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I am shopping around for a bench grinder and was looking for advice on who makes a good one these days?

Tripleeeng,

In my book, Baldor was the king of bench grinders. In this day and age your choices will be junk from China or other stuff from China.

Bench grinders aren't too technical so even the Chinese makes are OK for the home shop. Grizzly makes a bunch of different sizes and HP's and they are quite cost effective.

The other option would be to hunt down a old 'made in the USA' brand on craigslist, e-bay or a school district surplus sale.

I have two offshore grinders at work and they have been humming along for 10 years plus. Add up what your piggy bank has in it and that will help you make a decision. Good luck.

Stuart

I agree with atomarc, Other than Baldor NOW!..if you can score an Older one(10 yrs or better) got for it, But in the last 5 yrs I have been kicked in the face so many times by Baldor junk motors they are currently puttin out, I would NOT buy just by there Brand name (I am a maint. Supervisor).
A time ago back in the early 90's I woulda SWORNE buy Baldor, but since the millenium, there quality has went down hill BAD,
I cant count how many NEW motors ..Baldor produced have failed
in the last yr. prematureally.
Just givin a heads up.
Tim

Thanks, thats kind of what I have been noticing when shopping around for them. I just kept finding the chinese stuff everywhere. It's kind of sad that you need to look for old used stuff to find something that will last, but then again I guess that is what brings most of us here.

Thanks again

Don't get anything less than 1/2 HP. I bought a 1/3 HP at Princess Auto because it was cheap, but it doesn't have the power for a lot of my grinding and really slows down till I back off the pressure.

Follow old burb's advice and be sure to get at least a 1/2 hp. I can't give advice now but I'm using a 3/4 hp Craftsman I bought back in 1976. I actually bought it off the reconditioned rack for $69 (listed for $129). It was a lot of money back then but as you can see I've have used it....and I mean USE it for over 30 years. I have it on a stand to save bench space. I like it cause I can run bigger wheels than the cheap ones and the bigger wheels/brushes last long and do a good job...................
But I doubt that you can find a Craftsman these days that is half the quality of the one I bought "way back when".

Thanks again. i will definately keep the hp in mind when looking. Hadn't really thought about that much.

I also have a Craftsman 1/2 HP six inch grinder that has worked very well for 10 years.I dont know about the newer ones as most of the Craftsman power tools have really been cheapened up.

Don't over look the old belt driven arbor grinders. I've had one for nearly 30 years that I bought used and works as good as the day I took it home. It sports 1''x8" wheels a 2hp motor and will grind about anything without slowing down. I found it at a farm auction for $20.

I'm not pushing Chinese stuff, but I've had a 1/2 hp grinder, wire wheel on one side that I've used so much it should be dead by now.
For the price I'm more than happy, and I agree with what the guys have said. I think it comes down to what you intend on using it for.
For tough grinding I've got a bigger better one, for junk stuff that cheap one has done me right.
I think it 's like any tool, how much you use it,and what do you expect out of it that governs what to buy.
Dan

Horror story, do not read if you are squeamish.

My bro-in-law's next door neighbor built his own grinder with a motor he had laying around and some wheels he bought at a garage sale. He turned it on to show his wife and the wheel exploded and hit her in the face. She lost half of her jaw and one eye.
It's been 10 years. They're still married. I can't imagine how he must feel.

Never exceed the RPMs listed on the label of the wheel.

Jim Bow,

More importantly, tap all wheels and listen for a clear, ringing sound. A dull thud means a crack or break! Garage sale wheels would be highly suspect in my book.

Stuart

They say that if you have an eye injury like that...you are lucky if you pass out.

Bench grinders are a nice to have. I have a small one just for grinding and sharpening drill bits. I have another good size one for heavy grinding. I also have a four inch hand held grinder which I do ninty per cent of all my grinding with. If I needed to part with two out of the three I would keep the hand held grinder. Thats how much I use the hand held grinder.

i found all mine at garage sales for 5 bucks apeace all the new ones i bought and there were a few they all failed i wouldnt waist money on a new one

Damg I FEEL FOR THAT POOR GAL!...geeze!..words cant even say!