“I bought this Charnwood BG8 grinder to replace the ancient yet still serviceable grinder I had. What a difference the years make! The motor spins up quickly, is incredibly quiet at full revs, and there is almost no vibration. The grey and white stones are perfectly balanced out of the box, no need to apply the included dressing tool. It has a 1.75m cable, which is more than adequate and a lot more generous than many bench tools these days. If anything, the only thing to watch is the fact that it is so quiet and vibration-free that it might be easy to miss the fact that the stones are still spinning down for a considerable time after the machine is turned off. Two Perspex spark shields are included and easily fitted. The one fitted over the white stone incorporates a magnifying lens, which I will have to get used to. There is also a neat little drawer in the base for cooling water. The work light isn't that bright, but it is adequate. A brighter E14 bulb could be fitted though, if desired. The lamp shade, on the other hand, took a little bit of fettling to get it positioned correctly without having to resort to brute force to twist the arm into a satisfactory position over the stones. I fitted three fibre washers over the threads, so when the shade was attached, it was oriented correctly. This is something that Charnwood could address, maybe?
Overall, I think this is a fantastic bench grinder at a very affordable price. Thank you.”
