Has the Sorby Pro Edge fallen out of favor to the crop of CBN grinders? It seems that way based on recent discounts for them by Rockler and others.
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Has the Sorby Pro Edge fallen out of favor to the crop of CBN grinders? It seems that way based on recent discounts for them by Rockler and others.
IMO yes.
While technically, a CBN wheel is a consumable just like friable wheels and sanding belts, they're on another level.
Of course it depends on how often you use them.
One of my CBN wheels is over 10 years old and still works just fine. It would be difficult for me to guess how many friable wheels or sanding belts I would have gone through in the same amount of usage, and it's still going.
2 different animals. The Sorby allows you to change grits in seconds, but I never shop by internet popularity anyway. I don't see any on sale. $700 is one expensive belt sander.
I agree with Richard on the "2 different animals". Got my Sorby in about 2018 for just over $300 as an "open box" model, "Deluxe" version if i recall correctly. When i added grinder, CBN & Wolverine--i intended to sell the Sorby. But, i found that while i really like the 8" wheels on the grinder for bowl & detail gouges--i generally favor the flat grind of the belt for skews, scrapers and especially spindle roughing gouges. Glad i didn't sell the Sorby before i figured that out!!
Members may find the following interesting
I live in the Uk and I had a local company make replacement Pro edge belts using Cubitron
Cubitron is available in a number of different variants We ordered 984F
The cost of the belts including 20% vat was $7.80 each
(Vat value added Tax)
Additionally Martin Saben Smith has a number of informative Sorby Pro EDge videos
https://www.youtube.com/@msabansmith
A couple things I forgot to mention, CBN wheels are less messy, since they don't degrade and spew material as they wear. They also don't require dressing.
They are also safer.
I originally bought my first CBN wheel after I had a small mishap. I was sharpening a bowl gouge on a standard friable wheel and slipped off, the edge of the wheel caught the wing of the gouge and BANG, it took a chunk out of the wheel.
I opted for the D-Way wheels, I knew the wheel wouldn't break or grab like a friable wheel and at the time I think they were the only wheels with a 1.5" surface, which is nice for many things.
They are two different animals but they do perform many of the same functions
I paid less than $200 for my first CBN wheel, at the price quoted above, that equals about 25 belts.
JMO