Tormek motor statistics

[Ken S]

I recently watch two Tormek T4 videos. The one video was questionable, but includes two interesting statistics.  According to the video, the motor of the T4 is rated for 10,000 hours and the T7 motor is rated for 25,000 hours.

This struck me as odd, so I send am email to support.tormek.se for verification. To my surprise, Stig replied (promptly) that the motor hour ratings were correct.

I decided to put together some user profiles.

The first profile is a "typical" home shop user.  This user might be able to squeeze twenty hours each week in his shop. This presumes the user is young enough to still be employed, perhaps with a family, an understanding family. For purposes of easy math, presume he works in his shop fifty weeks a year and spends either ten or twenty percent of his shop time sharpening with the Tormek. (20% of 20 hours =4 hours. 10% = 2 hours)

At the twenty percent of shop time, he might expect his Tormek T4 motor to last only fifty years.  Using ten percent of shop time, the motor might last one hundred years. The purchaser of a T7 in this scenario might expect either one hundred twenty five or two hundred fifty years.

A very busy knife sharpener in New York, who cornered the restaurant business, might expect to spend forty hours each week with his Tormek.  His T4 motor might only last five years. His T7 motor might last 12.5 years.

Neither profile incorporates the "50% duty" of the T4.  In the case of the very busy New York knife sharpener, he cannot afford any down time.  His only choice is a T7, or more likely several T7 units.

The home shop worker will usually only sharpen the tools he is actually using.  A turner will need to refresh his tools frequently, however, this refreshing of the edges is done quite quickly on a Tormek. No serious turner would reshape his tools frequently while working. He would have several of the same tool ground differently if needed. The dovetailer will refresh his chisels frequently while working.  Again, this is perhaps a two minute process.  The thirty minute motor constraint should not be a factor.

I hope the folly of these statistics is self evident. With reasonable maintenance, I would expect very few Tormek units to expire. At 64, I expect to expire long before my Tormek.

If car engines lasted this long, I would still be driving my 1965 Ford Galaxie. if washing machines lasted this long, I would still be using my parents' machine.

I don't think the motor life hours are very meaningful.  However, for something that might last that long, it seems logical to me to buy a quality, well engineered product.

Ken