Grizzly vs Rikon bandsaw: G0555 and the Rikon 10-1414

At a glance

How this comparison was built. We did not test any of these machines. Everything below comes from the specifications Grizzly and Amazon publish and from how the designs work. Where a competitor detail is not in a listing we can verify, we describe the class of machine rather than guess at a number.

What the Rikon listing says

Rikon is sold on Amazon, and the Rikon 10-1414 is the 14 inch Rikon that our lookup returned. Its listing describes a 14 inch resaw capacity with a 13-5/8 inch cutting width, a 1-3/4 HP TEFC motor on 115/230V driving the blade at 1,476 or 3,280 feet per minute, a 21-1/2 by 15-3/4 inch SP-coated cast-iron table, a 6 inch quick-adjust drift fence with micro-adjustment, spring-loaded tool-less blade guides, 2-1/2 inch and 4 inch dust ports, a quick-release blade tension, a magnetic blade guard and a storage cabinet. That is a lot of listed detail. We have not tested it.

A note on model numbers: the Rikon 10-326 appears in blade compatibility listings on Amazon, but our lookup did not return the saw itself, so we are not comparing it here.

G0555XH against the Rikon 10-1414

This is the fair comparison. The G0555XH is a 14 inch saw with 1-3/4 HP, 12 inches of resaw built in and an extruded aluminum resaw fence. The Rikon lists a bit more resaw (14 inches), a larger table and more motor detail, including a totally enclosed fan-cooled motor. Total enclosure matters in a dusty shop because the motor is less likely to take in fine dust. We cannot confirm from Grizzly's published feature list that the G0555XH motor has the same enclosure type, so check before you buy if that matters to you.

On the other side, The G0555 family uses a standard 14 inch frame size, so blades, tires and guides from many brands fit, which helps a buyer who plans to tune and upgrade. Read the G0555XH review and the best bandsaws guide for detail.

G0555 as the entry saw

The G0555 is not meant to resaw wide boards. It is a 1 HP, 11A saw with 6 inches of resaw, a 14 by 14 inch table, a quick-release tension lever, 93-1/2 inch blades from 1/8 to 3/4 inch, two speeds and a weight of 207 lb. If your work is curves, small parts and occasional resawing to 6 inches, you do not need the Rikon's capacity, and the entry-tier price and 110V compatibility are the point. The honest weakness is the motor, which is the limit of the saw: a dull or too-wide blade will stall it before the capacity runs out.

Setting up either saw

A bandsaw does not cut well out of the box on any brand. The work that decides your results is the same on every saw here. Set the wheels coplanar, track the blade to the crown of the upper tire, set the thrust bearings just behind the blade gullets, and set the side guides a hair away from the blade. Then check the table is square to the blade at zero tilt. A saw that is carefully tuned will cut better than a nominally superior saw that is not.

Blade choice matters just as much. For resawing, a wide blade with few teeth per inch clears chips and holds a straight line; for curves a narrow blade turns the radius. Many woodworkers keep two blades ready and swap as needed. Budget for a good one right away. The G0555 takes a 93-1/2 inch blade, a common length with a wide blade market. Check each manual for the exact length on the other saws.

Plan the space too. The G0555 stands 66-1/2 inches tall on a 24-1/2 by 17-1/2 inch footprint, which suits a corner of a garage. A taller resaw saw wants more room around it, because feeding a long board means standing back from the table with support on both sides.

Power, voltage and dust

The G0555 draws 11 amps on 110V, which is workable on a dedicated 15 amp circuit. The 1-3/4 HP saws draw more, and both the Rikon listing and Grizzly's G0555XH offer dual voltage so that you can move to 220V later if the shop gets a 240V circuit. Do not run any of these on a circuit shared with a dust collector; read our guide to electrical load before you add a second machine.

Bandsaw dust collection is weak across the board. The Rikon listing mentions both 2-1/2 inch and 4 inch ports, which is a point in its favor if you want to hook the lower housing up to a hose. Even so, much of the dust is thrown inside the cabinet and up from the upper housing. Wear a fitted respirator when resawing, and do not rely on a collector alone.

How to decide

Decide by what you cut. For resaw, compare the G0555XH and the Rikon 10-1414. For general woodworking at a lower entry level, the G0555 is the right Grizzly, and in that case compare it with the WEN and JET saws in our Harbor Freight comparison and JET comparison. Do not forget the cost of blades and dust collection, which are separate items either way; the dust collection calculator helps with the second. For the Grizzly family decision see G0555 versus G0555XH and the G0555 review.

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