don't see that as being much of a factor.



The tool post on the right side of the banjo puts you that much farther away from your work.  Again, when doing pens this is not a problem, but if you are turning hollow forms or deep, thin bowls, you will lose leverage as the fulcrum created by the tool rest will be farther away from your work.  

While I'm not sure that heavy equals quality, since weight has little or nothing to do with the motor, fit, finish, etc.,  I believe that as far as lathes go, heavier is better.

Again, I'm not saying that the Grizzly is a bad tool.  Just given my experience with Jet and what little I know about the Grizzly, I would choose Jet.  I'm guessing that those who choose to buy the Grizzly would be happy with their purchase.

jeff


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## Rifleman1776 (Oct 2, 2008)

jeffj13 said:


> The tool post on the right side of the banjo puts you that much farther away from your work.  Again, when doing pens this is not a problem, but if you are turning hollow forms or deep, thin bowls, you will lose leverage as the fulcrum created by the tool rest will be farther away from your work.
> 
> While I'm not sure that heavy equals quality, since weight has little or nothing to do with the motor, fit, finish, etc.,  I believe that as far as lathes go, heavier is better.
> 
> ...





Good response. Weight has always been an indication of quality. A heavy machine, of any kind, is more stable and runs more smoothly. It also might just be a 'thing' that men like. e.g. big and massive.
And, yes, purchasers of either brand will most likely be happy with their selection. In many of my posts defending my choice of Grizzly, I state that there is a Griz store within driving distance of my home and that the store is fun to visit and shop in. The closest store that sells Jet stuff is a full days drive away. That is a huge consideration. Plus I can pick up myself and save shipping as I am frequently in the area of the store anyhow. Another plus factor unique to my situation.


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## jeffj13 (Oct 2, 2008)

While it is not in my backyard, I am familiar with the Grizzly store.  In fact, it is probably my all time favorite tool store.  When my son was attending college in western PA and we would visit, I would often stop on the way to do a little shopping.

jeff


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## cozee (Oct 2, 2008)

I'll let ya know in late November. That is when I am ordering the Grizzly.


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## Rifleman1776 (Oct 3, 2008)

cozee said:


> I'll let ya know in late November. That is when I am ordering the Grizzly.



Which one?


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## cozee (Oct 5, 2008)

Rifleman1776 said:


> Which one?



The 12-20







But then maybe  . . .

The 16-43


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## hilltopper46 (Oct 5, 2008)

cozee said:


> The 12-20



I got this one for my birthday (August 9).  I have a review of it written up, but I just have never gotten the pictures added to it and published.  I really like it, but have some things to tell any prospective purchaser about the outboard extension.


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## foneman (Oct 5, 2008)

Tony,
Any reason you would not recommend this lathe to a future buyer? I have a Delta Midi and have been thinking about upgrading to a variable speed 3/4 hp mini. 

Thanks in advance!
John


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## hilltopper46 (Oct 5, 2008)

The problem with reviewing the lathe on the fly is that I'll only talk about the negatives and there A  LOT of positives about this lathe. I also want to mention that I do not have a Jet and have never used a Jet so I have no base line of comparison.

Positives:

Quiet - this is the quietest machine in my shop or that I have ever used.  And smooth - I actually believe when I use this lathe to put finish on a pen barrel that the finish goes on smoother.  (Prolly just a pigment of my infatuation).
Fit and finish are excellent
Grizzly picked the most cooperative and friendly shipping company we could have ever hoped to deal with
Power seems good - the variable speed is 'load sensing' - with a moderate load it actually turns faster at a given speed setting than with no load
Belt changes are pretty easy
Not so positives (I can't bring myself to say 'negatives'):

See number 4 above - the variable speed change when you load it up can take a little getting used to.  I have another variable speed machine that doesn't have this squirrelly reaction when you apply a load.
There is a really sharp edge on the tool rest that I need to knock off with
a file - I haven't got around to it, and once the lathe was set up and running I don't notice it very often.
Owners manual as a whole is lacking in detail, explanations and instructions.
The outboard turning feature (not a negative in itself - but some observations).
The thickness of the attachment is not the same as the lathe ways so it would need to be adjusted every time you move the tool rest from the ways to the attachment.
The only instructions the owners manual gives for using the outboard attachment is to use a glue block to attach the workpiece to the hand wheel which is drilled to accept 4 screws.
You would have to take the hand wheel off to put the screws into the workpiece
The hand wheel is threaded and has set screws in it.  It is smaller than 1x8. I believe it is RH thread which means its naturally tendency would be to unscrew under use.  With a large, unbalanced workpiece that you were roughing out, this could be scary.
There may be some alternatives to using the hand wheel as a faceplate, but the owners manual doesn't give any information.  It looks like it might be relatively easy to turn the shaft around, or to turn the headstock around, but no information is given in the manual.

Last comment - it look like there are provisions for a bed extension - come ON Grizzly - bring it on!!


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