SUPER GRIND 2000 VS T4 or T8

[millopa]

Hi,,

I am new here and do not own a Tormek yet.
I intend to buy one but still hesitating for which one to go.
I a doing woodwork and need it to sharpen chisels mainly but will also use it to sharpen everything that needs it in the house.
I am not a Professional tough and the machine will not run in the workshop 8 hours a day.
I recently saw a Super Grind 2000 for sale. Is that the equivalent of the current T8 or T4 ?
What are the main differences between those three models ?
the SuperGrind i spotted is rather expensive I find for a secondhand (650 Euros with some tools: SVS40 /SVM 100/ADV500/SP 650, SVX150 and SVH 320) even tough it seems to be in quite good shape.
What would you recommend ?

thanks for your advice

Pascal

[jeffs55]

The Supergrind is the precursor to the T7 and later the T8. It would serve you well but the price you saw seems a bit to much. I do not know what a Tormek goes for in Europe. If that 650 euros were dollars I would say maybe $400 for the lot you mentioned. Although the Tormek is very robust and will normally last for many years, that old unit is out of warranty and you do not know its history. For me, at that price I would save some more and get a new T8. I would buy the jigs I needed as I needed them. Go slow and learn to use them one at a time. The new T8 will have a better water trough and a stainless shaft for the stone. It may come with the EZ lock nut which is another plus. If you are just going to sharpen very little you might look into the T4 as a cheaper alternative but I would go for the T8 and never look back.

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, Pascal.

As I was posting this, I realized that Jeff had already posted. I second Jeff's thoughts.

Tormek has made two "families" of grinding machines, the 250mm wheel diameter size and the 200mm wheel diameter size. The SuperGrind is one of the models which preceded the T7 and the T8. I'm not sure how old the SuperGrind you are interested in is; however, it precedes September 2007 when the T7 was introduced.

To be fair, there are many SuperGrinds still in active service. However, the SuperGrind is still at least thirteen years old. For your home use, a new T4 comes with an ironclad seven year warranty. Tormek has made innovations over the years. The T4 includes these innovations.

You will read other opinions just as valid as mine. I think you would be better served to go new and under warranty.
Don't be shy about asking more questions.

Ken

[cbwx34]

Hi,,

I am new here and do not own a Tormek yet.
I intend to buy one but still hesitating for which one to go.
I a doing woodwork and need it to sharpen chisels mainly but will also use it to sharpen everything that needs it in the house.
I am not a Professional tough and the machine will not run in the workshop 8 hours a day.
I recently saw a Super Grind 2000 for sale. Is that the equivalent of the current T8 or T4 ?
What are the main differences between those three models ?
the SuperGrind i spotted is rather expensive I find for a secondhand (650 Euros with some tools: SVS40 /SVM 100/ADV500/SP 650, SVX150 and SVH 320) even tough it seems to be in quite good shape.
What would you recommend ?

thanks for your advice

Pascal

I didn't price it all out, but it seems a little high, especially if you end up with jigs you won't use.  I would price it out based on all the jigs, and which ones you need.

If you do buy used, even though the overall condition may look good, I would look at a couple of additional things in particular...

• The size of the grinding wheel.
• The condtion of the shaft.  I would pull the wheel off, (making sure it comes off), and look at the condition of the shaft.
  Some owners never remove the wheel, and on older machines, it essentially gets "stuck" on.  And on the older machines, as jeffs55 indicated, it's not stainless and can rust.

I think these two things, especially the second, will give you a good clue as to the machine's condition.  (And of course, plug it in and turn it on, and see how it runs).

[John_B]

I also do not see the truing tool listed the TT-50. You will need this to keep your wheel round. It comes with the T-6 but not the T-4. It is another 84 Euros.

[Ken S]

Good point, John. Actually, the SuperGrind comes with the "ADV-500", which is really the ADV-50, the predecessor of the much improved TT-50. I agree with John and consider the TT-50 essential, particularly the improved 2019 version.
It is included with the T8 and, in my opinion, really should be included with the T4. (Yes, that would raise the price.

Ken

[millopa]

Many thanks to all for your detailed answers.
I did a torough comparison of the prices, pricing the components I need and came to the conclusion that i should buy the T8 with the HTK 806 pack.
It is most probably a bit oversized for my needs but it comes with the tool i will most need the  SE 77 and also the TT50 that will be needed anyway. All in all it is around 140 EUR more than a T4 with the components I need. The second hand one is definitely too expensive for some tools I will never use.
So thanks again for all your advice that were of great help for guiding me in my choice.
Pascal

[Ken S]

Pascal,

You have reached a wise conclusion. New T8s now come with an eight year warranty, even for commercial use. That's a lot of peace of mind!
Since I purchased my first T7 in 2009, almost all of the jigs have been redesigned and improved. The older designs still work as well as ever; the new jigs just work better. The same holds true when comparing the T7 and T8.
While I like the T4, I like it for its compact size and light weight. I would not buy it just to save some money compared to a T8.
Keep us posted.

Ken