I've had a Bader BIII for 16 years now and just got mys second grinder - Esteem Grinder - from Brett Mathews.

His grinder is everything the Bader every wanted to be. And more.

There are a handful of grinders out there right now that will work well. I found the Esteem to offer the most for the money. With variable speed, it will still run about 2K.

Hi Dean!

Let me start out by saying that a Bladesmith's grinder is probably the most "personal" piece of equipment we own.... each of us has pretty specific ways we do things, so my input is based on how I do things, and my personal preferences.

Personally, I am not a fan of the Burr King 960 machines. My biggest complaint with them is changing attachments. Compared to most other machines it takes a toolbox of tools and a lunch break time frame to do it. (I'm one who gets "in the groove" when I'm grinding, and hates anything that knocks me out of that groove) <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> I'm also one of those guys who "snuggles" right up to a grinder when I'm using it, and that's just difficult to do with any of the "two wheel" style machines. Just a number of personal reasons I wouldn't purchase a Burr King 960..... but that doesn't mean it's a bad machine...it's just not for me.

Ok, concerning the small wheel. Any of the "Three Wheel" style machines (such as the those in the pic Karl posted) are what I recommend. Attachments, including small wheels are easy to find or build, and easy/quick to swap out. About the only caution I would offer when shopping for a new grinder is to be wary of how light or heavy they are built. There's many good things that a heavy weight provides, and many disadvantages that a light weight grinder places on you. Stay away from aluminum....it's too light weight, and just not durable enough for a grinder(my opinion). Bader grinders are great, but I won't own one based on some bad experiences I had with the company. My personal favorite is the KMG. It's just tough as nails, dirt simple, and has never caused me any issues.

Depending on whether you have the time/desire to build, that option is there too. I've built at least a dozen of the "EERF" machines, and found that with some modification of the design, they are a very good machine. (if you look up "EERF Grinder" in a google search, you can download the CAD files for free).

If you plan on making knives for the foreseeable future, I would highly encourage a variable speed machine.....just no way around it.... it's Sooooo worth it. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

Keep us posted on what you decide to do!

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Bader grinders are great, but I won't own one......

If you plan on making knives for the foreseeable future, I would highly encourage a variable speed machine.....just no way around it.... it's Sooooo worth it. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

I agree.

Today I would not buy the Bader.

When I got mine, we had incredibly few choices. Now, there's one on every street corner and it can be a bit confusing.

The Esteem took the somewhat flimsy BIII and turned it into a tank.

I wish I had two of those instead. (Lucky for me the tooling is directly interchangeable.)

Thank you Ed and Karl, I have looked at both this morning and really like what I see, decisions, decisions. I'm like a kid at Christmas right now, don't know what I want.

Something else that came to mind, that I thought might be helpful.... I would be wary of buying a grinder from anyone who has "jumped on the bandwagon"...... in other words there are many out there who have gone into building grinders because they see it as a way to "make money". Some are shops that build other things, and decided to build grinders without really researching, or knowing what they are doing in order to add to their bottom line. SOME individuals who build grinders have that attitude too.

I've had a number of these "upstart" outfits contact me, asking if I will evaluate their machine(s), and suggest improvements. I have to believe that what they are doing is fishing for my support.....because once I evaluate the machines, and start telling them things that need "fixed", they balk, telling me "that would cost too much", or "that would be too difficult", or perhaps they are not really interested in making a "better" machine at all, but rather just think that they can use my name to endorse/sell their machine(s).

It's happened enough that now one of my first statements to these requests is to tell them that they MAY NOT use my name in conjunction with their grinder(s), without my express consent. This came about from one particular company, who asked me to evaluate their machine, and when I agreed, they promptly placed on their website "Endorsed by Mastersmith Ed Caffrey" (before I ever saw the machine in person). After a heated phone conversation, they took the endorsement statement down. Needless to say, they showed their hand in that they are not at all interested in what works and what doesn't.....they just want your money.

What I'm driving at is this..... take a long hard look at whatever machine(s) you are considering, ask A LOT of questions, and evaluate for yourself whether the seller is going to be there later if their are questions/problems. Also, consider what they offer for attachments, and how "universal" those attachments might be. And likely the most important....think about how well or IF a particular machine will "mesh" with how you will use it. All of these considerations and more are things I look at when evaluating a grinder.

Thank you for your time spent on this topic Ed, I believe I know what machine I will end up with, just need a little more information from their website.

After making over 150 knives via stock removal I am now enjoying forging and heat treating my knives.

I never sold a knife, I have given them to friends and charities for fund raisers and kept a handful for myself.

Now I am thinking it is time to make a little money by selling some, if not for any other reason as to pay for my equipment.

I am a collector also and will hope to have one of your knives in my collection one day, but first the grinder.

Thank again.

I had bought the Oregon Blade grinder, and absolutely love it. It tracks great, has multiple tooling slots. I ended up buying 12' of 1-1/2"X1-1/2" 6061 T6 and cut it in to different size tooling bars for myself and shared some with Michael Rader. The 12' stick cost 97.00.

They also make all sorts of inexpensive attachments. Including small wheel sets.

I don't think you can beat it for ~500.00 you will have to buy a motor and VFD