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If you are sharpening a "dull" knife then it only takes a few minutes. If you are reshaping or removing deep nicks than it does take some time. The DC-250 makes short work of really badly worn knives but I would use your belt to fix damaged knives still them go back to the Tormek to finish the edge. I had a knife with a 2-3mm nick and I re-shaped the edge (at 90 deg) on a belt sander then came back to the DC-250 to re-establish the bevel which did not take long, then finished with the DF then DE before stropping.

Freehand should not be an issue for you. The jigs are designed for edge leading but freehand you obviously want to turn it around to edge trailing for convenience.

The speed does make it slower but it is really only noticeable on badly worn or damaged knives.

As for the rattling water tray I had the T7 and now have the T8 and I have not had any rattling but I am sure it could be easily remedied if necessary.

I found the Tormek Sharpening Class on the drill guide really helpful. They also talk about rotating the drill slightly for dull drill bits.

https://www.youtube.com/live/kUrJOQryFEg?si=BetD8broNZp5niU3

i hate blunt tools whatever they are

I hear you. My father-in-law decided to scrape up the leaves and twigs and throw them into the hopper. You can imagine what the included gravel did to the blades. That was pre-Tormek so I did the blades freehand on an 8" grinder using a tool rest set at the appropriate angle. I now have the planer blade jig so may try them in there if they will fit, but they may be too thick, I need to check.

I suspect that they "hollow grind" specification is probably written by some documentation guy and not really someone who understands the engineering. I can jsut hear the conversation;
Doco guy: How do you finish the the blades
Engineer: Oh, on a grinder
Doco guy: So what sort of grinder
Engineer: We use a machine with a 100mm stone but it can wear down to 75mm before we replace it
Doco guy: so what do you call the finish that type of grinder leaves
Engineer: Hollow grind
Doco guy makes note: "So hollow grind 100 - 75mm

As Rick says you don't need to be too fussy with chipper blades. An 80G wheel is more than good enough, 120 if you are super fussy. All you need is an edge really. Mounting an Aluminium Oxide wheel on the T8 is plenty good enough. I'll probably try this myself next time I sharpen my blades.

John Jr is an experienced hobby woodworker (along with many other skills). He will make very good use of it. He has wanted one for a long time so it will get a lot of good use.

My new T8 arrived today. My son inherited my old T7 and is busy buying new jigs for it

If you are referring to the new magnetic interlock switches found on modern machinery then no, foot switches will not work on those machines. They work on a combination of relay and switch. The mechanical switch applies power to the relay which in turn powers the machine and holds the switch contacts closed. Once power is removed the relay de-energises and falls open. The only way to turn the machine back on is to physically close the switch again. The idea is that if the machine is running during a power outage then the machine will not come back on if the power is restored. Not that the Tormek would offer any hazard in that situation

I believe that many country's electrical standards now require these switches on new machines. The only way around this is to replace the switch with a non-interlocking switch or to bypass it, both of which could be violating the local electrical standards. Either that or by a second hand model without an interlocking switch.

Make sure that the water tray is not too high. As Ken says, just wind the tray up until it is just high enough, not too high.

One of the issues I found is that when I am sharpening longish tools the water runs along the tool and spills out over the machine. My son printed this for me on a 3D printer. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4791736 This helps a lot.

So what, in your opinion, would be too steep of an angle for diamond/CBN

It is not only the angle you need to consider but how likely it is to slip. The face that the scissors are close to 90 deg, often quite thin and are held against a flat surface making it prone to slipping make them super tricky on coated wheels.  Wood turning scrapers are at a similar angle but they are thicker and much less prone to slipping makes them a safer proposition. It is really a combination of factors. I think that the jig used for scissors is partly to blame.

Wondering if the arrival of the MB-102 changes the mindset on doing scissors with a diamond wheel at all?  If sharpening edge trailing does this make this a 'safer' operation for the diamond wheel?  Or is it all about the steep angle that has potential for disaster?

Would still not sharpen scissors using the diamond or CBN. It is the angle and the danger of chatter. So easy to slip and gouge the edge. The exception to high angle sharpening would be the drill sharpening jig where the drill is held pretty steady but even then you need to be careful.

I ordered a T8 Black and the DE-250 yesterday!

I am going to see how the DF-250 does for just putting the hollow grind into my chisels and plane blades, but will likely need a coarse option as well. Whether that will be the DC-250 or a CBN wheel, I'm not sure yet.

The base I'm building for the machine is nearly finished as well. The case is done, and I am painting it this evening. I'll build drawers for it soon as well.

Would love to see pictures once you are done. I persisted with the "F" and "E" for a while but succumbed and shelled out for the "C". I don't often use the Coarse but it is extremely handy for repairing bad damage. Even so I do sometimes revert to my oscillating belt sander for really severe damage.

I ended up sticking with Tormek since the options here in Australia are limited and I got the diamond wheels about $100 off the odds by shopping around and waiting for eBay specials and free shipping from the well known Australian suppliers.

You are quicker than me!

I blame time zones!

the wheels are not designed for use with water unless dried off completely right away

Probably because they contain steel. You could use anti corrosive additive of course.

Second question: knives are often very damaged and you have to work for hours to restore the shape. Yes, you will tell me that there are diamonds, but these not only cost a lot, but above all they wear out easily. So: is it planned to come out with a very rough stone wheel that can easily, in a short time, restore the original shape of a blade

In short no. There are techniques for quickly restoring a damaged blade though. One demonstrated in the Tormek videos is to grind the edge flat (90 degrees to the side of the knife) to remove the damage then re-establish the bevel. See the video below - the video starts at the relevant place

https://www.youtube.com/live/oUnosmAngJw?si=OEkfZ4Ug4-B5HVTL&t=260

Nice one. This is one thing I don't have.