Thank you all very much gentleman. I didn't expect such a response. It is a big purchase for me and for anyone out there looking to buy their first grinder. All of you have made great points about each machine and some of the issues haven't even crossed my mind.

Another option that came out recently that seems quite nice is NorthRidge Tool for anyone else that looks at this thread. I just got one, have yet to set it up and test it. I will leave a review once I do though

I know it's not part of the question but I'll just throw this one out there. I picked up one of the Oregon blademaker modular units. The chassis and one tooling arm with a flat platen was 485. Add the motor etc of your choice. The motor bolts to the work table and not to the chassis. Right now I am fidgeting with getting it to track smoothly. The chassis seems very well made and I think the belt wobble is due to my bolting job and not the unit itself, but time will tell. They come with either aluminum or steel arms ( I think ).

For an entry level machine on a budget it appears to be a good start.

I am using a Northridge since a month and could not be happier.

It is so much smoother and precisely made then the KMG I had.

Using them side by side had me decicing to sell the KMG.

Customer service at Northridge is exellent.

Customer service from KMG is nonexistent.

Out looking at my set up and noticed that the drive wheel has a fairly significant crown on the OD. Looking at other drive wheels online they appear flat. Should my drive wheel OD be flat?

Generally on correctly thought out/designed grinders, drive wheels tend to be flat, and idler wheels are the one with a crown. If both have a crown, they will "fight" against each other when the belt is tracked to anywhere other then "dead center". If the drive wheel is crowned, and the idler is flat, there is usually less then ideal belt tracking...because the crowned drive wheel is always trying to make the belt run "centered" on the drive wheel. In a situation where a belt is intended to stay/run "dead center" all the time, then having both crowned is a benefit.....but that's rarely the case with a machine used for blade grinding.

Ok. Thank you Ed. The tracking wheel has a mild crown to it. The drive wheel which I purchased from a major online knife business (not oregon blademaker) has a very severe crown to it.

Looks like I need to get a different drive wheel or have this one machined. Probably cheaper and faster to order a different one.

Not being able to leave it alone. I put a sanding flapper disk in my angle grinder and turned the motor on for the 2x72 (without a belt). Carefully started hitting the high middle spot on the drive wheel with the angle grinder. I've knocked about half the high spot down. Belt already runs way better. I will hit it again a few more times later. I think I can save it without having to buy another.

I can't compare the two as I've only used the KMG but I've had no complaints with it except for the belt tracking adjustment. The wheel for adjusting the tracking was too small to turn easily so I welded a T-handle onto the wheel which solved the problem.

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Another option that came out recently that seems quite nice is NorthRidge Tool for anyone else that looks at this thread. I just got one, have yet to set it up and test it. I will leave a review once I do though

A few thoughts on this thread , I too purchased a Northridge quite some time ago , As I own several burr kings , I am quite confident stating this is the smoothest grinder I have ever owned , although I find Travis's grinder to be equally smooth after running one ! The dynamic balancing on all the rotating parts on both makes a huge difference .I wonder just how tight folks think they need to tighten a tooling arm to make it secure, well anyway, Northridge machined grooves to eliminate mashed up tooling bars and it works quite well . Hollow tooling bars would not vibrate nearly as much if folks injected them with the same structural foam the automakers put into voids for just that reason .In the automotive trade this is known as N.V.H. noise vibration and harshness , which coincidentally is why the automakers in part are going to Aluminum . Physics is physics whether you agree with it or not ! There used to be a section on Rob Frinks site where he solicited input and fotos from home builders ,and the KMG is an outgrowth of this committee process,So while a decent grinder , I can not see holding it up as some sort of ultimate.Travis made a giant evolutionary leap forward with his grinder and it should be acknowledged as such !

I think the "take away" of a thread such as this is....there is no "perfect" machine for everyone. Based on my experience with many different grinders, an individual has to do their homework, and purchase the grinder that they think will best suite that individual.

Way back when I first purchased my first KMG, I did some modifications straight out of the box....namely I added approx. 10" to the idler/belt tension arm in order to make it easier to compress. I also modified the tracking adjustment hand wheel with a piece of 1/4" rod to make tracking adjustment easier (something Gary mentioned earlier in this thread). More recently I converted my current KMG to direct drive, and it changed the entire personality of the machine in terms of power and smoothness for the better. I've passed on that information to Rob Frink, but whether he chooses to experiment/act on it, is totally up to him.

As I often say, we all come at things through the lens of our own experiences....and from an advice on grinders standpoint, we all put forth those opinions based on our experience(s). I certainly never said, nor do I think the KMG is the "ultimate" anything, but in terms of durability, longevity, solidity/weight of build, and Rob's customer service, it is one of the "top tier" grinders available, and I often use it's attributes for comparison values.

NorthRidge brings a lot to the table with their grinder's "precision" of build, but the "grooved" wheels and the "lighter" materials used in it's overall construction, are not aspects that endear it to me. Remember I mentioned the "lens or our own experiences"? The "grooved" wheels has been tried before, and when utilized by someone with limited grinder experience, are a danger. If someone unwittingly tries to use a "grooved" wheel as a contact wheel, the result is usually a shredded belt, and often times a personal injury.

I was asked to review the NorthRidge grinders, and after having done so, and providing the requested feedback, was basically dismissed out of hand as "obviously not knowing anything about grinders or grinding." Much like the rest of this thread, it's all about opinions. There is no "one size fits all" grinder. The best a person can do is carefully look at ALL the aspects of a given machine they are interested in, gather whatever data and/or OPINIONS they can, and make the best assessment to determine what they purchase and/or what they don't.

Just because I don't like a particular aspect or feature of any given machine doesn't mean a hill of beans. Some folks value my opinions, and other don't, but either way when I do offer solicited opinions or advice, I don't offer it arbitrarily. I offer it based on experience, and whether my opinion is for or against something, there's always a reason behind it.

|quoted:

I think the "take away" of a thread such as this is....there is no "perfect" machine for everyone. Based on my experience with many different grinders, an individual has to do their homework, and purchase the grinder that they think will best suite that individual.

Way back when I first purchased my first KMG, I did some modifications straight out of the box....namely I added approx. 10" to the idler/belt tension arm in order to make it easier to compress. I also modified the tracking adjustment hand wheel with a piece of 1/4" rod to make tracking adjustment easier (something Gary mentioned earlier in this thread). More recently I converted my current KMG to direct drive, and it changed the entire personality of the machine in terms of power and smoothness for the better. I've passed on that information to Rob Frink, but whether he chooses to experiment/act on it, is totally up to him.

As I often say, we all come at things through the lens of our own experiences....and from an advice on grinders standpoint, we all put forth those opinions based on our experience(s). I certainly never said, nor do I think the KMG is the "ultimate" anything, but in terms of durability, longevity, solidity/weight of build, and Rob's customer service, it is one of the "top tier" grinders available, and I often use it's attributes for comparison values.

NorthRidge brings a lot to the table with their grinder's "precision" of build, but the "grooved" wheels and the "lighter" materials used in it's overall construction, are not aspects that endear it to me. Remember I mentioned the "lens or our own experiences"? The "grooved" wheels has been tried before, and when utilized by someone with limited grinder experience, are a danger. If someone unwittingly tries to use a "grooved" wheel as a contact wheel, the result is usually a shredded belt, and often times a personal injury.

I was asked to review the NorthRidge grinders, and after having done so, and providing the requested feedback, was basically dismissed out of hand as "obviously not knowing anything about grinders or grinding." Much like the rest of this thread, it's all about opinions. There is no "one size fits all" grinder. The best a person can do is carefully look at ALL the aspects of a given machine they are interested in, gather whatever data and/or OPINIONS they can, and make the best assessment to determine what they purchase and/or what they don't.

Just because I don't like a particular aspect or feature of any given machine doesn't mean a hill of beans. Some folks value my opinions, and other don't, but either way when I do offer solicited opinions or advice, I don't offer it arbitrarily. I offer it based on experience, and whether my opinion is for or against something, there's always a reason behind it.

Excellent points Ed ,well taken !