[acondit]

I have a Grizzly mill G1007 and a Grizzly lathe G4000 (9x19), I also have a Harbor Freight mini-mill and a Harbor Freight lathe 33274 (12x36). The Grizzly lathe comparable to my HF12x36 has better designed handles on the crossfeed and the compound, but would have cost me more than $400 dollars more. HF's mill (sort of) comparable to my G1007 had a much smaller table. My G4000 came with more accessories at the time I bought it than the HF 9x20 (I know I went to the HF store and had them open a crate for me so that I could see what it came with). However, my G4000 did not come with the riser blocks for the lathe that are standard with the HF 9x20, so it is more difficult to use the gear change. My HF mini-mill has the R8 spindle whereas the Grizzly mini-mill has an MT3 spindle.

My conclusion is that in some cases the Grizzly machine has better specifications, construction or accessories than the comparable Harbor Freight machine, but not always. You will generally pay more for the Grizzly (especially if you have to have it shipped to you). It is often necessary to evaluate the particular machine and your particular needs. I have nothing but praise for Grizzly's customer service, however, I have never had to use HF's customer service (go figure).

Alan