![[EU] Bench grinder for establishing bevels](https://external-preview.redd.it/ajuY__-QfYrrCd6N3kbT6-nGaKZ8LDeb8mmolCn-qoo.jpeg?width=320&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f3c7722fa5fde32e26366f2a33d8602e82eeb88a)
[EU] Bench grinder for establishing bevels
My sharpening setup:
For establishing bevels/flattening backs, I use 80 or 120 wet sandpaper glued on glass or melamine
Then I use a 300/1000 trend diamond stone and a strop with green compound, with a Veritas side clamping jig.
It works well enough for me.
My issue is that like many others I sometimes buy tool lots, clean them up, keep what I like and sell the rest, etc. I'm also the type who often changes tools and sells/buys new ones. Often enough that reestablishing bevels/squaring them up/etc on sandpaper is very annoying and time consuming. Flattening backs is also annoying but it is what it is, establishing bevels is particularly bad when I want a lower angle, it takes ages.
I have a bench grinder but it's very old, cheap and super weak, I can stop it by hand (with gloves). For the longest time I've wanted to buy a better one, but I always get lost and give up. I don't think I want a Tormek, they are expensive and better suited to honing than establishing bevels, which is not what I am looking for. I like my guide/stones/strop fine, if anything I should learn to sharpen free hand, not interested in buying a 500€ sharpening machine.
I don't know if I should go for 150 or 200mm (6" vs 8"). Is 200mm better because it gives a shallower hollow grind? I've seen people recommend 150mm but I don't even remember what the argument was.
Slow (~1400rpm) vs fast (~2800rpm) grinders. How much of an issue is it really? I see some people say the fast ones will ruin an iron instantly, and some other people say that if you're careful it's not an issue. I have repaired really damaged or really unsquare irons with a belt grinder in the past and never ruined one so I'm tempted to think a fast grinder would be fine as long as I keep water nearby to cool the iron. I have no problems dunking an iron in water every 2 seconds if it means I don't have to grind the bevel by hand for an hour.
I don't know what to buy and I always end up giving up. The used market sucks for machines like this where I am. It's either super old beat up or lidl level cheap stuff. Nothing I'd want to buy. The slow ones seem to be WAY less common here (FR) and way more expensive. I can find name brand fast 200mm grinders for 100-150€ but for a slow grinder it's more than double, if not more. Particularly 200mm ones, the only ones I've seen are getting close to Tormek pricing. Which is too much for me.
Seems like slow grinders are not something people commonly use here and the only ones I find are really expensive. I've found like one or two 150mm models, and they are twice as expensive as a fast 200mm.
For example I could buy this grinder for 120€ https://www.recordpower.co.uk/product/rsbg8-8-bench-grinder-with-40mm-whitestone-with-uk-plug and it comes with a 100grit 40mm wide wheel, which seems like it would work for my use. I would just need to add a dressing/squaring tool (I don't know the english name) which is cheap enough and I could maybe add a Veritas tool rest since the price of the grinder is reasonable. That might not even be necessary since the tool rest looks usable from the pictures, I don't know.
Will this work for me?