Which budget vfd?

Daniel Fairly Knives

Daniel Fairly Knives

Full Time Knifemaker
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Hey guys I know there is a lot of info on this but it's kind of confusing!

Which cheap (and hopefully dustproof) VFD should I get for this grinder motor? I'm hoping to spend $100 or less, I know I willl probably have to throw it in a box because of dust.

It looks like I can get a used KBAC (nice one) on ebay too if I can find the right one. I think that would be best.



Screenshot 2026-04-08 110530.png
 
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I use a cheapo Amazon one, most of the control panels on those can be detached from the actual vfd unit itself and run via a remote flat ribbon cable. That way you can mount the actual vfd somewhere else completely out of the way of dust or in an enclosure and just have the smaller control panel at your grinder.
 
Hella Bread said:
there are cheap sealed units nowadays but they really haven’t made it readily over to our market yet
https://imgur.com/a/nb2mJ4u
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That's a good looking unit - could you provide typical price? Perhaps a item number and a place (not a link since those are not allowed) to look?

I have not used this $100 vfd with success in the past - item #B0BKKZ8W85 on Amazon. I've not tried it yet but there is also a 120vac input on the same link.

Here is one I have used for $74 on Amazon, item #B09KN54TZN

These are NOT dust proof, but by putting a filter over the air inlets I normally get an average of 4 or 5 yrs from each.

I am interested in the dust proof mentioned above.
 
Ken H> said:
That's a good looking unit - could you provide typical price? Perhaps a item number and a place (not a link since those are not allowed) to look?

I have not used this $100 vfd with success in the past - item #B0BKKZ8W85 on Amazon. I've not tried it yet but there is also a 120vac input on the same link.

Here is one I have used for $74 on Amazon, item #B09KN54TZN

These are NOT dust proof, but by putting a filter over the air inlets I normally get an average of 4 or 5 yrs from each.

I am interested in the dust proof mentioned above.
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afaik i’ve only ever seen them direct from china or a few guys in the EU have been using them, these units are sealed IP65 which is the same rating as the kbac units, Haven't tried them personally
 
Ken H> said:
That's a good looking unit - could you provide typical price? Perhaps a item number and a place (not a link since those are not allowed) to look?

I have not used this $100 vfd with success in the past - item #B0BKKZ8W85 on Amazon. I've not tried it yet but there is also a 120vac input on the same link.

Here is one I have used for $74 on Amazon, item #B09KN54TZN

These are NOT dust proof, but by putting a filter over the air inlets I normally get an average of 4 or 5 yrs from each.

I am interested in the dust proof mentioned above.
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I was able to find them on Alibaba, and it looks like they average around $130ish after shipping, taxes and import fees. Basically around what the HuanYang VFDs used to cost, give or take. That's for a 2.2kw by the way, so that's actually not a bad price.
If any of my current VFDs go bad, I might give this one a try, though I've had good luck with a the cheap VFDs off of amazon, as long as I keep the dust out of them.
 
I agree they are certainly worth checking.... and perhaps trying one.

I looked and never found the IP65 rated VFDs. Would it be possible for you to send me a link to my email? sailingtoo at the gmail place?

Ken H>
 
Ken H> said:
I agree they are certainly worth checking.... and perhaps trying one.

I looked and never found the IP65 rated VFDs. Would it be possible for you to send me a link to my email? sailingtoo at the gmail place?

Ken H>
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model is mdriver m980 should be found within a quick google search
 
Ken H> said:
I agree they are certainly worth checking.... and perhaps trying one.

I looked and never found the IP65 rated VFDs. Would it be possible for you to send me a link to my email? sailingtoo at the gmail place?

Ken H>
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Looks like they call it IP66. I sent a link to your gmail address.
 
Thanks Drew - I got the email and "almost" pulled the trigger on the IP66 rated VFD. My total in the order box came to $108.65 which is a good price. Since I have at least one spare VFD on the shelf I didn't place the order, but really like the looks of those. IP66 is even better than IP65. Both are dust proof, but IP65 is only low pressure water spray while IP66 will handle high pressure water spray.

If doing a search for "IP66-220V-380V-Water-Pump-Inverter_10000033281732.html" on the alibaba site there are several of the IP6x VFDs shown.

Thank you again for the link.

Ken H>
 
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How good is Alibaba safety wise with CC info? My VFD control panel speed control dial is loose and I have to put a rubber band over it so it works and holds the speed, so I am looking to replace it sooner than later!
 
I'm not sure about the CC info - I've always used PayPal thinking that "might" be the safer route since they don't share the CC info, just PP info. I "suspect" CC would be ok, but I have a hard enough time trusting stateside vendors I don't know much less overseas vendors.
 
Ah, gotcha. I usually use the CC thru PayPal, so maybe I will keep some PayPal balance to order one if I go that route! The IP66 one looks pretty nice!
 
Taz said:
How good is Alibaba safety wise with CC info? My VFD control panel speed control dial is loose and I have to put a rubber band over it so it works and holds the speed, so I am looking to replace it sooner than later!
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I've ordered quite a bit through Alibaba and AliExpress and haven't had any issues for a long time. I always use PayPal as well, FWIW.

One of the first things I ever bought from Alibaba was a DRO for my milling machine. I think this was before AliExpress was even a thing, and they didn't take PayPal. I had to call my bank to authorize an out of country transfer, but it was only good for 24 hours or so. Unfortunately, because of the time difference, weekend hours, or whatever, the charge didn't go through for a couple of days, at which point it flagged my account for suspicious activity and locked my debit card. :rolleyes:
It turned into a bit of a headache, but I was paying about 1/2 price (or less) of what the exact same DRO cost from the cheapest US distributor I could find, so in the end it was worth the extra hassle. Fortunately, Alibaba has made some changes since then (and possibly my bank as well) and things have been much smoother for a long while now.

I'll also add that it pays to look at both Alibaba AND AliExpress from time to time, as price differences, shipping, etc.. can vary. I'm not sure why, as I think they're the same parent company. There's also different deals and coupons from time to time as well.
 
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I've only dealt with AliExpress in the past, but expect Alibaba would be about the same. Interesting point on Alibaba this morning while looking at the IP66 VFDs, with Paypal the processing fee cost was only $1.22, but if using google or credit card cost increased to $3.22 processing fee.

Several yrs ago I also ordered my DROs from AliExpress - got a 2 axis for the lathe and a 3 axis for the milling machine. Best addition ever for both machines.
 
Ken H> said:
I've only dealt with AliExpress in the past, but expect Alibaba would be about the same. Interesting point on Alibaba this morning while looking at the IP66 VFDs, with Paypal the processing fee cost was only $1.22, but if using google or credit card cost increased to $3.22 processing fee.

Several yrs ago I also ordered my DROs from AliExpress - got a 2 axis for the lathe and a 3 axis for the milling machine. Best addition ever for both machines.
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Alibaba is just a B2B focused platform while Aliexpress is a B2C focused one. same company behind both at the end of the day
 
I pay most all transactions with overseas or unknown suppliers by PayPal. It is the safest way. Perfectly safe to use my CC, because the seller only gets the money from PP.
 
Hella Bread said:
Alibaba is just a B2B focused platform while Aliexpress is a B2C focused one. same company behind both at the end of the day
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I had to look up that B2B vs B2C "B2B stands for (Business-to-Business), and B2C stands for (Business-to-Consumer)". That's why so many of the items on Alibaba didn't have an order just one item, but would have a place to request quote. Not near all items where that way, but several were. BUT - they do seem to be the only source of the IP66 VFDs, and only a few of those had a B2C setup. Many of them were the B2B setup.

Ken H
 
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