Thanks, the multi tool can take advantage of the newer grinders with Variable speed. Trick-Tools is now selling the multi tool with a variable speed JET grinder that goes down to 900 at 1 hp.
I spoke with some sharpening supply dealers and they strongly recommended the 2x42 multitool over the 1x42 like a Viel or Grizzly. No doubt that a 1x42 would work in my case, but I’ve been told that a multi tool 2x42 would be a more capable machine at about the same price.
I really appreciate your thoughts here. It’s a big topic with lots of options and no single right answer.
I definitely understand the urge to want to get a solid looking package at a decent price which is basically "plug and play", but I learned first hand the value of "buy once, cry once" when I went this route rather than just going the route of a 2x72" when I first started. The problem was that when I got it 8-9 years ago, the only non-DIY 2x72" grinder option was for the most part the KMG, or Bader etc, which were/are relatively pricey. The Grizzly was pretty much the only option for an entry 2x72. Coote was also an option, but I couldn't find much info about them at the time and more importantly I knew nothing about motors, VFDs, or wiring, so I figured the 2x48" Multitool on a "variable speed" bench grinder would be just about as good and also easier to get set up (for me).
I originally got their 8" contact wheel 2x48", which was right before they stopped offering them for quite a few years due to other people apparently experiencing some issues with it as well, although it looks like they just began offering it again so maybe they fixed them. So after a good bit of hassle and miscommunication due to having to deal with the situation through two separate Tricktools employees, I ended up exchanging it for the 2x36" attachment and hooked it up to my Porter Cable bench grinder which has an adjustable speed-dial of somewhere around 2000-3400 rpm, or thereabouts. I had all kinds of trouble trying to learn to grind on that thing, not only because it's stock platen is junk with regard to flatness (although I ended up adding my own O1 platen before ceramic glass platens were easy to find and in the right size), but also because the tracking is pretty bad and took a lot of messing around with to set it up in order to get the belt semi-centered with the tracking lever in the neutral position, which I still couldn't get quite right. The way it tracks the belt is by shifting/pivoting left and right the entire arm assembly with the fork that the contact wheel is attached to, and since the tracking wheel is directly above the platen, when it's tracked to either side it changes the angle of the wheel and messes with the belt's ability to ride flat against the platen since the wheel pushes it out a bit on the opposite side from which it's being tracked to. Also, there's really no way to adjust the belt tension, it's either all or none.
Anyway, their new variable speed Jet motor looks nice, and has a much wider speed range and goes slower than my bench grinder, but for the price of $800 for the 2x48" in addition to shipping + tax, I think you'd be much better off just spending a bit more and getting a proper 2x27" which you can continue to add attachments and upgrades to over time, especially since there are so many more grinder and accessory options available with a much larger price range than when I was in this position. The Multitool attachment can be nice for general grinding tasks like chamfering parts to be welded or for de-burring or general shaping etc, but not so much for accuracy, especially when it comes to grinding bevels and plunges. That, and you're also stuck with the setup it comes with since you can't add different grinding attachments and different wheel sizes to it over time in order to increase its versatility. Anyway, I'll once again recommend saving and spending a bit more to get a standard socket-arm grinder such as the Reeder mentioned above or similar and also even getting a cheaper VFD for even lower speeds than the Jet offers, which is much more ideal for sharpening and learning on, which you can also always upgrade later on down the road.
FWIW, I built and still use my NWG belt grinder which uses a 3 step-pulley system for speed changes, and even though it's not the most precisely built grinder and definitely not prettiest, it is far more useful to me than the Multitool, regardless of the belt or wheel size I had it in (i.e. 2x48" and 2x36"). Just my 2 cents though! Sorry for the long post, but I thought it might help if I shared my personal experience, headaches, and regrets I had with the thing in the context of trying to learn to make decent knives with it, but yours and others' mileage may vary.
Here's an older photo of my Multitool setup... don't mind the jacked up belt, I was just using it as a beater belt to grind some rusty "found" steels at the time lol:
~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)
