Overall this is a very informative video. I've been looking to buy a grinder for a while. Since then I went through college, got married, burned through 3 or 4 careers, raised a family, retired, and moved to a quieter town into a house with room for a workshop. So now I'm going to do it. Actually I had one once. It burned out about 25 years ago. Like you I've read and watched lots of reviews on grinders. I've come to several conclusions. 1.) Most of the negative reviews are by people who expected the wheels to be already balanced right out of the box, like on their car. Apparently it's a rare grinder that comes that way. 2.) Price competition has forced the task of balancing the grinding wheels onto the consumer. I guess the factories haven't figured how to automate this. The manual labor to balance the wheels would push the price out of competition. It seems to me any consumer with the mechanical aptitude to desire owning a grinder aught to be able to do the work him(her)self. 3.) 6" diameter grinding wheels barely clear the diameter of their motors making them unusable for grinding anything much larger that a hand held tool. So now I'm watching videos hoping to see someone grind something. So many tool review videos just show me how to open a box, drill holes and mount the tool to a base. No one needs to watch a video for that. They turn the tool on and replace the sound with music using video editing software. And then they complain that the lousy thing sounds bad, shakes and vibrates and is therefore poor quality. I want to see and hear it grind. I want to hear how much it slows down under load during the grinding of, say a lawnmower blade. Your video is good in that you confirmed my suspicion that most all grinders can be tuned up to run smoothly, even the cheap ones. I'm tempted by some cheap HF prices, but the flimsy tool rests make me wonder about the quality of the whole thing. I'm leaning towards the three that you mention based on the quality of the tool rests. I've been impressed by my WEN band saw. I think I'll be going with WEN.
I got my WEN 4282 bench grinder today. It runs very smoothly and both wheels run true. I've only made a couple test grinds so far. I didn't even need to bolt or clamp it down. Your review was spot on. Mine has the battery powered LED lights. I don't think they will be very useful, but I haven't used it after dark yet. I do like the aluminum casting tool rests. They are quite solid and adjustable.
I bought this WEN 4280 bench grinder today 4-14-18 after watching this video. I bought the WEN grinder stand yesterday. For the money I think it's a pretty good grinder.
I just bought this bench grinder and I really like it, I did not get the wheel dresser and the coolent tank with mine. So I am going to call the 800 number Monday morning to see if they will send them to me. I plan on getting the stand also. Great video and I did subscribe.
Hey PaddyD, loved the lesson. However, I honestly can NOT find a wheel balancing video explained how to do it 'simply' as you put it. I thought you said you might add one, but I also searched your video list and couldn't not find any lesson on balancing as well. Do you have any youtube links you can recommend providing easy steps in balancing your grinding wheels? Thank you!
This grinder sounded very noise as if tin cans rattling inside. Is that to be expected? Seeing it doing something would have made this 100 times better.
that grinder is crap ,sorry but not worth it,pay once ,cry once get over the cost, then enjoy a well built tool,this not a well built tool ,thanks for showing this ,you made up my mind .
Overall this is a very informative video. I've been looking to buy a grinder for a while. Since then I went through college, got married, burned through 3 or 4 careers, raised a family, retired, and moved to a quieter town into a house with room for a workshop. So now I'm going to do it. Actually I had one once. It burned out about 25 years ago.
Like you I've read and watched lots of reviews on grinders. I've come to several conclusions. 1.) Most of the negative reviews are by people who expected the wheels to be already balanced right out of the box, like on their car. Apparently it's a rare grinder that comes that way. 2.) Price competition has forced the task of balancing the grinding wheels onto the consumer. I guess the factories haven't figured how to automate this. The manual labor to balance the wheels would push the price out of competition. It seems to me any consumer with the mechanical aptitude to desire owning a grinder aught to be able to do the work him(her)self. 3.) 6" diameter grinding wheels barely clear the diameter of their motors making them unusable for grinding anything much larger that a hand held tool.
So now I'm watching videos hoping to see someone grind something. So many tool review videos just show me how to open a box, drill holes and mount the tool to a base. No one needs to watch a video for that. They turn the tool on and replace the sound with music using video editing software. And then they complain that the lousy thing sounds bad, shakes and vibrates and is therefore poor quality. I want to see and hear it grind. I want to hear how much it slows down under load during the grinding of, say a lawnmower blade.
Your video is good in that you confirmed my suspicion that most all grinders can be tuned up to run smoothly, even the cheap ones. I'm tempted by some cheap HF prices, but the flimsy tool rests make me wonder about the quality of the whole thing. I'm leaning towards the three that you mention based on the quality of the tool rests. I've been impressed by my WEN band saw. I think I'll be going with WEN.
I am still running this grinder and it still holds it’s own. It ain’t as pretty as it was in that video... lol!
I got my WEN 4282 bench grinder today. It runs very smoothly and both wheels run true. I've only made a couple test grinds so far. I didn't even need to bolt or clamp it down. Your review was spot on. Mine has the battery powered LED lights. I don't think they will be very useful, but I haven't used it after dark yet. I do like the aluminum casting tool rests. They are quite solid and adjustable.
I bought this WEN 4280 bench grinder today 4-14-18 after watching this video. I bought the WEN grinder stand yesterday. For the money I think it's a pretty good grinder.
East Tennessee Good Ol' Boy.......thank you for the review.
Nice video. With that background music, I was half expecting the Red October to float into the corner.
Bought this grinder, then saw your video lol
Has not arrived yet but looking forward to it... Thank you for video
Just picked one today, and I love it..
I just bought this bench grinder and I really like it, I did not get the wheel dresser and the coolent tank with mine. So I am going to call the 800 number Monday morning to see if they will send them to me. I plan on getting the stand also. Great video and I did subscribe.
Wen is Chinese too !
each of the companies ordering these branded for them, pay different amounts sometimes for different levels of quality. but its generally the same.
Would have been nice to see you grind something....
Good video - Thank you
You're welcome! Thank you for watching!
A 30-40 yr old grinder has earned the right to "give up the ghost." (LOL)
Can you tell please what is that chair?
Hey PaddyD, loved the lesson. However, I honestly can NOT find a wheel balancing video explained how to do it 'simply' as you put it. I thought you said you might add one, but I also searched your video list and couldn't not find any lesson on balancing as well. Do you have any youtube links you can recommend providing easy steps in balancing your grinding wheels? Thank you!
This grinder sounded very noise as if tin cans rattling inside.
Is that to be expected? Seeing it doing something would have made this 100 times better.
Replayed it. WTF is that noise on when running???
Do you have a video on balancing the wheels. Thanks
Could have been the start,run capacitor.thats what keeps the motor amped up.
You are right! It was real slow to start!
Thanks for watching and commenting...
i bought one got it today wont even turn the motor wont run Junk dont bother
Your shirt, Watauga as in Watauga County, NC?
Really, really close!
Are you a fellow Tennessean?
Yes I am. I'm in the Kingsport area.
Subbed. Enjoyed the info.
terrible! I tuned in to see how attachments fit on machine. skipped right past. Take off the title of unbox and assembly!
that grinder is crap ,sorry but not worth it,pay once ,cry once get over the cost, then enjoy a well built tool,this not a well built tool ,thanks for showing this ,you made up my mind .