Miter Trimmer

[barrym]

Hello All,

I'm looking for information on the Lion Miter Trimmer, and the off-brand equivalents. The Lion Trimmer seems to no longer be available. Does anyone know if the company has gone out of business? Do any of you have experience with the imports, such as the one Grizzly sells? The Grizzly one is very reasonably priced, but I found some posts that indicate that these import versions are not nearly as good. Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[crokett]

You mean this?

http://www.lionmitertrimmer.com/

[barrym]

Yes, that's the one. The online sources mentioned on the Lion site either show the Lion Miter Trimmer as no longer available, or currently not available. A local source mentioned on the Lion site says they are no longer able to get them. E-mails to Lion get returned as not deliverable.

[cbrown]

Are you working with this e-mail address?

http://www.lionmitertrimmer.com/popup.htm

> The Lion Miter Trimmer new address is:
>
> Lion Miter Trimmer
> P.O. Box 602
> Rowley, MA 01969
>
> Telephone 978-948-7504
> New e-mail address: mjryan@Rowley-ma.com
> New Fax: 978-948-5443
>
> Thank you for your patience and interest in our products. We will be back > in production by the end of July. If you have any questions I will be more > than happy to talk with you to resolve any problems you may have with > our product or an outstanding order.
>
> Thank You very much and I look forward to working with everyone.
>
> Sincerely
>
> Marty Ryan

[barrym]

Thanks for the effort. Yes, I'm using the one that they say is their new email address. It's clearly past the end of July, so either it's taking longer than they thought, or they've gone out of business. I had a nice talk with the folks at Berland's House of Tools, which is near where I live and is listed on the Lion site under "Where to Buy". The Berland's folks tell me that they have been unable to obtain any more of these, although they didn't know if that was a permanent situation or not.

[Hoover]

Rockler sells one, not sure of the brand

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?O...Select=Details

[barrym]

Again, I appreciate the effort. The genuine Lion one has identification embossed in the "wings". I suspect that the version that Grizzly, Rockler, Lee Valley, and others sell is the same imported copy. I would gladly go for the imported one, if I hadn't read negative reviews on the internet. Of course, these are mostly from people who have paid extra for the genuine article, so that may have something to do with it. On the other hand, I would also pay for the genuine one, if I was convinced it was worth the extra money, and it was available. What I'm really interested in is: 1. Does anyone have an imported one and if so, are they happy with it, 2. Can anyone confirm that the genuine Lion version is significantly better, and 3. Does anyone know if the Lion one will be available again, or is it strictly a matter of finding a used one?

Thanks again.

[leehljp]

Woodworker's Supply has one listed here:

http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPR...ARTNUM=876-782

I have one bought from them 10 years ago and used it some, but not enough to pay for itself, even yet. Maybe when I retire. It is solid and makes smooth cuts.

[barrym]

Hank,

Yep, that's one of the imported ones. Is the one you have the Lion one, or imported? If it's the American made Lion version, it will say so. If not, then it's good to know that you're happy with yours. I'm becoming more convinced that the Lion version will never be available new, so it's either find a used one, or buy a new imported one. Again, I'm not against buying an imported one, as long as I hear some positive feedback.

[leehljp]

Hank,
Yep, that's one of the imported ones. Is the one you have the Lion one, or imported? If it's the American made Lion version, it will say so. If not, then it's good to know that you're happy with yours. I'm becoming more convinced that the Lion version will never be available new, so it's either find a used one, or buy a new imported one. Again, I'm not against buying an imported one, as long as I hear some positive feedback.

Mine is the imported one - from Taiwan. I did make one mistake in my post earlier, as I bought mine in mid '92. It cost around $80 to $90 then. I was floored just over three years later in early '96 to find that even the imported ones were $150.00 to $160.

Older tools were made stronger and beefier than newer ones overall but that is a generalization. While I was quite happy with mine (and am still happy with it even though I rearly use it) I can't promise that any you buy today will give as good quality of cuts.

It might be somewhat like Harbor Freight tools, some are perfect and the next box will be junk, while the third box will be OK but not the best. In this context, I would rate the one that I have as near perfect as the Lion one. AS stated, I rarely use it as I don't make frames as much as I thought I would, Plus I have the BT3000 which makes glass smooth cuts on miters. One thing I am impressed with is that I coated it with oil a couple of times, covered it with a towell and after 14 years, it has barely a spot of rust on it. Other tools that I use regularly have more rust spots than that one.

[Pappy]

The lion Trimmer holds the reputation as the best on the market. It would be great if they started to make them again, assiming the quality is the same.

They show up on EBay from time to time and usually go over $200.