Reply To: Groz metal Bender

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Hi Nigel,

Years ago I bought one of these Groz benders from "a bunch of busy bees" a tool sale firm here in Canada. It was made in India, it said so on the box despite the European sounding name. 

I tried mightily to adjust this and remake that and tune the other, for about a month, to no avail. Its' geometry was just wrong to bend the strips I was doing, and its' construction was so poor everything in the tool just bent if the stock was near capacity of the machine. Any light stock bent was at a slight angle to the edges, and thin stock would slip in the bender. All the pivot pins fit poorly and were stiff in rotation. Several pins bent during use.

The bender I had was total garbage. I could not get a refund of my $75 because I had modified the device trying to get it to work. Note to self – if a new tool does not do what it says on the box, take it back right away for refund.

I have bought a few Groz tools over the years, but overall they were very poor quality in my opinion and I returned them. The last straw was a "toolmaker's" vise which was so soft it bent when I clamped it down, and the threads in the screw stripped the first time it was tightened. Looking at it afterward, the fixed jaw was milled and ground almost 3 degrees off square to the side of the vise, so even if it had been decently hardened if would not have been much use for milling or EDM as intended. Again total garbage. That one went back also for refund. No more Groz for me (or "the bunch of busy bees" tool sale firm either).

Unfortunately I don't know about any predecessor to the bender that came from the DDR, hardened or not. My posting is intended primarily as a 'buyer beware' advisory with Groz brand tools.

JD

Edited By Jeff Dayman on 28/11/2012 20:34:36