Can't argue your point, Bill, I know nothing about their smaller tools except that the price always looked a little too good, if you know what I mean. Also, you don't see Grizzly green on construction sites!
Didn't have anything delivered until recently, I live less than 200 miles from the Bellingham, WA store, so I actually got to go SHOPPING :-)! I wasn't into air guns then, just tools, so I was like a kid in a candy store. Talk about smorgasboard starvation! And I knew what I was getting when I got there, still took me the whole day.
You're right, Gene needs to keep his eyes open and do his homework. That's pretty much a given if you're going to plunk down a wad of hard earned cash on something that should last for years. That's one of the great things about the internet, it's pretty easy to check things out, see what other people think. I subscribe to a woodworking magazine called American Woodworker, they regularly test different tools, and the Grizzly shop tools ususally do well, almost always rate at least a best buy. Consumer Reports is also a good source for unbiased ratings ( as long as it's not an American made car!), but their tool testing is pretty spotty. I'm probably not that good a source, since I have so much invested in my tools, I tend to baby them. Keep them clean, sharp blades/cutters, don't push them are my mottos, but like I said, I expect them to last me for years. Kind of like buying a Gamo, sure you can take it out of the box and just shoot it. But if you're willing to spend just a little time and money on it, you can end up with something far more valuable and effective than what you paid.
Sorry I got so long winded, Bill, I didn't mean to go into lecture mode :-)! But I hear guys gripe about the POS tool they have, then see it buried in a pile of crap in the back of their truck, not in it's case, no protection from the elements, and obviously no maintenance since the day it left the factory. Needless to say, these are NOT the guys I let use MY tools! Anyway, just my opinion. Later.
Dave
