# Grizzly vs Presision Mathews



## Boudreaux (Mar 31, 2013)

I'm ready to buy a new lathe and have narrowed my chooses to a 14X40 Grizzly G0709 gunsmiths lathe or the Precision Mathews PM1440E, the specs and prices are very close to the same for both machines. The PM1440E is $4995 with a Easson dro installed including shipping, the Grizzly is $4750 with shipping and Dropro has the Easson dro for $500 but I would have to install which is not a deal breaker. Any input on which is the better machine, they are within $250 of each other I want to buy the better one.


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## kd4gij (Mar 31, 2013)

do you have a link to the 2 lathes. I looked at the grizzly but no mention of dro.


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## Splat (Mar 31, 2013)

I don't recall reading any major negatives on either brand's big lathes. Grizzly has very good customer support, which hopefully you won't need but it's nice to know it'll be there, but I've also heard nothing but good about Matt, the owner of PM.  If it were me I'd go with the PM because the price with the DRO installed is nice. The only thing is availability. Does PM have the lathe in-stock or can they provide an ETA?


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## Boudreaux (Mar 31, 2013)

Grizzly does not offer with dro installed I priced dro for grizzly from dropro. 
I also checked with Matt at Precision Mathews he has a few machines in stock


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## kd4gij (Mar 31, 2013)

I don't think you could go wrong with eather. I would go with the one I could get the soonest.


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## Ray C (Mar 31, 2013)

As you all know, I know Matt fairly well so...

Installing DRO is not fun -especially since you need to drill tap holes in the casting.  Matt can do these things in his sleep and job will be done properly!

Either way you go, good luck w/your new machine.  Be safe and have fun!


Ray


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## darkzero (Apr 1, 2013)

Both companies have great customer service but I prefer the "one on one" experience with Matt. I've have nothing but great experiences with him so I go back to him whenever I can.

IIRC you could save $100 if you get the DRO from Matt & do the installation yourself if you get one that doesn't have it installed already. It's really not hard at all but it will take up a good part of the day. Drilling & tapping the castings are easy, aligning the scales with an indicator to prevent bending & binding of the scales is what's most important.

I posted my lathe DRO installation here. It's not a step by step how to but it should give you an idea on what to expect.

The lathe DRO install was much easier than my mill. The lathe required almost no shimming at all. The mill DRO install was more time consuming aligning the scales because of all the slopes & angles on the castings. The scale mounting plates for the Easson has a pair of set screws on each end of the plates to allow adjustment for irregular surfaces.


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## Rbeckett (Apr 1, 2013)

If I had the money I personally would go with Matt at PM.  I like the way he deals with his customers and how agressive he is getting things fixed when there is an issue.  Grizz is a good machie, but they are a huge company and their sometimes a little slow to get a response from.  They do respond, it just takes a while.  I tend to believe the PM's will last longer and maintain closer tolerance over time, thus my reason for supporting the PM's over Grizz.  You can't go wrong with either, but I think you will be happier with the PM in the long run.  I have never heard or read a negative about the machines or anything bad about Matt, and to me that means a good bit when I am spending my hard earned dollars.

Bob


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## george wilson (Apr 1, 2013)

Actually,you CAN go wrong with any Asian machine. Hasn't happened to me yet. Numerous stories of sand left in machine internals,all kinds of stuff. My NASA machinist friend spent good bucks on a Jet 14" lathe and got it moved into his basement. Then,he discovered that the apron was chock full of shavings and other crud. He had to send it back,which cost money,and ended up buying an even more expensive model from them which turned out o.k..

The last lathe I bought for my shop at work was made in the same factory as Jets. It did have shavings and chips in the gear headstock. I removed them with a magnetic retriever wand. Good thing I checked before running it and getting damaged gear teeth. Not seriously full of shavings like my friend's Jet,but you do need to look over everything carefully when you buy Asian.

I have a brand new Jet wet wheel sharpening machine. It stopped running suddenly. Dealers told me they often don't run right out of the box. I discovered their circuit board had press on connectors that are TRULY as thin as a beer can. The workers crack them trying to push them on. Then,they soon fail. I just soldered my cracked connector. Now,the thing has stopped again. I should have soldered them all while I had it apart. I now have a Tormak,and haven't messed with the Jet since.


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## Boudreaux (Apr 5, 2013)

I ordered a PM1440E with 2 axis DRO today, this seemed to me like the  best deal for my needs or wants I guess I should say. Matt says he has  it in stock, going to mount the DRO an probably ship it out Friday. I  sold my Atlas 12x36 last week, I'm anxious to get set up.
Buddy


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## Rbeckett (Apr 5, 2013)

Buddy,
I'm stoked for ya brother.  The next week or so is gonna be the longest period of time in your life.  I know how it is to wait for a machine to arrive.  You check the freight bill and forwarding co website everyday to see where your new baby is.  You get concerned when it sits more than a few hours in any place along the way and wanna call em every day and ask them to hurry please.  But it will get there soon.  Dont forget to thoroughly clean and lube everything once it arrives and do not cut the corner on the break in run either.  I have foumd that following the break in run procedure really does go a long way to maintaining the tightest tolerances and reduce the level of noise they make.  The PM's are supposed to be pretty quiet so have fun and dont forget us when you start a project.  We all want to see the pics of uncrating , mounting and some project work once you get her all set up like you want.

Bob


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## Ray C (Apr 5, 2013)

Hey great!

Matt is pretty busy these days with several cargo containers of equipment to deal with.  Hope you all know that he opens every single item, and does his own QC check plus installs the optional equipment and customer mods.  It's a lot of work.

And by the way, do indeed take pics (if safely possible) of the moving and lifting process so we can give tips & pointers to newcomers.  There's lots of folks out there with little idea of how to tackle those things...

If you have questions, I can try to answer and help.

Good luck and be safe.


Ray



Boudreaux said:


> I ordered a PM1440E with 2 axis DRO today, this seemed to me like the  best deal for my needs or wants I guess I should say. Matt says he has  it in stock, going to mount the DRO an probably ship it out Friday. I  sold my Atlas 12x36 last week, I'm anxious to get set up.
> Buddy


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## george wilson (Apr 5, 2013)

I wasn't trying to throw water on your Asian lathe. Like I said,it hasn't happened to me,and I do have a 1986 Taiwan made Grizzly lathe as well as my Hardinge HLVH. I advise taking the top off the headstock and checking for stray chips with a magnetic retriever wand. They can mess up something if they get caught in gears or bearings. It is also wise to open up the apron and check for chips or sand. Flattened out soccer balls,fence fire,and all kinds of funny stuff have been found inside Chinese plywood. Semi melted ball bearings and other hard bits have ruined tools in machine shops using Chinese steel. Just be cautious.

I still think we are lucky to be able to buy affordable machines these days from Asia,though I hate the demise of American machine tools too. Back when I was young,the Atlas was the only affordable option,and it was way beyond what was affordable for me for many years.


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## harrytbagger (Apr 5, 2013)

please let us know how you like it when you get it.


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## Boudreaux (Apr 11, 2013)

Picked up my lathe today, I wound up buying the PM1440E with the  installed DRO. I had it delivered to the local farmers supply store and I  picked it up there. I was very pleased to find there was no damage in  shipping, and every thing I expected was included plus a few things I  was not expecting. The lathe was all assembled on the stand with DRO  scales and wiring all installed and ready to go, just had to mount the  display (holes were drilled and tapped already). Spent most of the day  unpacking from pallet, getting in place and cleaning. I have it all  hooked up cleaned up, leveled and ready to run. I am very happy with my  decision so far!!!

Buddy


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## Ray C (Apr 11, 2013)

Very cool...  I hope you've read some of the threads here about aligning lathes properly.  It takes more than just leveling them with a bubble level.  It's a good starting point though.  Keep us apprised and good luck...


Ray




Boudreaux said:


> Picked up my lathe today, I wound up buying the PM1440E with the  installed DRO. I had it delivered to the local farmers supply store and I  picked it up there. I was very pleased to find there was no damage in  shipping, and every thing I expected was included plus a few things I  was not expecting. The lathe was all assembled on the stand with DRO  scales and wiring all installed and ready to go, just had to mount the  display (holes were drilled and tapped already). Spent most of the day  unpacking from pallet, getting in place and cleaning. I have it all  hooked up cleaned up, leveled and ready to run. I am very happy with my  decision so far!!!
> 
> Buddy


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## itsme_Bernie (Apr 11, 2013)

Good for you!  I bet you can't wait to get it dirty!  Post some pics when you can!


Bernie


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## C4963 (Nov 20, 2022)

Boudreaux said:


> I'm ready to buy a new lathe and have narrowed my chooses to a 14X40 Grizzly G0709 gunsmiths lathe or the Precision Mathews PM1440E, the specs and prices are very close to the same for both machines. The PM1440E is $4995 with a Easson dro installed including shipping, the Grizzly is $4750 with shipping and Dropro has the Easson dro for $500 but I would have to install which is not a deal breaker. Any input on which is the better machine, they are within $250 of each other I want to buy the better one.


I do believe Grizzly is manufactured in China, and Precision Mathews is manufactured in Taiwan. A fair number of people feel that Taiwan makes a better product. That being said, Look at both machines, choose the one that is best for you.


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## Dabbler (Nov 20, 2022)

C4963 said:


> I do believe Grizzly is manufactured in China, and Precision Mathews is manufactured in Taiwan.


Matt stocks machines from both Taiwan and from China.  There will usually be a "T" suffix in the model number for Taiwanese machines.


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## JohnDB (Nov 20, 2022)

I too have been looking at products and grizzly gets compared to the PM product line....
Every time the PM is a better product...built and assembled better for a longer lifespan and serviceability.   
The paint job on the PM has a history of not being all that great...but the equipment appears to be just a bit better.   

I really want to do a personal comparison before I plunk the money down.   Make chips on both before making a choice.


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## C4963 (Nov 20, 2022)

Dabbler said:


> Matt stocks machines from both Taiwan and from China.  There will usually be a "T" suffix in the model number for Taiwanese machines.


Thank you for the information. Very nice to know.


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## mksj (Nov 20, 2022)

I am not aware of any of the Grizzly lathe models that are made in Taiwan, other than their Southbend branded ones. Not sure how you are going to be having hands on with both side by side, they are also completely different lathes. In addition models may look the same or very similar, but each distributor specs their machine builds, so there may be physical and QC difference that you would not be aware of. The other end to keep in mind is warranty period, service and parts. Machines are built to a price point, so one cannot expect the same new build quality on a lathe that sells for 1/2 the price.

There is also a plethora of information in the posts in this forum and others to gauge the pros/cons of the different models. Having previously owned the 1340GT, and also having hands on experience (and also installing numerous control systems for different lathes) with a range of other lathes from different manufactures, PM ranks at the top of the list in my experience. Eisen is also up there, as I know a number of other people that have purchased their machines from them and also have had any issues quickly resolved.


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## matthewsx (Nov 20, 2022)

Thread from 2013 and Precision Matthews is still a forum sponsor. The owner answers questions directly on here. 

Don’t know about his mustache or luthier skills though  

John


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