# Tormek or clone



## saddletramp

I have come to the conclusion that I need a slow speed, wet sharpening system. Everyone that I have talked to that has a tormek has praised them as the ultimate sharpener but they have universally stated that they believe that they are over priced. If they are truely overpriced, there should be room in the market place for a more reasonably priced clone of the same high quality. My question is, is there a clone that meets these criteria? Does anyone have experience with a tormek clone that they believe to be as good as a tormek?


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## interpim

I've heard the grizzly slow speed grinder performs quite well

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Slow-Speed-Grinder/G1036


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## PurpLev

I have the sheppach which is similar to Grizzlys 8" wet-slow grinder and it works great.

I do not believe the Tormeks are overpriced considering what they are build for and that is continuous use and as such they can be used for sharpening service centers and run constantly - for that purpose they are worth every penny. the clones are not built for such a heavy load and constant use and therefor cost less and are suitable for the occasional user.

as a hobbyist I don't believe you'd see much difference between the tormek and a clone in your own shop for personal use.


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## SCOTSMAN

There are a few direct copies of Tormek they are practically identical and I believe tormek are way overpriced get the JET or the Sheppach or whatever is favorite in your neck of the woods Even their accessories are much cheaper and identical.In other words Tormek are too greedy and have had it their way too long now they have serious competition .I wouldn't hesitate .I gave all my Tormek to my old pal I found the set up too slow and sore on my back standing so long .The secret is when the tools is shaped and sharp don't let it go too long till you sharpen it again so frequent sharpening with just a quick touch and then your ok. Alistair


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## Bluepine38

I have a Delta model 23-700 grinder that I bought a a garage sale for $60.00 that is a twin to the Grizzly 
grinder. The large stone is very soft and wears easily if used wet, but it turns so slow that I have had no
problems using it dry. The stone is so soft that there is a problem with keeping it trued straight and round
though.


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## BillWhite

I use the Makita horizontal wheel wet sharpener. It is used for planer blades, plane blades, knives, and other stuff. Look at it. I find it a great value, and super low tech. Might be just what ya want.
Bill


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## Elizabeth

I have the Grizzly grinder and have had a lot of difficulty with it, especially with getting the correct angles on gouges. A lot of that is undoubtably due to my inexperience but I do wish I had plumped for the Tormak. I am likely to sell mine at some point and try to get a Tormak or at least something that can use the Tormak jigs..


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## PurpLev

Elizabeth, which grinder do you have? the grizzly 10" wet grinder accepts all the tormek accessories (except for the planer blade jig)


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## Elizabeth

Oh, does it? I'll have to look into that. I do know that it doesn't take the buffing wheel attachment for the inside edges of gouges - at least, that's what I've heard.


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## HorizontalMike

Is there a preferred grit on these slow speed grinders? 200 or 320?


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## paratrooper34

I have the Grizzly unit with a smaller grinding wheel attachment on the side. I am actually looking to sell it as I just don't use it. I am a waterstone sharpener and I guess I always will be. If you are interested in it, we can work something out. I listed it on here awhile ago, it is on this page:

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/18065


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## Fuzzy

I have the TORMEK … it IS indeed overpriced. I have used a friend's JET … for all practical purposes, it will do everything the TORMEK will do for a LOT less $$$$$ ... AND … all of the jigs & fixtures interchange. Now, the TORMEK and it's jigs are probably slightly better quality, but for the money, you can't beat the JET.


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## mafe

I have a Scheppac TIGER200S watersharpener and are on my second stone now (I used it a lot), so even it was a cheap machine it has run perfect for some years now.
It fits the Tormek gear but also have its own.
You can see it here:
http://lumberjocks.com/mafe/blog/17509
It is the best investment I have made for the shop.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## Guss

I have the smaller grizzly wet grinder All the jig are interchangeable but the accuracy is not near as well as the tromek bar i have on the bench grinder. there is quite a bit i don't like about it like the body is all plastic. the rubber wheel that drives the grinding stone and leather strop slips when pressure is applied so light pressure has to be used. the grinding stone is soft and wares away fast. the place where the bar attaches to the side sticks out a little bit and the grinding wheel doesn't take long to get to small to use a tool setting jig. The stone doesn't grade vary well so its hard to get a really smooth grind on the tools and it would take forever to hone them with the strop to get them even close to what a tormek will get them.


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## exelectrician

Why use a power tool to grind away all that good steel? God gave us muscles to work with. It is possible to get perfect results with a piece of melamine MDF, and high quality sand paper spray glued, to the surface. A simple $15 honing guide, and in a short space of time you have perfection.


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## maljr1980

i use japanese water stones to sharpen all of my tools and they work great.


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## wingate_52

You know it has to be a Tormek. Some things you only have to buy once!


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## mafe

If you have the cash I agree go for the Tormek, the quality is excellent no doubt.
When I had used my first stone I changed for a better stone, and the price of the new stone was higher than what I paid for the machine… The first was softer and therefore was able to make a finer hone, where the new Tormek stone is harder and leave more scratches.
I used sandpaper on glass for a long time and yes it works perfectly fine, but is a different world and more expensive if you sharpen a lot. And yes since I restore old tools it was too much muscle to be fun.
Since I also use mine to restore old tools it suffers from extensive use, if it is 'just' for sharpening you will as a hobbyist have even a cheap stone probably the rest of your life.
I just upgraded my sharpening system with a bunch of expensive Japanese water stones, and so the circle is made, it is a road with no end… but fun to walk.

Also if you are a carver or a user of the lathe, the choice of getting a water grinder and the accessories for these irons, it is excellent and can't be compared to any sandpaper or stones - in this case I would buy one at the heart beat. When I use my lathe I can turn around and sharpen the irons no matter what shape they have in a second, and be back on the lathe, just wonderful.

So conclusion:
You can probably be fully happy with the clone, it will serve you perfectly well, look in my projects, I made tons of wonderful stuff after sharpening on this one, and my edges are wonderfully sharp, I can shave with my chisels.
But as with everything else in life, buy the best you can afford, if I had the cash and felt I had the need I would buy a Tormek also.
(I never heard any complaints on any of the water grinders mentioned).

If you can be happy driving a nice VW and not be jealous when a Rolls passes in the street, then the clone is all you need (I can drive my old Fiat Punto and smile).

Best thoughts,
Mads


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## northwoodsman

I purchased the Tormek a couple of years ago when Rockler had them on sale. At the time I thought it was over-priced. Since then I have purchased only the necessary jigs that I need. It's easy to purchase the jigs that you don't need because they look cool. I have to admit that knowing what I know now, and with countless hours on the Tormek, I wish I would have purchased it a lot sooner than I did! It is so easy to use and gives you unbelievable results. Other people that see my plane irons, lathe tools, and chisels are always asking me to "re-condition" theirs. I used to use a slow speed grinder and sandpaper, then upgraded to water stones and a Veritas MK II jig which I thought was absolutely as good as you could get. I also had a Wolverine jig (great jig). The Tormek takes it up yet to another level. Could the Grizzly, the Jet or the Sheppach do just as good of a job? Possibly, but after spending a couple of hours doing research and reading reviews, the decision was easy - the Tormek was top dog. By the way - you can find some great guides for sharpening lathe tools using the Tormek on some other websites. Craft Supplies USA offers some settings for various grinds (from beginner to expert) using the Tormek. Although the Tormek book is really good, some of these other settings are very helpful.


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## Roger Clark aka Rex

When you read some of the posts on LJs, a lot of people don't have very good views of Chinese knock-off copies of the tool they are imitating, so if you think a copy is what you need, then get one, but if you want the real thing made in Sweden, then it must be a Tormek. Tormek is the best….period.


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## HorizontalMike

Interesting comparison of Jet vs Tormek:

http://www.joewoodworker.com/tormek.htm


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## a1Jim

I've never felt that a wet sharpening system is necessary for my sharpening needs I use a work sharp it does a great job.


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## wingate_52

I run a VW Golf and a VW California, Daughter has our older VW Polo. I have had my green Tormek longer than the cars.


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## bunkie

I have the Grizzley and, frankly, it's a disappointment. A friend of mine has the Tormek which he really loves. I have't had a chance to use it, so it's not my opinion, but my friend is a very skilled and detail oriented person, so I trust his judgement.


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## mafe

Wingate I love that VW, that is so cool!









But…

Smiles,
Mads


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## HorizontalMike

I remember that car Mads!

I also had the opportunity to see another Beatles, a 1959 Bentley, at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana where at one time it was displayed:


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## mafe

Those are just to wonderful cars.
If I ever win the woodory…
Big smile,
Mads


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## bernwood

I'm so glad I bought the Tormek. I read through Mike's link comparing the Tormek and Jet and found the conclusion quite interesting. That being said, early in the comparison, I was reading about the water drips, especially when using the planner and jointer blade jig. I bought that jig from Tormek and placed a piece of plexi-glass on a tilted stand which directs most of the water back into the basin.

The Tormek is joy to use. All my tools are razor sharp… and they do have a flat table when mounted upside down, allows me to use the side of the stone to flatten my cabinet scrapers. My wife has expensive kitchen knives she did not want me to sharpen… so I picked up a few knives from the recycling center and showed them to her. They were terrible. I introduced them to my Tormek and now she lets me sharpen her babies.
I guess you do get what you pay for!

And it's not out of your price range. I have a beautiful workshop very well equipped with expensive quality tools. All my tools were bought with coffee money. Before retiring, I was a truck driver and discovered that I was spending $5 - $7 per day on my morning and afternoon breaks. I decide to pocket that money and brown bag my lunches. So I would save $30 per week. It took me 3 months, but I bought my Tormek. My wife told me I could buy the tools I wanted after our 4 sons were raised, but having done it the hard way, I now appreciate my tools and keep them all clean, oiled, fit and very sharp!


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## usnret

So the next question is which Tormek to get the T-3 or the T-7? I plan on using it to sharoen chisels, planer blades, jointer blades, hand plane blades and knives.


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## thedude50

Saddle, I have just finished a three month head to head test of many of the top sharpeners on the market, and while i don't want to release all the information here i can tell you that anyone who puts the jet in the same class as the tormek was either paid by jet or was given the jet to promote it. I was allowed to use the tormek for a period of months and it has so many things that make it better than the jet. one the motor is much stronger and doesn't bog under use. the jigs are superior with only 2 exceptions and the stones on the tormek are better they last much longer. the main shaft on the t7 is stainless steel and doesn't corrode and the threads are reversed like they should be on the tormek. Mind you we purchased 2 of the jet because the first one has so many problems we had to have a working model for the test many of the thing that were wrong with the jet could be fixed easily but its a hassle to repair a brand new machine. you expect to work right. i will be doing a huge story on this set of tests but if you were my dad id tell you to get the t7 and choose your accessories wisely read my article next month and see why it won the tests we ran and why it will likely win the long term test as well, oh ya i almost forgot the work-sharp 3000 did really well in the test too but was less versatile than the tormek. i would sell you one of the jets but we are doing a long term test on these tools as well to see how they last with much use over years of service.


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## TopamaxSurvivor

dude, WHere is it being published?


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## NathanAllen

I use the now out of production delta, but the limit of my sharpening are bench chisels, jointer bladed and irons from my small collection of planes.

Best advise is if you can afford to wait until a deal comes up on Craigslist or eBay you'll thank yourself in the long run.


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## ksSlim

This arrived via email today.
http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/tools/archive/2010/06/24/water-cooled-sharpening-machines.aspx?utm_source=AWNL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AWNL_20111021

Comparrison of Tormek, Grizzly and Jet wet grinders.


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## thedude50

topamax it will be at this old workshop http://thisoldworkshop.com it is the first head to head study i have done and i have been reviewing tools for 15 years it is a real challenge i worked very hard on this study. The above review was nothing more than a feature list it was not a head to head evaluation that's one of my pet peeves about tool reviews. i could have wrote that review off the spec sheets, they didn't say what was good or bad about any of the machines they simply listed features pretty lame imho


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## saddletramp

Thank you everyone for all your comments and information. Dude, thanks for your heads up on your upcoming review (would you PM me when it comes out) and for the advance conclusions from that review. BTW, I've tried to register on that site a couple of times now and I keep getting a fatal error.


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## thedude50

ill tell the webmaster that explain s a lot i will get him to work on it today

ok thanks for telling me its fixed now you can join no problem once there are enough members we wi;; send an update notice


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## Billp

I have the grizzly an use all the tormek accessorys. it works great and I finish off on my water stones. I replaced the gromets on the jig that came with the grinder an it made a big difference. i bought the tormek book on how to sharpen my tools, it really helped me achieve the results I was looking for. if I had a lot of jack I would have bought the tormek.


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## bdjohns1

If you're clever, or know a machinist, adapting the profiled honing wheels of the Jet/Tormek to the Grizzly is easy. Just need to adapt the 8mm post on the Grizz to the 12mm that the Jet/Tormek use. I just took a 12mm bolt, carefully tapped/threaded an 8mm hole in the head, and I was good to go.


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## OSU55

I have the Grizzly 10". The only difference between it and the Tormek is the fine adjustment of the tool rest bar, which is very handy, but not $500 worth (price difference). I use many of the Tormek jigs. I only use the wet grinder for turning tools. While these wet grinders will provide a sharp edge on plane irons, the edges off these machines do not last 1/2 as long as the edges I get with a jig and lapping paper (my sharpening process is in my blog).

I now use the Tormek BGM-100 with a 6" grinder for plane blade primary bevels and rough grinding turning tools, which I sharpen and resharpen on the wet grinder.


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## buildingmonkey

I have the Grizzly 8", and no experience with the other grinders, but so far it is by far the best way I have found for sharpening plane irons and chisels. It is slower than the higher speed grinders, but when you get your angle right, and sharpen till you have a sharp edge, your plane will cut very well.


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## derekcohen

I have been using aTormek for several years, and have now upgraded my 8" half speed grinder with a CBN wheel. I may never use the Tormek again.

I wrote this at WoodNet:

http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=6864479&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=

Regards from Perth

Derek


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