If you’ve spent much time around woodworking or metalworking tools, you probably know about Grizzly Industrial Inc. They’re a big name in hobbyist and small-shop circles think benchtop jointers, industrial bandsaws, and all sorts of heavy-duty gear. But maybe you’ve seen headlines on forums, or got a whiff of social media panic: “Is Grizzly Tools going out of business?”
Let’s take a look at where those rumors started, what’s happening with the company itself, and what you can actually expect if you’re thinking about buying from Grizzly now or later.
What Is Grizzly Industrial and Why Do People Care?
Grizzly has been around since 1983, run by founder Shiraz Balolia and his family. Their headquarters is in Bellingham, Washington, with a large warehouse and showroom in Missouri. They mostly sell directly to customers instead of through big-box retailers.
What makes Grizzly stand out is their focus on affordable, import-based woodworking and metalworking machines think massive lathes, planers, dust collectors, drill presses, and the like. Many independent woodworkers, small cabinet shops, and even schools rely on their equipment. When people hear rumors about Grizzly closing up shop, it’s not surprising they get nervous.
What’s Actually Happening With Grizzly Industrial Right Now?
Short answer: Grizzly is not going out of business. As of early 2026, they’re open, selling tools through grizzly.com, and still shipping pallets of gear out their doors. There’s no record of bankruptcy filings, asset liquidations, warehouse shutdowns, or anything that would look like a company winding down.
Customers are still getting new jointers, planers, and accessories delivered at normal pace. If you visit their site, you’ll see active listings and “add to cart” buttons across their range. The clearance section actually refreshes with new deals week to week. People are getting order confirmations and tracking numbers just fine.
Signs That Grizzly Remains Open For Business
If you follow their site, you’ve probably noticed they’ve been running more sales lately. In late 2025 and early 2026, CEO Shiraz Balolia even announced unusual price drops on a selection of machines via email and on their home page.
Why? Grizzly built up hefty inventory before some recent tariff changes. To move that stock (instead of letting it gather dust), they cut prices. That’s not what companies on their last legs usually do. It’s more like a store trying to compete harder on price and stimulate sales volume, especially if they expect costs to rise later.
Also, their marketing team regularly sends out emails about new tools and shop events. Their customer service is still answering questions (if a bit slowly) and you even see plenty of comments on woodworking forums from people who just bought machines from them as recently as this year.
Legal Proceedings and Lawsuits Might Sound Scary But They’re Not
Another point: Grizzly is still actively defending its business interests. On January 7, 2026, they filed a legal action against Kreg Tools (that’s Case #1:26-cv-00154 for the detail-oriented). When a company is spending on lawyers to protect trade secrets, patents, or contracts, it’s not behaving like it’s ready to throw in the towel.
Taking on legal cases can be expensive and distracting, but it’s a sign that management not just the founder, but a whole team still cares about the brand and its future.
So Where Did the “Grizzly Is Closing!” Chatter Come From?
A lot of this panic comes down to old-fashioned confusion and a phenomenon that’s honestly familiar to anyone who’s called customer support in the last few years: people vent when they’re frustrated.
Forums and Facebook groups have always been places where you’ll see stories about slow replies, backordered parts, or someone’s dust collector breaking down too quickly. Grizzly gets its share frankly, maybe more than some of its competitors. Some folks then take those stories and speculate, “Maybe this means Grizzly’s in trouble…”
But these complaints date back years, even to before the 2008 financial crash, and they never really spelled doom. The issues are mainly about call wait times, slow email replies, or the occasional broken fence on a bandsaw. Every tool and machinery retailer gets some of this, especially after the pandemic spike in home workshops.
Tons of Entities Use the Grizzly Name And That’s Caused More Mixups
Here’s where things get murkier. If you spend fifteen minutes Googling, you’ll see all kinds of stories about supposedly bankrupt “Grizzly” companies. But these are not Grizzly Industrial, the woodworking and metalworking brand.
For example, Grizzly Discoveries Inc. is a Canadian mining company. In January 2026, they issued a press release about raising money there’s no link to tools at all. Other outlets might reference Grizzly New Marketing, which does digital services in Europe.
Then there’s the “Grizzly Tools” based in Germany, which primarily focuses on garden tools and cleaning equipment not cabinet saws or metal lathes. When Teknatool, a company in the same general field, filed for bankruptcy, a few posts linked them to Grizzly by mistake. But Teknatool isn’t part of Grizzly Industrial, and those financial troubles don’t extend to the American business.
It’s almost like every problem involving a company with “Grizzly” in the name, no matter what they sell, gets confused with the U.S. woodworking supplier. The internet rumor mill really doesn’t help with this.
Standing Strong Against Changing Times and Industry Headaches
Over the last few years, supply chains have been miserable for just about everyone especially companies that import machines and parts from Asia. Grizzly was no exception. They saw longer shipping times, higher freight prices, inventory shortages, and complaints from folks waiting on backordered accessories.
During all this, Grizzly had to wrestle with rising manufacturing costs and shifting tariffs. At times, they raised prices to keep up. Now, as inventory builds up due to uncertain demand, they’re slashing prices to move merchandise. It’s a rollercoaster, but not one that’s unique to Grizzly. The entire woodworking and tool industry’s been riding it.
When businesses struggle with customer service backlogs, people get creative with theories about why. Some guess it’s a sign of layoffs, others think the company is about to collapse. But it’s usually just the result of call centers and warehouses being short-staffed or overwhelmed. Anyone who’s tried to get their washing machine fixed in the last year can probably relate.
Still Buying Equipment? Here’s What Customers Are Reporting Now
Scroll through woodworking forums and YouTube comments and you’ll see a mixed bag. On one hand, plenty of people have had to wait longer than they wanted for support or replacement parts. Some machines arrive with small dings or out-of-square fences.
But for every one of those complaints, you’ll find folks happily setting up new planers in their workshops, unboxing crates, and sharing setup tips. As recently as this year, users posted tracking info and photos of new Grizzly tools delivered to their door.
At this point, there are no big news stories from credible business outlets reporting on warehouse closures, layoffs, or a total shutdown. If anything, Grizzly has weathered storms like this before: think back to the housing crash and financial crisis of 2008. They pulled through then and even expanded their offerings.
What If You Want to Learn More or Find Practical Business Backup?
If you’re doing research or picking between brands, you might want a source for small business tips and insights into how companies like Grizzly keep rolling through tough patches. For practical tips on business resiliency and side ventures, take a look at this resource. It’s always good to have options and to see examples of companies adapting and finding ways to stay afloat.
Remember, every business runs into rough water sometimes having the right information makes it a little less confusing when rumors start.
The Bottom Line Grizzly Still Has Its Doors Open
So, is Grizzly Tools going out of business? Not by any evidence you can actually find in 2026. Whether you’re a hobbyist watching upgrade prices, or a small shop owner waiting for a backordered jointer, all the available signs point to Grizzly being stable and actively competing, not closing down.
Will Grizzly’s support lines always be as fast as you want, or their parts as easy to get? Maybe not. That’s been true for ages. The tough market over the last few years has only amplified it.
But the rumors about bankruptcy or immediate closure don’t line up with what’s actually happening on the ground. For now, customers are still buying and using Grizzly equipment, their warehouses are working, and their leadership is out there making business decisions for the long haul.
If you’re planning your next workshop upgrade, you should weigh price, features, and service like you would with any big tool brand but you don’t need to buy into unsupported panic. Grizzly Industrial Inc. is sticking around, at least for now.
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