If you're buying a skid steer grapple in Canada and your shortlist includes Blue Diamond and Berlon, this is for you. Both brands make a wide range of root grapples, skeleton grapples, and grapple buckets. They're priced similarly. The differences matter more than you'd expect.
Blue Diamond Attachments is one of the most widely distributed attachment brands in North America. They cover every grapple type — root grapples, skeleton grapples, log grapples, grapple buckets, severe duty versions — and their catalog in Canada is extensive. Strong dealer presence, parts generally available.
Berlon Industries is a mid-western US manufacturer that ships into Canada through dealers. They make a focused, well-built lineup of grapples with a reputation for solid welds and straightforward construction. Not as many SKUs as Blue Diamond, but every model they make is well-regarded by people who actually use them.
| Factor | Blue Diamond | Berlon |
|---|---|---|
| Price tier (Canada) | Mid — slightly higher on severe duty models | Mid — competitive across the board |
| Canadian availability | Wide dealer network | Narrower, but present |
| Grapple types available | Root, skeleton, log, grapple bucket, hay, rock rake, severe duty | Root, skeleton rock, scrap bucket, HD root |
| Severe duty options | Yes — entire Severe Duty line | Yes — HD Root Grapple 84" |
| Cylinder count | 2-cylinder on larger root models | 2-cylinder on HD models |
| Build quality reputation | Good — consistent across line | Very good — fewer models, higher focus |
| Warranty | Standard manufacturer warranty | Standard manufacturer warranty |
| Parts availability (Canada) | Better — more dealers stocking parts | Adequate — dealer-dependent |
Berlon makes excellent grapples — this is not a knock on them. But in the Canadian market, Blue Diamond wins on sheer practicality. More dealers, more sizes, more specialty models, better parts access. When you're running a grapple hard on a Canadian job site and something breaks, you want a manufacturer with broad dealer coverage.
If Berlon is available locally at a competitive price and you're doing standard root or brush grapple work, buy it without hesitation. But if you're comparing catalogs side-by-side, Blue Diamond is the safer choice for Canadian operators.