Hello Knot People,
I just wandered over from Breaktime….I’m ready to retire all my stones for a machine to keep my knives (kitchen & hunting) and chisels sharp. I hate to drop all that $$ on a Tormek, when the Jet w/long knife jig may suit my light duty needs. Anyone have any experience with both machines?
Replies
Jess
I've been dealing with that exact same dilemma, and have posted here and received good advice. I also went to Woodcraft last week and spent 30 minutes talking with the folks there about the merits of each one, and here's what it has boiled down to. The Jet's main advantage is price. The Tormek has more torque, better motor quality and better jigs. The new Tormek T-7 comes with the stone grader, diamond truing tool and honing compound. The Jet does also, I believe, but according to my Woodcraft guys, the Jet diamond truing tool is not very good. The Tormek T-7 is $500, the old Tormek model is $400 and the Jet is $300. Their advice was the Tormek is worth the extra money in the long run. I'm not sure what I am going to buy, as the price difference is a bunch. The Tormek jigs can be used on the Jet, so that's nice. If you can afford it, the Tormek would be the way to go. If money is an issue, for a hobbyist like myself, it would be hard to justify the extra $$ for the Tormek. I know that Lonnie Bird uses the Jet at his school after his Tormek's wore out, so that's a good endorsement there. Tom
I have a comparison of the JET and Tormek machines at the link below.
http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/jettormekcomparo.html
PS: Since doing this comparison I sold my Tormek and have been using the JET ever since and am very happy with it.
Tom Hintz
Because there is always more to learn!
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