SKIL 3380-01 6-Inch Bench Grinder

I found this bench grinder on sale for only $31 (at the time) and saw it had pretty good reviews on it so it was a no brainier to give it a try. I've owned/used SKIL tools before and had positive experiences with them so I was confident. The overall build quality is solid other than the shields being a bit cheap although they do function as needed. There are rubber feet on the bottom of the base which work well to dampen vibrations. Bolted it down to my workbench and it is rock solid, no odd noises, rattling, or excessive vibration. It makes easy work of sharpening blades and works great with polishing and wire wheels too. This grinder is great, and for the price obviously it isn't going to be industrial grade but for your average home shop its definitely sufficient, especially for the price.

Make sure all the bolts and nuts are tight before using. There are bolts through the guards over the grind wheels with lock washers and nuts to hold them together. The first time I used it, one nut on the back out of sight vibrated off. Simple phillips screwdriver and wrench to tighten them, so check them when you are assembling the front tool rests that uses the same size bolts. Otherwise, I like the simplicity of this model. The guards and tool rests aren't overly large and complex like some other models (Ryobi for example). It still has a small LED in each guard, but they are pretty weak. I didn't even know they were there from the pictures and thought a I was getting a grinder without lights, so I am not disappointed in how dim they are, but mine mounts on a cart that I usually take out in the sun to sharpen mower blades. Regardless, don't expect much from the LEDs. Takes 2 of your own bolts through the base to mount it on a bench or cart.

The fact is I rarely buy low end tools, almost everything I own is professional quality because my thought is they will easily outlast me. The reason I purchased this grinder? I looked at the reviews for all the ones three times as expensive and they were hit and miss... mostly miss. So I figured why spend my hard earned money on a high priced bench grinder just to sharpen lawn mower blades? I assembled this one and turned it on, a little wobble/vibration but it spins up to a reasonable smoothness. The guards and tool rests seem almost useless but I can look past those at the price. I have not tried to sharpen anything with it yet but I am sure it will work for my modest needs. I will mention, the unadjustable tool rests are an issue to me and that cost this grinder one star. As cheesy as the tool rests are, they should have some modest level of adjustability in my opinion. I will also note when you you turn this grinder off it does take a moment to spin down to a stop, I find this comforting, as that leads me to believe the bearings are of decent quality and the motor spins fairly true out of the box.

I've only used my grinder once (just got it), but so far I'm very impressed. The first thing I noticed is that it's very quiet -- almost silent, in fact. The next thing I noticed is that it's very solidly built. A few years back, I bought a smaller bench grinder from a discount store. It did OK, but I really notice the difference between that El Cheapo grinder and this Skil brand. The Skil feels like it could tackle almost any job with ease. Another thing I like is the rubber feet on the Skil. I don't have a work bench to mount the grinder to, so I was worried that I'd have a problem using it. Would it feel unsteady if it wasn't bolted down? The good news is, it DOES NOT feel unsteady -- thanks to the gripping power of the rubber feet, and to the heft of the grinder. I can imagine if one were doing very heavy-duty grinding, it would be best for the grinder to be bolted down. But I intend to use it for sharpening tools, knives, etc., so I think it will be fine just sitting on a countertop. I'm pretty safety-conscious when it comes to using powerful electric tools, so I wouldn't consider using it like this if it didn't feel right. But I have the sense that you'd quickly notice if the grinder were shifting or at all becoming unsteady. (By the way, the instruction booklet shows how you can bolt the grinder to a piece of plywood, and then use a couple of C clamps to temporarily secure it to your countertop. I'll go that route if the free-standing arrangement doesn't work out.) The point is, the grinder is working for me even though I don't have a proper workshop to use it in. That should be a "plus" for those considering a grinder but unsure about where they can use it.

I bought another because I thought another I had purchased was burnt out. But, I had put a wire brush on the left side and it was barely rubbing the wheel guard ..but enough to keep motor turned off . So I ordered a new one . While the old one was off the bench I learned it wasn't broken at all. I put the wire brush wheel back on but left off the guard. Works great. I don't need the guard anyway when cleaning up rusting metal . Many of the older grinders never had wheel guards anyway. WONDERFUL GRINDER for the old man's workshop. Best deal on Amazon. Chuck

This refurbished Skil Grinder comes with multiple tedious pieces, which are easy to assemble. It is quiet, no vibrations, looks like it is brand new (I can't find any scratches, blemishes, dents, etc.). One bolt hole on each side to bolt down to ?.I can't think of a negative thing to say about it. VERY happy with the quality and price. There are LED lights over the shields instead of bulky bulbs, which was a very pleasant surprise! The package was shipped promptly and arrived within a week (used free shipping). I highly recommend this product and wouldn't hesitate in doing so! Thank you very much!

Purchased last week, and sharpened two axes yesterday - works fine, no issues as reported in negative reviews. Possibly some of those problems could be avoided if users would read the manual. One note is that the tool rests could be designed with a better range of adjustment, but they are sturdy. I doubt I will ever use the coarse grinding wheel; may replace it with a wire wheel. Great value for the money for occasional use.

los discos no están bien alineados de fabrica y está todo desbalanceado, vibra muchísimo y cuando acercas una pieza metálica golpea por el movimiento del disco. Mi reseña anterior tenia un video que demostraba esto y fue removida sin justificación.

hubby seems happy so far

Excellent bench vice exactly what I was looking for great price

Nice grinder no need to bolt it down it runs very smooth. The tool rest is useless though too small and unadjustable

Works great and was a good deal.