Customer Reviews for WEN 8 in. 5 Amp Variable Speed Bench Grinder with Flexible Work Light

I'm very satisfied with this purchase. shipment was early, undamaged, and packed very well. After unboxing it I turned it on to make sure all was good before I take everything out. it wobbled slightly at certain speeds, but that is to be expected until you check and true the stones. I swapped them re seated the stones and it purrs now. smooth as silk. I immediately sharpened some bits and blades and was very happy. nice to purchase something and it exceed my expectations. I purchased the stand and really like it also. WEN has just earned a new customer. Also my light stays on. if WEN makes corrections from feedback, that would really be impressive.

From slow speed to high speed, this grinder delivers!

Very simple to assemble no problem at all it is an excellent product definitely would recommend it indefinitely would buy their product name again Great machine I'm very happy thank you

Wen variable speed grinder is a nice addition to the shop. My old fifty plus year old gave up the ghost and while searching I came up with a few variable speed units and they all looked the same except for color and price. WEN beat them all and the price has since dropped. I give it a five star rating because after assembling the spark arrestors/eye shields and tool rests, turning it on there was a quiet hum as it starts and builds speed; no wobble! Some people reported wheel wobble in their reviews, but only after turning off the grinder and as it slowed to a stop did mine have a tiny amount; at operating speed it is smoooooth! The video is with the grinder on the workbench and not bolted down; it did get put on the grinder bench after and bolted, though. This gem comes with a drill bit rest and wheel dressing tool, neither of which is mentioned in the write up by WEN. I had just bought a bit sharpener before this arrived.

Although this grinder has room for improvement, I have to say that overall this is a good grinder from the price. Balance is great and the noise is low enough to have a normal conversation while it is running full throttle. The speed is controlled by potentiometer so as you turn the speed dial the speed increases. This is a great design to allow you to dial in the exact speed you want for the job. And at 5 amps, it can handle almost any job you would need it for. Packing material was adequate for shipping to home. There were a few scratches in the paint out of the box, but that's not a real issue. There are just a few gripes in the design. With the lamp, it is very convenient, however, it has two flaws in my opinion: 1. the arm for the lamp does not stay in place while using the grinder. Vibration causes it to move while in use. 2. The lamp does not turn on until the grinder is turned on. This is not to say it is a design flaw or poor function, but inconvenient in my opinion. I would not and will not be re-wiring the lamp to resolve this. That's just not a good idea.. The accessories are a great addition, however, they do not mount square to the wheels out of the box so some "squaring" will be needed if you're sharpening chisels or other fine tuning jobs. Overall, it is a good grinder for the novice or intermediate tradesman.

This is the Wen 8” variable speed bench grinder (model 4280). The speed can be adjusted from 2000 rpm to 3400 rpm. It comes with one 36-grit wheel (gray) and one 80-grit wheel (white). The wheels are 1” thick for a 5/8” arbor. A work light is built in, but you have to supply your own bulb (they recommend a 40-watt or less R20 bulb). A nice touch is the quenching pot at the front of the unit. After unpacking the unit, you have to assemble the tool rests and the eye shields/spark arrestors—not a big deal. Photo 1 shows you the parts that come with the grinder. After I set up the grinder, I realized that in order to remove the wheels you must remove the tool rests (you always want to do a ring test on any new grinding wheel to make sure it wasn’t damaged/cracked in transit, even if it comes installed on a new grinder). So I removed the tool rests, removed the wheels and confirmed that the wheels were not damaged. Photos 2 and 3 show the Wen branded wheels. I didn’t have the recommended R20 bulb on hand, but I did have a PAR16 LED bulb (a little smaller than the R20 size). I put it in, plugged in the grinder and turned the switch on top of the lamp holder. To my surprise, the light did not go on. It turns out that the grinder’s power switch must be on for the light to go on. I think this was a poor design choice. I’ll re-wire the grinder so the light is connected directly to the AC power and turns on/off independently of the grinder’s power switch. Photo 4 shows the assembled grinder, minus the quenching tray (I forgot to put it on). Next I wanted to see how much the grinder vibrated so I turned it on without securing it to my workbench. Amazingly, it hardly vibrated at all, even when I increased the speed. I must have gotten lucky and have decently balanced wheels. I even sharpened a chisel with the grinder not being secured and had no problem. Overall, it’s a decent grinder for the money, however, I took off a star because the tool trays are not square with the wheels—I’ll have to fix that (in addition to rewiring the light). Also, the hardware for the tool rests seems a little flimsy—after adjusting the tool rest to the desired angle, it’s not a smooth operation to adjust the distance from the tool rest to the wheel. Other than those items, the grinder runs smooth and has plenty of power. It also comes with a wheel dresser, an add-on tool rest for drill bits, and a 2-year warranty.

Excellent quality. Heavy duty, well built and great price.

Bought this for shop as a backup grinder to main to sharpen drill bits without having to walk. Unit started smoking from motor and stopped working. Just going to buy new rather than having to buy new and wait for warranty on shipping and all that stuff as not able to return to store without packaging. Was a waste of money and down time wasted for this. recommend buying a different brand as these are a cheaply made unit in disguise.

At first use, it shook so bad, that it would walk the grinder stand across the floor. To determine if it was a motor or bearing issue, I removed the grinding wheels and it ran steady, with no vibration. Inspecting the wheels, I found the coarse wheel had a sizable chip and the fine wheel was out of round. I checked both wheels for cracks, found none, significantly dressed them both, and they are usable for now. I plan to replace both with better quality wheels.

Fantastic piece to work with I assembled it with no problem and it works great thank you

Came undamaged which was a relief. Easy to assemble and set up. Fit perfectly on the WEN stand I bought with it. Very powerful and smooth operating. Nice light. Wheels are easy to change.

I'd rate this grinder five stars if the tool rests were any good. But, the tool rests are junk. Flimsy and useless. They won't adjust or hold angle properly due to their attachment points on the thin sheetmetal wheel guards. Don't bother installing them. You'll need to purchase aftermarket or fabricate your own rests. They should skip including them and reduce the cost accordingly. Good grinder; worthless tool rests.

It was easy to assemble. I have not used it yet, but it appears it will do the job.

Dollar for dollar, this is the best grinder around for the home shop. Some pro tips: 1. The wheels are good quality, but dress them before first use. 2. Some vibration as the wheel comes up to speed. Bolt it down. 3. Tool rests are good, but need finer angle adjustment.

It’s everything I expected it to be

The set up time was quick and easy!

Really like the variable speed control. Makes chisel sharpening easier/more accurate.

I returned it the wheel was wobbly must have gotten past inspection

Grinder is better than I expected. Great price! All you need to do is install work rest and eye shields. Note there is a left one and right one. Not interchangeable.

Wire wheels don’t fit like they should. Some vibration. Expensive. Noisy.

Grinder makes a horrific noise as the grinder is getting up to speed when turned on and when it’s slowing down when it’s cut off. Occurs every time When cut On and Off

Great tool with adjustable speed and well suited for my shop needs. I do woodworking full time and sharpening tools quickly and correctly is a must. This grinder with a jig is just what I needed.