Best Bench Grinder? Let’s Settle This! Harbor Freight Bauer vs JET, Hercules, Rikon, Shop Fox, Delta

a bench grinder is a must-have tool so the question is is that 90 bench grinder just as good as the one that cost over five hundred dollars well let's find out and the first test we'll see which electric motors failed the electric motor lie detector test then we'll see which grinder makes the most torque finally we'll see which one offers the best eye protection at a budget price at only 88 the least expensive brand we'll be testing is made by win all the bench grinders will be testing are designed for eight inch wheels it claims to have a quiet 4.8 amp motor the wind has two LED lights that use AAA batteries the LED light doesn't offer too much brightness onboard coolant tray serves as a quenching pot for work pieces installing the tool rest and shields only takes a few minutes the tool rests and debris Shields are adjustable the wind is made in China later on in the video we'll compare the quality of the tool rest the spark and the debris Shields and the wind weighs 29.45 pounds they claim their motor offers quick startups the win claims to offer quick startups and it takes 8.4 seconds to reach full operating RPM and the wind is at 3583 RPM and the wind doesn't make too much noise at only 65.6 decibels and it takes two minutes and 20 seconds for the wheel to come to a stop at a price of 90 or just two dollars more than the win is this Performance Tool brand and it performs tool bench grinding wheel is pretty loose unfortunately the packaging just didn't do a very good job of protecting the grinder the Performance Tool does not include a light includes a 36 and a 60 grit wheel the Performance Tool is made in China includes a three-quarter horsepower motor 3450 RPM the build quality and the way the debris Shield is mounted on the Performance Tool just isn't nearly as durable as the win and the tool holder can be moved in or out as the wheel wears away but it's just not as well built as the win it does come with dual Shields but I'm gonna leave one off since it's missing a screw the Performance Tool is very light at only 23.75 pounds a bench grinder that takes a long time to get up to speed can really delay progress and the wind takes 8.4 seconds to reach full operating RPM but the Performance Tool takes about two and a half times as long 19.8 seconds 3559 RPM is almost fast as the win 83.7 decibels is a lot louder than the win and it takes two minutes and 23 seconds for the grinding wheel to come to a stop at a price of a hundred dollars is this Bauer brand which is sold at Harbor Freight and a barrel bench grinder is very well padded to avoid damage during transport 4.8 amp three-quarter horsepower motor 3600 no load RPM they claim that their motor won't bog down includes dual spark Shields to protect against flying debris compared to the Performance Tool spending the extra ten dollars in the Bauer does buy a much higher quality tool rest and I guard made in China and the power is the heaviest yet at almost 35 pounds and the bower gets up to speed and it's ready to go to work the fastest yet and only 7.8 seconds 3577 RPM is about the same as the win 74.9 decibels is relatively quiet the grinding wheels come to a stop the fastest yet in a minute and 48 seconds at a price of 140 is this Hercules brand which is also sold at Harbor Freight the buyer had a three-quarter horse electric motor and the Hercules has a 0.9 variable speed range from 2000 to 3400 RPM heavy duty cast iron base reduces vibration and improves stability during use the work rest on the Hercules look very close to the same as the Bauer the spark Shields and the tool holders also look very close to the same the Hercules is made in China and Hercules is the heaviest yet at 40.5 pounds the Hercules cost about forty dollars more than the bower and it also takes three seconds longer than the bower to get up the speed the variable speed is from around 2100 RPM to just over 3 500. 74.3 decibels is very close to the same as the bower and Hercules needs a minute in 22 seconds for the wheel to come to a stop which is the fastest yet at a price of 150 is a skill brand includes a three amp hour motor built-in water cooling tray and LED work light one of the two Shields is magnified and a skill is made in China adjustable v-group tool rest the tool rests are adjustable while the tool rests on the skill moves in and out the angle cannot be adjusted like the bar in the Hercules and the skill is pretty light at 26.25 pounds and the skill gets up to full operating speed and right at 10 seconds to move into third place behind the Bower [Music] 3570 no load RPM 73.9 decibels is about the same as a Hercules 80 Seconds to come to a complete stop is it fastest yet at a price of 229 is this Delta brand the Delta tools did not come with a light bulb the built-in light includes an on and off switch that can handle up to a 40 watt light bulb I used a 12 watt LED light and is by far the brightest yet but you can choose a less powerful light bulb includes ice shields removable water tray and wheel dressing tool variable speeds from 2000 to 3400 RPM the Delta has a 5 amp induction motor the Delta is made in China and the Delta weighs 40.27 pounds and the Delta is the fastest at getting ready to go to work yet very close to seven seconds to take the lead from the bower the variable speed RPM ranges from 2100 to just over 3 400. it's a little quieter than the bower 72.5 decibels the Delta also comes to a stop the fastest yet in only 48 seconds at a price of 250 is this shop Fox brand three-quarter horsepower variable speed induction motor variable speeds include 2 000 to 3400 RPM includes dual adjustable aluminum work rest the ice shield and the tool holder look about the same as the baron Hercules and a shot Fox weighs 40.61 pounds and the shot Fox isn't quite as fast as the Delta getting to work but it's still pretty fast at 8.1 seconds and the variable speed range is from around 2160 RPM to just over 3580 77.3 decimals is a little louder than most of the other brands the shop Fox does come to a stop faster than the Bauer in a minute and 34 seconds at a price of 260 dollars is this rikon brand the rycon comes with a 60 grit wheel and a wire wheel the rikon has a three-quarter horsepower variable speed motor that produces 2 000 to 3400 RPM cast iron base with rubber feet to reduce vibration and the Recon has a pretty bright LED light but it can be replaced with a standard size bulb if more light is needed the built-in water tray seems like a pretty nice feature the rikon is made in China and the icon weighs 38.27 pounds and the lightweight wire wheel really helped the rikon get up to speed very fast and only 5.1 seconds the fastest time yet the variable speed RPM ranges from just under 2 100 to just over 3 500. and the wire wheel is making things pretty noisy at 76.1 decibels it also came to a stop the fastest yet in only 44 seconds at a price of 528 is this jet brand one horsepower heavy duty capacitor motor sealed bearings for maintenance-free grinding and the Jet has a 5.5 amp 3600 RPM Motor on off toggle switch with safety key prevents accidental startup the tool rest does adjust in and out but the angle cannot be changed however the tool rest is much heavier built and seems far more durable than the other brands the jet does not come with the work light single dust shoot hose delivers Dependable collection the jet grinder is made in Taiwan and the Jets by far the heavens shed at almost 63 pounds and the Jet is up to speed in only two seconds flat which is by far the fastest yet very impressive 3591 no load RPM is the most yet 72.8 decibels is a little less noise than most of the other brands once a jet gets going it doesn't want to stop working and takes around 90 seconds to come to a stop weight is sometimes a good indicator of build quality and a Performance Tool is the lightest at 23.75 pounds skill weighs 26.25 in Wind 29.45 pounds and the grinder that gets up to full speed the fastest is a jet in only two seconds rikon finished in second and 5.1 1 seconds Delta 7 and Bauer 7.87 seconds I put together this next tester to measure the working torque or how much force it takes to stall the electric motor I'll apply a slow control downward Force until the grinding wheel comes to a stop if you're using some Force when pressing a piece of metal up against the grinding wheel the loss of momentum or the motor coming to a stop really slows down progress and wind was barely holding on at nine pounds of force and begin losing momentum and finally stalled at 10 pounds with a name like Performance Tools I had big hopes for this bench grinder which is rated for three-quarter horsepower just like the wind unfortunately the Performance Tool really began to struggle at only three pounds and a Performance Tool gave up at four pounds or six pounds less than the win definitely not performing like a three-quarter horsepower motor just like the wind the bow was holding its own at nine pounds but really began to struggle at 10. and the bower began running out of steam and finally stalled it 10 pounds the same as the win the Bowers rated for three quarter horsepower and the Hercules is rated at 0.9 and Hercules is able to handle about one additional pound of force and finally stalled at 11 pounds and a skill cost around ten dollars more than Hercules but the electric motor is only ready for three amps and the skill is really struggling but not quite as bad as a Performance Tool and a skill ran out of steam at five pounds or one pound more than a Performance Tool and the Delta is rated for three quarter horsepower just like the Bauer and the Delta is performing a lot like the Hercules and 11 pounds is just a little too much and the shop Fox not only looks like the Hercules it also performs like it and the shop Fox held its own at 10 pounds but 11 pounds was a little too much so the Hercules Delta and Shop Fox are tied for the lead at 11 pounds and the rikon is also ready for a three-quarter horsepower just like the Bauer Delta and shot Fox and the Recon performed just as well as the Hercules Delta and Shop Fox at 11 pounds third glaze is rated for 0.9 horsepower and the Jet is rated for one horsepower so by the Numbers the Jets should run out of steam at well under 20 pounds and the Jet totally destroyed the competition finally giving up at a very impressive 60 pounds so the jet came in on top at 60 pounds the Hercules Delta shot Fox and rikon finished in a four-way tie for second place at 11. I built an electric motor lie detector tester all but one electric motor is rated for at least three 4 horsepower and the alternator is connected to a fully charged car battery the car battery is connected to a power inverter and a fan speed controller is attached to the power inverter and light is connected to the fan speed controller this will allow the Grinders to maintain their horsepower rating throughout the entire test I'll use a power drill to help the Grinders get up to speed since bench grinders don't have too much starting torque the test will last right at 15 minutes and the wind is off to a good start and is running at a little over 570 Watts or very close to 4.8 amps 746 watts is very close to one horsepower so the wind is operating very close to its three-quarter horsepower capacity it's been right at 10 minutes and the wind is very close to 112 degrees Fahrenheit and it's been right at 15 minutes and the wind is now at 130 degrees Fahrenheit let's go and test the maximum Watts for the win when it comes to a short burst of torque the wind held its own until 1100 Watts just like the wind the Performance Tool is rated for three-quarter horsepower and the wind really struggled on the max torque test and it really struggled in this test too unfortunately the Performance Tool just doesn't make enough torque to pass the Electric Tool lie detector test the Bowers off to a great start and the bower is handling the three-quarter horsepower load just fine at 10 minutes the bower is at 120 degrees at 15 minutes it's the same temperature as the wind at 130 degrees and the power ran out of steam at 1150 Watts or about 50 Watts more than the wind and Hercules got off to a very easy start thurglazers rated for 0.9 horsepower and is handling the load just fine at 10 minutes the Hercules is at around 103 degrees it's been right at 15 minutes and Hercules is at 125 degrees or five degrees cooler than the Bauer and Hercules performed even better than the Barrett making it to 1 250 Watts before giving up so the Hercules definitely passed the test and the skill has a 3 amp hour motor which is very close to a half horsepower rating even with a lower rating the skill successfully started the test since the skill is rated for half horsepower I'll go ahead and test the skill in a range between 340 and 360 Watts after 15 minutes the skill is only at 110 degrees and the skill made it to around 700 Watts before running out of steam the skill has a 3 amp hour rating and it definitely passed the test just like the Hercules the Delta is off to a really easy start and the Delta is handling the three-quarter horsepower load very well and the motor temperature is close to 100 degrees at 10 minutes and at 15 minutes the Delta is the coolest yet at 117 degrees on the hottest part of the motor and the Delta seems to be making the same amount of power as the Hercules at around 1 250 Watts and the shot foxes off to a great start on the electric motor lie detector test at 10 minutes the shop Fox is only at 92 degrees so the shop Fox is running the coolest yet at 15 minutes it's the coolest yet at only 106 degrees or 11 degrees cooler than the Delta it's also 24 degrees cooler than the Hercules and a shop Fox held on the longest and finally gave up at 1 325 Watts and the reikon is off to a great start just like the shop Fox at 10 minutes into the test the rikon is at 105 degrees Fahrenheit or very close to the same as the shop Fox at 15 minutes the rikon is about the same as the Delta at 116 degrees and the icon performed about the same as the Hercules and Delta at 1 250 Watts before it's stalled and a jet doesn't need any help from the drill to get started and the grinder is rated for one horsepower and is making just about one horsepower at 10 minutes into the test the jet is only at 95 degrees with the one horsepower load at 15 minutes into the test it's riding the coolest yet at 106 degrees so even with the bigger load the jet is running the coolest yet and the grinder is making a ton of torque into watt meters maxed out so around 1800 watts and the Jet is finished so all the bench grinders pass those tests except for the Performance Tool brand the shop Fox and the Jet ran the coolest at 106 degrees however the jet ran at one horsepower compared to three quarter horsepower for the shop Fox the rikon and Delta also performed very well at 116 and 117 degrees respectively the bench grinder that delivers the most power is the jet at around 1800 watts the shop Fox finished in second at around 1 325 Hercules Delta and rikon 1250 Watts most protective eyewear is made of polycarbonate which is designed to prevent shattering so it seems appropriate that ice shields on bench grinders will be able to withstand an impact all the ice shields are impacted with a steel ball and most of the Brand's Aces test however the Performance Tool ice Shield broke as did the jet a quick subjective comparison on the build quality of each of the Grinders go from the poorest quality to the best in my opinion the Performance Tool makes the poorest Quality Tool rest and Eye shield setup while the tool rest is held in position by two bolts the tool rest is very flimsy and the angle is fixed unfortunately the ice Shield is only held in by wind bolt and is very prone to coming loose also the ice Shield is very fragile the wind seems to have a better build quality than the Performance Tool however the tool rest is fastened to the grinder by a single 3 16 inch screw in a hand knob there's also a metal dial to hold it in position but this is a very light duty setup the skill definitely seems better than the win it also uses a very light duty setup with a single hand knob fastening the tool rest to the grinder however the Eye shield setup seems better than a Performance Tool but not quite as good as some of the other brands the Delta's build quality seems about the same as the skills it also has a very light duty setup with a single hand knob fastening the tool rest to the grinder however the tool rest angle is adjustable and the skills is not if you're looking for a build quad it's even better than the dealt in the skill there are several options the ice shields and the tool rest look very close to the same for the Bower herkim shop Fox and rikon for each of those Brands the tool rests are fastened with two bolts and a hand knob is used to adjust the angle these four brands use the best setup so far the jet makes by far the most durable setup in the lineup the tool rest is more durable than the front bumper on a 1965 Chevy Impala it's bolted onto a cast iron guard by 3 8 inch bolts the metal frame holding the ice shield in place is very well built but the ice Shield might crack if it gets hit making a replacement Eye shield out of polycarbonate is a very quick and easy task let's test the quality of the grinding wheels next using four inch screws I'll press the screw into the wheel and then we'll measure the wear or the carve out after two screws and the Wind made very easy work of grinding the two screws without the motor bogging down grinding wheel fry ability is the ability of the grinding wheel grains to break down and expose sharp edges this helps increase the material removal rate the wind wheel is still in very good condition the groove on the grinding wheel of the wind is 0.005 inches so the wind is not very friable the Performance Tool brand needed quite a bit longer to finish the job and the motor stalled a couple of times under light pressure and a screw cut a very deep Groove into the wheel 0.09 inches is pretty deep and the Performance Tool wheel seems far too friable and the bower is doing a much better job than the previous two brands at protecting me from filings and abrasive wheel dust 0.061 inches is pretty deep but much better than the Performance Tool just like the Bauer the Hercules is doing a great job of protecting me from the metal filings and Hercules abrasive wheel held up much better than the Bowers at 0.0045 inches which is the least amount of wear yet even though the skill is only rated for 3 amps no issues with the motor stalling like to Performance Tools 0.005 inches is very close to the same as the Hercules the light duty tool rust came loose on the Delta during use this is definitely a design that could use Improvement the groove is 0.042 inches deep the shop Fox tool rest is very well secured and stayed in place during the entire test and the shot Fox performed about the same as the Delta at 0.042 inches just like the shop Fox the rikon tool rust stayed in place during the test 0.024 inches is less swear than the Delta and the shop Fox and the Jet tool rest is very heavy duty and stays very still during use and the groove is 0.018 inches in depth when it comes to wheelwear wheels will wear away faster typically cut faster so some wear is a good feature to achieve High productivity but too much wear can be an indication of a poor quality abrasive wheel leaving out the subjective categories the jet is by far the best performing bench grinder finishing in first place in every test but it is very large and expensive shot Fox did well with an average finish of 1.7 and rikon 2.3 if we include the subjective assessment on build quality the jet still came out on top at half the price of the jet the shop Fox did well with an average finish of 1.8 rikon 2.3 and Delta and Hercules 2.8 the nice thing about saying no to every sponsorship and every free item is that you can always get to the bottom of the truth really quickly we don't have sponsors to please all the videos in this channel including this one our viewers suggested so if you have a video idea I hope you take time to leave a comment thanks so much for watching please take care and I look forward to next time

Channel: Project Farm

Views: 757,851

Keywords: project farm, Bench grinder, bench grinder review, project farm bench grinder review, bench grinder comparison, top 5 bench grinders, top 10 bench grinders, best 8-inch bench grinder, JET bench grinder review, Shop Fox bench grinder review, Rikon bench grinder review, Delta bench grinder review, WEN bench grinder review, SKIL bench grinder review, harbor freight bench grinder review, Hercules bench grinder review, bauer bench grinder review

Id: UqEUox4Q6fs

Length: 17min 4sec (1024 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 29 2023