Head to Head comparison of Tormek Diamond Wheels to WoodTurner's Wonders CBN Wheels for Blade Sharpening
Head to Head comparison of Tormek Diamond Wheels to Woodturners Wonders CBN Wheels.
by Britt Woodruff
I am the owner of EDGEucated Mobile Sharpening and I’ve had the opportunity to compare the Tormek Diamond wheels to the Woodturners Wonders CBN wheels for about 7 months now and the findings have shocked me. I’ve been comparing the 330 grit diamond wheel to the 200 grit CBN wheel with surprising results. Typically the coarser the grit on a sharpening stone or wheel the faster it will wear it off but that has really not been the case. I started using the Tormek wheels in the fall of 2018 and between then and April of 2019 I had been through 3 coarse and 4 extra fine. I managed to get my hands on a new coarse (360 grit) and a new CBN coarse (200 grit) within 1 week of each other at the start of April so I figured it would be a great chance to compare. The following table breaks down most of the comparison to date….
|
|
Tormek |
Woodturners Wonders |
|
Grits Available |
360, 600, 1200 |
200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200 |
|
Wheel options |
1 (Diamond wheel) |
2 (Spartan nylon body and Tornado machined aluminum body) |
|
Wheel cost in US$ |
$299 - $330 depending on grit |
Spartan wheel $179 for each grits Tornado wheel is $299 for each grit |
|
Number of passes to sharp edge (new) |
5 – 8 passes |
5 – 8 passes |
|
Number of passes to sharp edge (100 blades in) |
15 – 20 passes |
10 – 12 passes |
|
Number of passes to sharp edge (200 blades in) |
50 – 150 passes Wheel died at 233 blades |
12 – 15 passes |
|
Number of passes to sharp edge (300+ blades in) |
Not Applicable |
Still 15 – 20 passes at 500+ blades. |
|
Requirements to use wheel |
Must use expensive water additive |
Recommended to use dry |
|
Negatives to use wheel |
Wears out way too fast for its price |
Very loud and very messy when used dry |
|
To fix the negative |
Can't, still wears out too fast |
Use the water and additive that Tormek offers |
|
Would I recommend? |
Machine – Absolutely Yes Diamond Wheels – not unless you have a thing for throwing money away |
Absolutely I would recommend the Spartan wheel. The bang for the buck is too good to not consider. |
|
Info based on how many wheels |
5 wheels to date and more replacements on the way |
1 |
|
Number of passes at max |
230 – 300 absolute maximum |
500 and climbing |
I was a little concerned when I ordered the CBN wheel because of the requirement to use it dry as I run EDGEucated Mobile Sharpening out of my home and that would have been a major mess so I tried to spraying it with a mist of water every other knife but noticed pretty quickly a rust colored tint appearing. I then decided to just try and use the Tormek solution on it and it’s been amazing… it is cleaner and quieter than it was originally and its now rust free and maintaining its grit beautifully. With all of this said and to repeat my final decision if I am putting my money into a wheel for my business and my machine from here on out its going to be a CBN wheel from Woodturners Wonders.
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