The JET is the pick for best overall, and the margin is not close: it finished
first in every measured test. It took 60 pounds of
downward force to stall, more than five times the 11 pounds that the next four
grinders managed, it reached 3,591 RPM in 2 seconds flat, it pushed the wattage
meters to their limit at around 1,800 watts, and it ran 106°F after 15 minutes
while carrying a full one horsepower load. The tool rest is bolted to a cast
iron guard with 3/8 inch hardware and is in a different league from anything
else here. The catch is that it costs $528, weighs almost 63 pounds, and its
eye shield cracked in the impact test — a replacement cut from polycarbonate
sheet is a straightforward job.
The Shop Fox is the value pick at $250, less than half the JET, with an average
finish of 1.7. It made 1,325 watts, more than any other three-quarter
horsepower grinder in the group, and it matched the JET for the coolest
15-minute motor temperature at 106°F while its tool rest stayed put through the
entire wheel-wear test. The Rikon finished third at 2.3, notable for stopping
its wheel in 44 seconds and reaching full speed in 5.1. For a Harbor Freight
budget, the Hercules at $140 held the same 11 pounds of stall force and 1,250
watts as machines costing nearly twice as much, and its abrasive wheel took the
least damage of any grinder here at 0.0045 inches. The $88 WEN is the quiet
option at 65.6 dB and held 10 pounds of stall force, which is respectable for
the money.
A few findings are worth carrying into a purchase. The Performance Tool is
rated for the same three-quarter horsepower as the Bauer but stalled at 4
pounds of force, could not hold that output for the 15-minute run, cut a 0.09
inch groove into its own wheel, and had its eye shield shatter on impact — for
$2 more than the WEN and $10 less than the Bauer. Coast-down time is a real
safety consideration that spec sheets never mention: the WEN and Performance
Tool wheels keep spinning for well over two minutes after switch-off, against
44 seconds for the Rikon. And the tool rest and shield hardware separates these
machines more than the motors do. The Bauer, Hercules, Shop Fox, and Rikon all
use a two-bolt rest with a hand knob for angle adjustment, which held position
throughout; the single-knob rests on the SKIL and Delta are lighter duty, and
the Delta's worked loose during grinding.