it's better at grinding them than doing edges. The problem is speed and power. It's got too much speed and not enough power, so you're trying to be gentle to avoid bogging down, but have to stop to let your blade cool/dunk it constantly due to the speed. This makes for slower work than a more powerful grinder at a more practical speed. It's certainly doable, I made quite a few knives with one and lots of other folks here have done the same. It's a very reasonably priced way to get started in knife making. Just be aware of its limits and weaknesses.
If you go with that, get a pyroceramic glass piece for the platen and remove the side cover. Some folks cut down the shield as well. I took off the work rest but that's just a matter of work style, with my angled plunges it was in the way and I wanted room to put blades vertically on the platen anyway.
One of the biggest problems with the 2x42's is limited belt selection. Even Trugrit has reduced their 2x42 inventory lately. There are still some good ceramics and structured abrasive options, but not as many as there were. It's really a wood working grinder and the belts available reflect that.
