I am a custom furniture maker in Toronto and I need to buy a new jointer, table saw, dust collector, bandsaw and thickness sander. I can get the best deal if I buy all the same brand (except for the thickness sander, which I was going to get the Delta 18 x 36). Initially, I was going to get King (obviously because of cost) but was then told I would run into problems with them in a few years, so now I am thinking of General International. What do y’all think?
I currently use a 14″-with riser bandsaw and was thing about getting a 17″
I currently use an 8″ jointer and was thinking about a 6″
I’ve never had a thickness sander but would like one to eliminate exploding tapered laminations, chipouts in difficult woods, and long days of sanding in projects such as solid-wood armoires.
THANKS
Replies
Hello fellow Canadian. I live in Paris about 1 hour west of you. I don't think that you will be any further ahead buying GI. I have there hollow chisel mortiser and I am not too happy with it. Several people that I know have GI tools and they all lack quality same as King does. I think that when it comes to tools I would be more concerned about the dealer and wether or not they stand behind their good customers. I have a large Delta-King dealer near me and I don't hesitate buying anything from them because they will always go above and beyond to help their customers. I don't know where to get good deals near TO but if you go to the wood shows you can usually get a good deal. I bought my Delta DJ 20 for less than a comparable King. I have also seen the 15" Delta planer for less than the King, and same with a 1 1/2 hp dust collector. A 17" bs is going to cost almost as much as a 14" SE Laguna that resaws 12" and is built with some quality. The dealer near me is called Morley Miller and there is a large dealer in London called Federated tools. I would stick with the 8" jointer unless you actually feel that you don't need the capacity. But overall I would say go with a good dealer and as far as I can tell I think that the Kings are the same as Deltas. I think that there is a wood show at Exhibition place in Feb. Let me know if you want any more information. Peter.
Take a good look at the similarities between G.I and King some people maintain that a few machines appear to come from the same source.IMHO neither companies products come close the General made in Canada.But neither does the price!!
Edited 1/30/2005 11:43 pm ET by jako
I have General Tablesaw, 8"jointer, and mortiser. I love them all. The quality has never been a question. I don't know what the other guy was talking about. all the tolerances are -.001 of an in. The saw fence is made by Biesemyer, not a copy. I have owned my tools for 3 years in a commercial setting. (cabinet shop) Never a single problem.
I think that General tools are top quality. General International [GI] is about the same in quality as King or most of the other knock offs.
Edited 1/31/2005 4:26 pm ET by Peter36
I have used the GI contractor saw for three plus years. (To be perfectly honest, I chose the GI because it had the maple leaf on the fence. Couldn't afford the saw with the leaf on it.) I like it, a lot. When purchasing more equipment, I will not hesitate to purchase again.
Back in the good ol' days, General was among the first companies to have their own quality control people in Taiwan to ensure their specs were met. Other companies have since followed suit.
As for King Canada, I have their 2 HP dust collector with 1 micron felt bag. In my small shop it works just fine. For longer runs (?). The fan blade on this unit is smaller than many others. Their prices are really good. Makes me wonder why. With my limited experience though, I can't outright recommend or condemn them.
FYI: I talked with a local cabinet maker in the area. He's been in the custom furniture business for over 35 years. In a conversation about stationary tools, he said he only buys General. Claims it runs forever. Used King on a regular basis but claimed it doesn't hold up for everyday use. OK for hobbyist use.
King has two levels...King Canada and King Industrial. Does the KI offer significant advantages over the KC?
FOr hobby use, GI is considered pretty good....along the lines of Jet and some lower PM machines. I've had great luck with my GI contractor saw, but it's not seeing commercial use either. Most consider GI a step up from KC.....not sure about KI. No doubt the Canadian made General machinery is top notch.
If you need low cost and better value than GI, you may want to consider good used industrial equipment.
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