It’s easy to understand why some people are asking whether Grizzly Tools is going out of business right now. The rumor mill has been busy, especially in online woodworking forums and among fans of the brand. There have even been posts claiming Grizzly is preparing to close up shop, but let’s take a closer look at what’s really happening with this well-known toolmaker.
Grizzly Tools: Still Open for Business
Let’s start with the simple answer—Grizzly Tools is still very much in business. As of early 2024, they’re shipping orders, running their website, and supporting warranty claims, just like you’d expect from a company that’s been around since the early ‘80s. If you go to their official website right now, you can still buy lathes, table saws, dust collectors, and almost anything else from their famously broad catalog.
People use Grizzly products all over the world, from woodworking hobbyists in small garages to big industrial shops. The company has a real reputation for solid, affordable machinery and dependable customer support. There’s no official word out there that they’re planning to shut down—or even scale back dramatically—anytime soon.
Why People Think Grizzly Might Be Closing
A bunch of different things have fed into rumors about Grizzly’s future. Most aren’t about big dramatic changes, but smaller events that can look worrying if you’re not in the loop.
Let’s break them down:
1. Product Shortages and Shipping Delays
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, just about every tool brand has had trouble keeping stuff in stock. Container ships get stuck at ports, and key parts get expensive or hard to find. Grizzly’s had its fair share of delays. For a while, certain machines and accessories just vanished from their shelves.
Some customers thought this meant the company was winding down. In reality, it’s not just them—pretty much every power tool company has faced these headaches. People forget that shipping disruptions and parts shortages hit everyone, especially companies importing big, heavy tools from overseas.
2. Price Jumps All Over the Industry
Another thing people noticed: Grizzly prices went up. But so did everyone else’s. Lumber and steel spiked in 2021 and 2022. Shipping costs reached wild numbers. Across the board, a band saw or drill press got a lot more expensive, which led some folks to worry Grizzly might be in trouble financially.
But here’s the thing: nearly every tool brand—big or small—raised prices. It’s not a unique Grizzly thing at all. Sometimes customers forget there’s not much control when raw material costs double.
3. Less Advertising, More Questions
Frequent readers of woodworking magazines remember when Grizzly’s two-page spreads were everywhere. Around mid-2022, that started to change. Suddenly, Grizzly ads got rarer, especially in trade magazines and hobbyist quarterlies.
When a favorite brand suddenly stops showing up in magazines, loyal fans start asking questions. Is business slowing down? Or are they saving money? There isn’t any public info suggesting a big crisis behind the curtain. These days, with so much moving online, many brands are putting their ad budgets into digital marketing, email newsletters, and pay-per-click search results. Traditional print just doesn’t reach people the same way anymore.
4. Product Recalls and Customer Trust
The most public hiccup came in November 2023, when Grizzly voluntarily recalled several models of wood lathes. There was a risk of parts breaking during use, which could cause lacerations or injuries. If you read social media posts and Reddit threads at the time, it rattled a lot of people’s faith in the brand.
A recall can definitely sting, but it’s not proof of a failing business by itself. Big, established manufacturers are often the ones announcing recalls—mainly because they have systems and product liability coverage built in. In fact, owning up to a problem and fixing it quickly is usually a sign a company is still operating above board.
The Financial Side: How Is Grizzly Actually Doing?
If you poke around for Grizzly Tools’ current financials, you won’t find much. The brand is actually part of Grizzly Industrial, which is a privately held company. They aren’t required to release public earnings reports like the big corporations on the stock market.
There is one online post claiming that Grizzly lost $10 million in 2022. But it’s tough to know how accurate that really is, since there’s no way to verify the figure. Later updates from people close to the company have said things are looking better than the rumor made it sound.
Instead of going by random internet posts, let’s stick to what can be observed: Grizzly is still taking orders, and the lights are still on at their warehouses and stores. Usually, when a company is on the edge of shutting down, you see warning signs—like frozen shipments, unanswered phones, or warranty backlogs. Those things just aren’t happening here.
Where Grizzly Products Come From (And Go To)
A lot of customers are curious about how Grizzly gets its machines and how the whole supply chain works. The answer’s pretty straightforward—they import most major tool components from factories in Asia, often working with long-standing partners in Taiwan and China. Then, final assembly, quality control, and shipping happen in the U.S. at Grizzly’s two main locations.
Grizzly sells directly to customers through their own website, company-run retail stores, and traditional catalogs. They also have some distribution through independent tool dealers, though they’re mostly seen as a direct-sales company. The catalog itself is something of a legend for woodworkers who like flipping through real paper pages.
One interesting shift in the last couple of years: Grizzly has been quietly adding new categories, from small CNC routers to more specialized dust collection accessories. Expanding your product selection doesn’t really match a company that’s preparing to fade away.
Are There Signs of Real Trouble?
There are a few concerns, if you’re trying to read the tea leaves. For one, a handful of longtime staff have reportedly retired or left since 2022. Sometimes, that’s just life—people move on. But it’s also a thing you sometimes see when a company is cutting back.
Second, some customers have complained that certain replacement parts are taking longer to ship than before. It’s annoying, for sure, but again, these are issues you see across the industry, not just at Grizzly.
Finally, their reduced magazine advertising does make some people wonder if they’re shifting resources or cutting costs somewhere. That said, magazine advertising dying off is more of a sign of the times than a company-specific red flag.
No Sudden Moves: What’s Next for Grizzly Tools?
If you checked in with Grizzly’s company reps in the first quarter of 2024, you’d hear the same message repeated—things are still moving along. Orders ship, support teams answer calls, and repair parts are available. The only big headline in recent memory was the recall, which, while serious, didn’t spell the end for the brand.
There’s no talk of closing, selling, or dramatically shrinking the catalog. Honestly, Grizzly probably feels the pressure that every mid-size American tool company does, trying to find its way in a word where freight costs are up and customer expectations are even higher.
Some in the business press recently speculated that Grizzly might consider partnerships or outside investment, especially as competition heats up. For a full background, check detailed coverage on Business Republic Mag, which often breaks down the whole industry shift.
The Bottom Line—Rumors Aside, Grizzly’s Still in It
So, is Grizzly Tools about to disappear? Nothing points to a shutdown or bankruptcy in the immediate future. The brand has weathered tougher years—remember the 2008 recession—and still found a way to keep going. Most of the recent rumors come down to delays, price hikes, or one-off events like the 2023 recall.
Are there challenges? Absolutely. Running a tool company during global supply chain chaos is no picnic. But when you look at where things actually stand, Grizzly Tools is still making, selling, and shipping machinery just as it has for decades.
If you’ve got your eye on a certain bandsaw or dust collector, there’s no need to rush just out of fear the company won’t be there tomorrow. Things change fast in the tool industry, but for now, you can expect Grizzly to keep plugging away—no dramatic endings, just steady business as usual.
