Vsm ceramic 60 grit tracking issues

Bryant Hollinger

Bryant Hollinger

Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
58
Are y’all seeing tracking issues with vsm belts. I love the price and they cut well but mine don’t track worth a darn. Might have to go back to blaze?
 
I just bought a batch of VSM 60 grit and 120 grit. Tracking isn't great, and the 120 grit has the worst chatter and belt bump I've ever seen. I'll go back to Merit belts for a budget belt after I use these up or throw them away.
 
Same results here. I was sent a big box of the belts from the owner of VSM to try out. Most had some degree of tracking issues and the joints aren't great. They seem to pop apart under hogging more easily.
 
There are two series of VSM ceramics. The ones with k in the name track better and are marketed for knifemakers. I find they track the same as blaze belts. I prefer VSM in 60, blaze in 120, and red heat in 36. This is for higher carbide steels. I prefer zirconia belts on annealed steel, or under Rc62 simple steels. I do not remember to order the zirconia regularily. I only use structured abrasives on high carbide steels. They create gouges in simple steels, but cut evenly on high carbide steels.
 
I've used about 20 of the red VSM xk870x and tracking blows. As for cutting, I find them pretty poor too. I switched to Deerfoss Bora-7 and I am not looking back. I get them for less than the VSM and they least twice as long.
 
Strange. I love the VSM belts. Work the best and best value for high alloy hardened steels like z wear I stock up on them as much as I can
 
I have only used VSM in 50grit and thy have always been great for me. No tracking issues on my grinder or surface grinder.
 
HSC /// said:
Strange. I love the VSM belts. Work the best and best value for high alloy hardened steels like z wear I stock up on them as much as I can
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Same here. Another Knifemaker who uses a lot of z-wear turned me on to them. I have been using then for a few years now.
 
The 60 grit are usable. Not good, but usable. I'm debating on throwing the 120 grit away or seeing if I can get a partial refund. I got the XK885Y in both grits Willie71 Willie71
 
Bryant Hollinger said:
Are y’all seeing tracking issues with vsm belts. I love the price and they cut well but mine don’t track worth a darn. Might have to go back to blaze?
Click to expand...
I thought about this some more and my use. I realized tracking doesn’t mean that much to me. It only matters on plunge grinding to me. Otherwise it has no effect to me. And I don’t do many plunges.

of course I don’t want the belt wobbling all over the place but I’m not seeing that. If it moves a little I don’t care.

so depending on how you use it and what sort of grinding then it can matter, but otherwise I think VSM are excellent belts and an excellent value

 
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HSC /// said:
I thought about this some more and my use. I realized tracking doesn’t mean that much to me. It only matters on plunge grinding to me. Otherwise it has no effect to me. And I don’t do many plunges.

of course I don’t want the belt wobbling all over the place but I’m not seeing that. If it moves a little I don’t care.

so depending on how you use it and what sort of grinding then it can matter, but otherwise I think VSM are excellent belts and an excellent value

Click to expand...
They work great but the wobble is what gets me, like you said, on plunges. Other than that they work great and last a long time
 
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