Tool review, 3" bench grinder, polisher, flex shaft

All,

Being the ultimate tool freak that I am, I stopped by our nearest
Harbor Freight Outlet today and bought a cute little gadget that
might meet the needs of many of you who are on a budget. This little
creation does the job of three different machines while costing but
a tiny fraction of all ! I bought mine simply as a convenience for
those times when I wanted to do a bit of grinding, polishing or
whatever without having to get up and go to another station in my
shop.

At thirty two dollars, I am blown away with what this gizmo does.
The set up is basically patterned after the foredom that is bench
situated on a cast iron base, but, instead of being essentially just
a flex shaft tool, it also serves as a buffer, grinder and flex
shaft. It has a rheostatic dial for rpm control and operates at zero
to 10,000 rpm.

I have no idea how reliable this unit might be, but , considering
what it can do and how little it costs, it could be the ultimate
value for beginning jewelers.

Ron Mills , Mills Gem Co. Los Osos, Ca.

OK Ron, I’m curious. What is this unnamed tool called? Sounds
like a small bench grinder, but a little more info would be good.
Please share!

Judy in Kansas

I couldn’t find anything on the Harbor Freight web site that fit
your description - and I don’t think there’s a store anywhere near
me. Do you have a name and item number or info that would help
locate this interesting gizmo?

Louisa
summerkitchenstudio.com

Hi Ron,

Can you provide the sku # or the brand name of the machine?

Much thanks,
Tracy

To whom it may concern,

I noticed that some of your members were looking for info on this
item from Habor Freight, here it is:

   Mini Bench Grinder with Flexshaft
   Motor 110v. 60 hz
   no load speed 0-10000
   wheel size 3-3/4 inch
   arbor size 10 mm
   flexshaft collet 1/8 inch
   Item # 43533-ovga
   price $39.99

I hope this helps you.

I have one of these, i caught it on sell in Greenville Sc. I saw
another tool company private labeling it and selling it for over
$150. Ive had mine a couple of minths working it consistently in the
shop and am very pleased. I also bought several other items from
them at the same time. For those of you wtihout a Harbor Freight
near you, you can go to harbor freight dot com and order or get on
thier catalog mailing list.

www.purcellgems.com

    Can you provide the sku # or the brand name of the machine? 

Hello Tracy, et al,

I strongly suspect that this is the Harbor Freight unit that Ron
meant:

MINI BENCH GRINDER WITH FLEX SHAFT, ITEM 43533-0VGA, $39.99

see
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=43533

Cheers,
Trevor F. in Paris,
The City of Light

Dear Louisa,

Simple question…simple answer. Go to Harbor Freight on the net.
They have a huge site. Query for bench grinders. It’s the one that
says Mini Bench Grinder, 3" The price they are quoting on the site is
probably about ten dollars too high…it was a sale item when I
bought it this last weekend. This site is toolfreak heaven ! While
you are there you might also check out the diamond saws ( tile ) the
lathes, the drill presses. When I was in their shop the other day I
also noted that they have a huge selection of sand papers in grits
that are not normally available…many of them VERY fine
(particle size ) Another thing that might interest you would be the
pop up canopies for shows. As for locations, they have a long list of
outlets broken down by state. Otherwise, I am sure that you can get
anything you want using the interenet catalog and shipping by freight
or mail. Harbor freight is a long established company that deals with
a huge assortment of foreign suppliers. NOT ALL of their stuff is
well made…some is and some isn’t. You must very carefully
examine whatever you buy and immediately take action if there is
something askew. Accordingly, make sure you keep your paperwork handy
in the event of a warranty claim. They usually give you a free ninety
day warranty, but you have to pay for extended warranties.

Ron MIlls, Mills Gem Co.Los Osos, Ca.

Harbor freight mini grinder number - 43533-0VGA . It has a flex
shaft with a 1/8" collet which means that most folks who use dremel
tools can use it. I don’t know anything about how good it is, but a
$39.99, you can probably get your moneys worth out of it.

Judy Hoch

I also have this grinder. I got a spindle for the left side and had
a friend help me put it on – I use it with the 3" muslin buffs.
Works just fine for my humble projects and is great for a small
space.

Cheers,
Tonya Miller