Harbor Freight Surface Grinder??

N

naifu

Active Member
What should I expect if I buy a benchtop surface grinder from Harbor Freight? Anybody have one? It is around 300 bucks (was 900), another hundred for a magnetic chuck.
 
You should expect problems like poor accuracy and poor finish. HF like Enco, Grizzly and other companies that sell the "import" tools get them all from the same place in mainland China. Some are good, some are not. I have not bought a machine tool from HF but I have looked at them closely. HF seems to pay far less than Jet or Enco for any given machine, and they pass that savings on to the consumer in the form of lower prices and lower quality. The HF machines I've seen in my local store are horrible!

If you think about it, the price you've quoted should answer your question. The better small hand operated surface grinders cost around $2000 new, and a good used one is close to that. The old models that first the Taiwanese then the Chinese copied are probably still pretty high priced unless you just happen to run across a deal. If these machines regularly cost more than $300, or even the original price of $900 (which makes you wonder why HF reduced the price by 2/3!) would you expect them to do as well as others that cost 7 times as much? If it's too good to be true, it usually is!

David
 
Buy cheap= But twice. well usually. Very rarely do you find something very cheap with decent quality as David said. Especially precision tools. If it was a band saw, Maybe
 
Stabber,

I posted and didn't see your comment. I may have to buy a good used grinder, with a lot of life left on it. I am not going to buy a surface grinder twice that is for sure.

Jon
 
Good luck on getting what you need Jon! Keep us posted

I took my time getting my grinder. Was very close to getting one new because I was getting impatient. When/If you find a used unit, It normally has a lot of goodies you will need after your basic Grinder purchase.
 
If you are happy with buying an inexpensive machine go right ahead.
I bought a Harbor freight portable band saw, drill press, clamps, and a $130 craftsman grinder in February and I am still using them today.
If they break tomorrow..........Oh well they have already paid for themselves.
 
On something like a surface grinder your probably better off looking around for an older machine worth the money. Even with an older machines wear (as long as it's not completely shot) it'll probably be better than one of those.

Band saws, hand tools and even a drill press you can many times live with lesser quality but a surface grinder is different.
 
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naifu said:
Thanks David. I will spend some more time looking for a better machine, new or used.
Click to expand...

Happy to help, JC. Here are some other comments and a question:
1. Is there a specific reason you feel you need a surface grinder? I've been making knives for 29 years, and folders for 18. I don't have a surface grinder. I do have a small mill with which I can cut down stock, then hand surface it on my belt grinder.
2. Cliff is very much correct. You can get away with a lesser drill press and band saw in some cases if you have to, but a surface grinder is supposed to be a precision machine tool, and if it's worn out or just poorly made it won't do you any good.
3. About cheap equipment in general. I'm a big believer in the philosophy that it's the man doing the work or deed or whatever, not the machine. That was attributed to Chuck Yeager when he shot down an ME262 jet fighter with his P-51. It's true that he was a great pilot when he flew inside the German's turn, but there was also an element of luck when he got off a burst and actually hit the plane that was flying 100 MPH faster than his! My first few knives were made on bench grinders and a crummy 6x48 belt sander. There was only so much that could be done, even with personal skills, on poor or cheap equipment. My knives improved immediately with better and the proper machines. Good tools (the right ones of course) will free you up to let you maximize your personal skills, but poor equipment will hold you back.
4. I'd find it foolish and just poor business sense for me to buy a machine or tool that is cheap and then say just toss it away if it breaks sooner than a good machine would. My $950 Square Wheel probably paid for itself within the first year that I had it. I bought it in 1990 and it's been going with just minor maintenance since then. Aside form the initial expense, you have to figure in the maintenance time and the down time. If you get a good surface grinder you'll probably have little down time over several years, but if you buy a clunker, which I believe the Harbor Freight model would be, your down time will be greater and you'll spend more time just fiddling with it and your blades to get them to where they will work.
5. Always remember, you get what you pay for.

David
 
When I started shopping for a surface grinder the only thing I knew was that I wanted one. I wanted an auto feed with coolant but I would have settled for anything. Fortunately I found a sixty year old Grand Rapids for $250.that had been sitting for years. It took about three months to rebuild but it is one of the best investments I have ever made. With the coolant I can easily remove .007 per pass and the auto feed is a dream. I would watch ebay and get what you need.
 
Another thing about the older machines is if you get one worth the money it will always be worth it at this point. Not only do new machines depreciate as soon as you uncrate it the cheap import ones are worth nearly nothing after a little while.

So what I'm saying is you can likely get most or all you money back if and when you decide to sell the older machine provided you keep it up.
 
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