I'm fed up with my el cheapo high speed grinder and am thinking of getting a half-speed one and trying one of those fancy Norton 3X wheels.
The problem is, there only seem to be two versions on the market - Axminster's and Creusen's. The latter's outta my price league but even the Axminster is costly at £96. I'd read somewhere that half-speed grinders do tend to be about twice the price of the regular versions; going on Axminster's though, that's twice the price of a fairly decent high speed grinder. You can't seem to get a low quality half-speed at twice the price of a Power Devil!
So my attention was drawn across the Pond where everything's a lot cheaper - even more so with the collapsed dollar (pity Sterling went down so much with it unlike the Euro) - and the range of low speed grinders so much greater. In fact they do variable speed ones that you can't seem to get here at all! So with price, and the accursed shipping costs, in mind I'd taken a real liking to the 6" variable made by Delta - these are going for as low as $80 and even less. That's just over 40 quid! Fantastic, I thought, but then came shipping.
And God did so smite the unclean thrifty with the cost of international shipping.
From a few brief phonecalls it appears that to get a 25 lbs grinder - one that retails at $80, don't forget - across the Atlantic would cost a whopping $110 or thereabouts. Aaaaargh - my foray into international trade has hit a major hurdle. Put it like this, I won't be going large with the Delta table saw option if that's the shipping rate for a tiddly grinder - UPS/Fedex et al would probably demand I put the house up as collateral!
Then there's the Revenue lot *spits into the dust with my best 'hardened smuggler' scowl*. Apparently there's no escape from VAT - you will be got! And that does it - what looked like a bargain on the website turns out to be even more expensive by the time you go to the trouble of importing it. Then you've got the problem of after sales conducted across the Atlantic:
"I couldn't just return the 6" grinder for the 8" version I think I'd prefer instead?"
"No problem, Sir, but you do know that'll involve two trips across the Atlantic and the small matter of $220 plus in travel expenses?"
I give up. It seems a company in Devon are my only option. :?
The problem is, there only seem to be two versions on the market - Axminster's and Creusen's. The latter's outta my price league but even the Axminster is costly at £96. I'd read somewhere that half-speed grinders do tend to be about twice the price of the regular versions; going on Axminster's though, that's twice the price of a fairly decent high speed grinder. You can't seem to get a low quality half-speed at twice the price of a Power Devil!
So my attention was drawn across the Pond where everything's a lot cheaper - even more so with the collapsed dollar (pity Sterling went down so much with it unlike the Euro) - and the range of low speed grinders so much greater. In fact they do variable speed ones that you can't seem to get here at all! So with price, and the accursed shipping costs, in mind I'd taken a real liking to the 6" variable made by Delta - these are going for as low as $80 and even less. That's just over 40 quid! Fantastic, I thought, but then came shipping.
And God did so smite the unclean thrifty with the cost of international shipping.
From a few brief phonecalls it appears that to get a 25 lbs grinder - one that retails at $80, don't forget - across the Atlantic would cost a whopping $110 or thereabouts. Aaaaargh - my foray into international trade has hit a major hurdle. Put it like this, I won't be going large with the Delta table saw option if that's the shipping rate for a tiddly grinder - UPS/Fedex et al would probably demand I put the house up as collateral!
Then there's the Revenue lot *spits into the dust with my best 'hardened smuggler' scowl*. Apparently there's no escape from VAT - you will be got! And that does it - what looked like a bargain on the website turns out to be even more expensive by the time you go to the trouble of importing it. Then you've got the problem of after sales conducted across the Atlantic:
"I couldn't just return the 6" grinder for the 8" version I think I'd prefer instead?"
"No problem, Sir, but you do know that'll involve two trips across the Atlantic and the small matter of $220 plus in travel expenses?"
I give up. It seems a company in Devon are my only option. :?
