# any preference between HF or Grizzly mini drill?



## upTheHill (Dec 15, 2012)

I am going tobe ordering a mini mill in the next week or so, and my budget will allow for either the harbor freight one
http://www.harborfreight.com/two-speed-variable-bench-mill-drill-machine-44991.html

or the grizzly one.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Mini-Milling-Machine/G8689

if anything I'm leaning towards the Grizzly becuase of the great customer support I got setiing up my g0602 lathe.

but I'm open to opinions.

seems the major diff between the 2is an r8 for the HF vs MT3 for the grizzly

TIA,


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## OakRidgeGuy (Dec 15, 2012)

Here is the better of the three.. 

http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=4218&category=


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## Bill Gruby (Dec 15, 2012)

If you are keeping the choice to two, HF or Grizzly, go with Grizzly. IMHO.

 "Billy G"


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## upTheHill (Dec 15, 2012)

OakRidgeGuy said:


> Here is the better of the three..
> 
> http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=4218&category=



but at double the cost, I just can't do it right now.


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## Ray C (Dec 15, 2012)

I can't comment about either product but, I'd consider the unit that accepts R8 tooling.  Why?  Because if you upgrade to a bigger mill it will probably be R8.  An investment in 3MT toolholders won't be too useful as the only thing I can think of that commonly accepts 3MT these days is the lathe tailstock ram and a few of the bigger drill presses.


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## DMS (Dec 15, 2012)

I would normally say Grizzly, but I just don't like the idea of the MT3 spindle on the Grizzly. R8 is much more common with regards to mill tooling, and better for a mill spindle than the MT3. If the 20% discount coupon will work for the HFT model, I would go for the HFT, but expect the fit and finish to be less than the Griz.

Like OakRidgeGuy, I think the LMS model is tops, but lots of folks have the HFT and Grizz models too, and you can do good work on them. You may also keep an eye out on your local craigslist. Never know when an X2 will pop up, but you could probably save yourself a bit.


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## jocat54 (Dec 15, 2012)

I can't comment on the HF one......but I have the Grizzly 8689 and it has done all I have asked of it (sometimes more than it was designed for). I have installed Itech DRO'S and the air lift from LMS (what a good upgrade that has been).


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## Bugsyweasel (Dec 16, 2012)

The little machine shop one has a bigger table and bigger brushless motor. It also has the belt drive upgrade.  The HF me grizzly both have plastic gears which most people break at some time.  The first link was for the little machine shop X2 with tooling starter package.  Here is link directly to just the mill

http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=3900


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## upTheHill (Dec 16, 2012)

I was just looking at it again when your comment came thru and had noticed it came with the tooling. if it has the belt drive upgrade already, that does improve its outlook, since those are things I would need / do in the near future also.  thanks for the added info





Bugsyweasel said:


> The little machine shop one has a bigger table and bigger brushless motor. It also has the belt drive upgrade.  The HF me grizzly both have plastic gears which most people break at some time.  The first link was for the little machine shop X2 with tooling starter package.  Here is link directly to just the mill
> 
> http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=3900


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## OakRidgeGuy (Dec 16, 2012)

It does already have the upgrade to the belt drive.. it is very quiet I must say..


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## Joel_NM (Dec 17, 2012)

upTheHill said:


> I was just looking at it again when your comment came thru and had noticed it came with the tooling. if it has the belt drive upgrade already, that does improve its outlook, since those are things I would need / do in the near future also. thanks for the added info



Howdy. First time poster here. Just lurking in the background, I too am looking at buying the HF mini-mill. I priced the included tooling items on the Little Machine Shop and found Enco beats them by a good margin IMO. I would be swayed by the belt drive issue, but it delays my purchase due to cash-on-hand. Were I you, I would base my decision on total costs to your home or shop. For me, I am visiting the mother-in-law in Los Angeles over Christmas so, shipping is not an issue. If you are closer to HF than Little Machine Shop the 170 lbs shipping fee might be a deal maker or breaker. I always consider total cost. If the better machine falls into the category of "I can't afford it”, I have two choices. Wait until I can afford it, or buy the one I can afford and get busy making chips and hopefully useful parts. Buying a car is very similar. What options can I really afford versus what do I have to have? If the cheaper HF mill will do 90% of the jobs you envision, how much is that extra 10% worth to you? If I am spending somebody else’s money things always look different
Joel


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## tripletap3 (Dec 23, 2012)

I am 100% with OakRidgeGuy! All these machines are made by Sieg but the guy who owns LMS seems to have a very personal relationship with Sieg and puts a tremendous amount of pride in his machines. He visits China frequently and inspects these machines and the factory. My next would be Grizzly and far distant harbor freight.


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## OakRidgeGuy (Dec 23, 2012)

On my LMS HiTorgue 3690 mill, the one thing that I noticed is that the mill is spec'd out pretty good. Z axis was only off .003 X+ direction. That was an easy fix. I can not say that for the HF. I had one.. will never buy another one.


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## Taz (Dec 23, 2012)

(EDITED) 
If you're comparing apples to apples, there is one more to look at.  http://www.wttool.com

They may be made by the same factory, but Foxconn makes the parts/assembly's for Daewoo same as Samsung, Sony, and Apple.  The buyer sets the requirements, so it's pretty normal in any type of custom branded merchandise to have identical products, that aren't so identical.  Companies like HF and Grizzly have more power because they turn huge volumes of that stuff, but they also place a greater load on the factory, which still has a schedule to keep.  

I've worked in several factories, and I can tell you it's a nasty game we played of pushing production to the point of QA failure, write a few pink slips, and then push quality to the point of schedule issues.  So it's also important to consider that because one machine you've demo'd was of acceptable quality, doesn't ensure that you will be so lucky.  

You probably have a HF nearby, but grizzly, wholesale tool, and LMS are a good stretch.  Grizzly is the closest, and it's still an 8 hr drive, 10-12 for wholesale tool, and the other side of the country for LMS. HF (Edited from "Wholesale Tool") is the only one that states they do not refund shipping for any reason.  So if you run into a defective unit, your paying to send it back.  This does not apply if you use in store pickup, and they have a 90day exchange policy.  The others have a standard 30/5 exchange policy.  You have 30 days, but only 5 days from receipt to request the exchange, then they'll send you postage paid labels, and after inspecting your product, will deduct the cost if it's your fault, or straight swap if not.  

Shipping damage is always the liability of the shipper, but grizzly does a good job of acting on your behalf if you take the right steps to document (always photograph, and write a description on the receipt before you sign it).  

One thing that LMS has that nobody else does, apart from the upgraded machine, is a replacement parts catalog online.  The others have tons of replacement parts and upgrade parts, but due to the vast catalog do not present them online, you must call and purchase sight unseen.

I've stopped going to HF since finding WT.  They have comparable prices, but the quality of their products in most cases is far superior.  They also warehouse raw materials, hardware, and brand name products like Irwin, Starret, Freud, Jet etc...  Their people know their stuff too, it reminds me of the old parts shops my dad used to take me to, where they knew how to use a reference manual, and didn't rely on direct replacement parts.  They have a huge library of additional information on their products. For instance I recently purchased a 3/8x2x24 carbon steel straight edge for $50.  The comparable Starret was far more than that, but he found that their tool steel blanks, were precision ground to .001 and far cheaper.  Which was perfectly fine for my use.

Their mini mill is the same as HF or grizzly, but they carry both R8 and MT versions.  My experience with them so far tells me they probably have more strict QA standards than HF.  Unfortunately it's a $1000 price jump to the next size up, so if you're comparing apples to apples, I'd say check them out too.  If you're considering an upgraded product, LMS is a top notch outfit, with a great satisfaction policy, online replacement/upgrade catalog, and a much more affordable step-up mini mill.


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