I don’t believe there is any comparison. The Lindsay is a work of
art and a joy to use the GRS is not even a close second. With my
Lindsay Omega model I can make the most delicate cuts or carve 1/8"
slices out of a block of steel. Most folks use his less powerful
models but I use mine more for carving.
Jim
James Binnion @James_Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
I don't believe there is any comparison. The Lindsay is a work of
art and a joy to use the GRS is not even a close second. With my
Lindsay Omega model I can make the most delicate cuts or carve
1/8" slices out of a block of steel. Most folks use his less
powerful models but I use mine more for carving.
I’ll second Jim’s opinion here. I use Steve’s standard model, and
also very much prefer it to the GRS, which I’ve kept on the excuse of
having it as a backup. But it just sits there. For me, long term
diabetes and an old hand injury was making it increasingly difficult
for me to handle traditional gravers for tasks like raising beads and
pave work in white golds. The Lindsey Tool neatly replaces the
strength and control I’ve lost over the years. Probably gives me a
good deal more than I ever had, in fact. Wonderful, beautifully
made, elegant tool that’s just a pleasure to own and use. I hold the
thing and sometimes have to repress the thought that perhaps, in
terms of the skills of some folks who might use this tool compared to
mine with a graver, I’m not totally worthy of the thing (grin), Kinda
like owning a Ferrari to use only in driving the three blocks to the
grocery store and back at a sedate 25 mph… Then I dismiss such
negative thought and figure it is there not just as a tool, but as
inspiration.
GRS does make a nice sharpening system, though… :-), and I like
the weight of their Magnablock ball. And my bench would seem alien to
me without their benchmate system (though I’ve got a few minor issues
with some of the components of the thing…
I have the Lindsay Classic handpiece which is the next size smaller
than Jim Binnion’s Omega.
It is close to magic. Binnion is right, Lindsay’s tools are works of
art. They are physically and functionally beautiful. Steve Lindsay
makes every one himself.
In May of 2004 I took Brian Marshall’s basic engraving course. I
brought my own Lindsay tool which I bought after reading every review
I could find. Brian has GRS and Lindsay tools available for his
classes.
The other participants played musical chairs to get experience on
both systems. On the second day the seat next to mine was taken by a
student who had used the GRS tool the previous day. Literally three
seconds after he started engraving with the Lindsay hand piece he was
loudly invoking the deity. He couldn’t believe the difference.
Everybody in the room totally cracked up.
GRS makes great products. I have several. The Benchmate and
everything that goes with it are cutting edge. I use a GRS hone to
sharpen my gravers, a Magna Block to hold the work, etc. Lindsay just
makes the best power engravers ever made. Maybe GRS will leapfrog him
some day but right now Lindsay is the gold standard. I agree with Jim
Binnion, second place doesn’t even exist compared to Lindsay’s, even
though GRS makes a great tool, the only possible alternative.
I assume you’ve read the reviews at Lindsay’s web site. If not, they
can be read here:
Thank to James Binnion and Peter Rowe for clearing my question
You have made my inclination towards an Air-Graver a clear choice,
and with accord to what I imagined from reading through Lindsay’s
websites.
My next [2nd step] question is about the new Palm-Control Air-graver
The Palm-Control looks and ‘sounds’ [from what I read] a great
improvement of an already such a good tool.
But it cost more then twice the price of the basic Classic
Air-Graver. I know I want it!
I’ll have to be pretty lucky with the selling my few works, in order
to put this kind of money together…
But do I really need it?
And one more thing: [from Lindsay’s web site]
The Classic handpiece is available in two bore sizes:
5/16" bore = 3,000-30,00 Impacts per minute.
3/8" bore = 2,500-17,000 Impacts per minute.
Determine which AirGraver bore size is best suited to your needs."
a web page with explanations on the bore size and impact speed
But after reading this page, I still haven’t a clue which bore size
is right for me.?
I don’t have the Lindsey tool, but everyone I know who has tried it
loves it. The GRS is a true workhorse, and will fit your needs very
well. I have used mine daily since I bought it, (which was before
Steve Lindsey brought out his air gravers.) There is a little
learning curve because the machine is providing the power, and you
are providing control, so you have a tendency to cut very deeply when
you begin. It will make it easier to do more without becoming as
fatigued, which causes loss of control of the gravers.
If you have the money to spare, Lindsey has a new handpiece which
responds to the push of your hand, much like traditional gravers,
rather than the foot controlled pedal that is offered by GRS. I
would love to try that!
But after reading this page, I still haven't a clue which bore
size is right for me.?
I would suggest asking Steve, either in email or on the phone.
Nobody knows his tools as well as he does, and after describing your
needs, perhaps he can bet suggest what will work for you.
I’ve not tried the palm control, simply because at this point, I’m
used to the foot control and it works fine for me, especially given
my budget and the amount and type of work I do with it. Some folks
will find it a great improvement, I’m sure, while others might not.
Dunno. Another reason to ask Steve. Same thing with the bore sizes.
I’d assume the larger bore size will give you more powerful
individual impacts, and maybe overall a bit more power, while the
smaller one will run faster and perhaps little smoother cutting. At
least that’s what I’d expect. Again, ask Steve. He’s the one who
designs his tools, and individually hand builds them, and uses them
in his own amazing engraving work, so I’d give much more weight to his
opinions and suggestions than to any of ours. An honest, fair, and
friendly man to deal with. You can trust him to take good care of
you. My limited dealings with GRS over the years have been on a par
with Steve’s service and quality, by the way. You’re not likely to
wrong dealing with him, and he’ll give you suggestions based on honest
opinions and great experience in engraving and it’s tools, not just
salesmanship or something like that.
I’m happy to announce that I am moving into a much larger facility
that gives me the opportunity to host workshops. The first one will
be a Basic Engraving workshop to be taught by Brian Marshall. The
dates are January 9~13, 2006 with a possible second workshop January
16~20, 2006.
The title says 'Basic" but this class will teach you all you need to
know to engrave almost anything and I guarantee it will improve your
stone setting. The focus will be on air powered engraving tools but
everything you learn will be applicable to push engraving too.
You’ll also learn ways to easily transfer designs from the computer
to the workpiece using a laser or ink jet printer. I have taken
Brian’s class and I know that he tailors it to what his students
need. The class I took had three gun engravers and me and we were all
happy with what we learned.
There will be at least one GRS tool and several Lindsay tools
including the Chasing model, two Classics, an Omega, an Omega Bronze
and two palm controls. Nothing will be for sale, this will not be an
Amway meeting. The price for the workshops is $895 for the five days.
This includes all gravers and practice plates and other materials.
If you would like to see what engraving can do, please check out:
In January, here on the Big Island, the surf is up, the humpbacks
are breaching, the daytime temperatures are in the low 80’s. It’s a
great time to get away from the cold and gray to a sunny Hawaiian
paradise and learn skills that will take your work to a new level.