Aldi Ferrex Wet grinder

[Stevebod]

Hi all, took the plunge and ordered the above which arrived today. I have been a fan of Aldi DIY stuff, OK I accept the quality is not top notch but you get what you pay for. Their small bandsaw has been great and punched above its weight. I also had the track saw which has been good, but the wet stone grinder is a real downturn in quality, cheap cheap cheap. For what it is I can't understand why it cost significantly more than their small bandsaw? The body is plastic, the clamping nuts are really nasty, and the grinding wheel wobbles like hell! I think for £50 it would probably be "acceptable", but not for £100.
I think the principle is great and will certainly sharpen chisels better than I ever could just using a flat stone, so I definitively want a wet stone grinding system.
I think it will be going back and I will get the smaller Record one for an extra £40 and "hope" that the quality is a notch or two higher?

 

[PeteG]

I was tempted Steve until I saw the price. I thought it might have been around the £40.00 mark, no chance at £100.00. Hope you have better luck with the Record.

 

[That would work]

I have one as well, bought it a week ago. At first I too wondered about the amount of plastic (body), but I now see that that really makes no difference as it runs so slowly so there's zero vibration and it certainly does not need fixing down. On mine the wheel runs perfectly true, in fact everything runs and works exactly as it should including the support bars and jigs to hold blades. Im actually really pleased with the wet grinding which I really needed, im still in two minds about the leather strop wheel but that just because ive always used an oil stone and stopped on the palm of my hand (!) Interesting that mine says Sheppach on the rear label and as it looks identical I can only imagine that some machines fall foul of a differing Q.C. system. It is a bit expensive perhaps considering its simplicity however being a re badged Sheppach then it seems like 'better'value. Be interesting to hear about anyone else's experience of it.

 

[Stevebod]

I decided to return it today. Very disappointed with the quality. If it had been £50 or less I may have kept it as I am sure it is capable of "doing a job" with a bit of a fettle. I note that the Scheppach unit (which appears to be basically the same) does seem to have some slightly higher quality fittings and on some sites is only another £5 more.
I love the principle of this bit of kit so I have decided to add a few more notes and get the Record equivalent which is currently "on offer" at the mo...just hope it's better quality!

 

[Stevebod]

..OK so I got the Record 8inch wetstone grinder, it arrived a couple of days ago,it worked for about 30 mins then stopped!...very disappointed as generally I like record stuff, and was just about to get a new bandsaw off them. I guess it's the usual lack of quality control in China. Not sure whether I want a straight replacement so I will have a look around to see what other options there are...

..can anybody offer any alternative recommendations?

 

[ED65]

..can anybody offer any alternative recommendations?

I know you're in the market for a sharpening solution like this but hand methods can be really efficient if you get it down pat. With diamond plates from China this can be a cheap-as-chips sharpening solution for routine honing of chisels and plane irons, and way way faster than a wet grinder.

If your struggles with hand sharpening are largely to do with getting consistent results perhaps a honing guide is all you need? A homemade but excellent one can be knocked up in the workshop in about 10-15 minutes and the cost is practically zero.

 

[Stevebod]

Hi and thanks for the advice...I have got myself some cheap diamond plates (£12)....I already have a honing guide. I will give it a go!!

 

[ED65]

Excellent. If you need pointers or encounter any issues just shout.

 

[Stevebod]

..my main problem is getting ride of any "heavy" damage first. I have an old grinding wheel but find it difficult to get the initial (25 deg) angle prior to starting the honing process?

 

[ED65]

Are you restoring stuff from car boots etc. or is this just heavy wear from use?

Not everyone would agree but I think there's a big difference in how you'd approach these. Few would argue against using a grinder for an abused or rust-damaged edge, but there's no absolute need to grind for routine sharpening.