This $90 Amazon Mini Bench Grinder Could Save You Time And Money On Chainsaw Sharpening

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Sharpening your chain is one of the most important items on the chainsaw maintenance checklist, but it also happens to be an incredibly time-consuming and expensive job to do. It’s not something you can just ignore, either: dull teeth can make routine cutting jobs so much more difficult, not to mention dangerous.

For people who only use their saws occasionally, paying for professional sharpening or shelling out for a large piece of dedicated sharpening equipment isn’t the most practical thing in the world. For those folks, Amazon has an alternative: the Oregon Professional Compact 120-Volt Bench Chain Grinder.

This small, bench-mounted sharpener goes for $90.99 on Amazon and has a 4.4-star rating out of 5 based on 664 customer reviews. It’s designed to sharpen multiple chainsaw chain types, making it an option worth considering for those chainsaw owners who don’t need to spend so much time and money on this nevertheless important maintenance. That way, you can get the most life out of your chain without having to overspend on sharpening.

Measuring 13.2 inches long, 6.3 inches wide, and 10 inches tall, this Oregon Tool product has a relatively small footprint. The unit runs on standard 120-volt power and has an 85-watt motor. Rather than requiring a specialized workstation, its compact size allows it to be attached directly to a bench using the two bolts that come with it.

The package also includes a dressing brick, a profile guide, operating instructions, and two different grinding wheels: one wheel for 1/4-inch, 3/8-inch low-profile, and .325-inch pitch chains, and the other for 3/8-inch professional and .404-inch pitch chains. Altogether, that makes the grinder compatible with many of the top chainsaw brands. Customer feedback is mostly positive. Throughout its more than 600 Amazon reviews, common praise includes its easy and fast assembly and its accurate, uncomplicated sharpening ability. Others appreciate its relatively low operating speed and say it’s the ideal solution for occasional chainsaw maintenance.

Given its low price, perhaps it’s unsurprising that some reviewers have run into long-term durability issues. (For its price, it might not be a problem for you to have to replace it every few years or so.) Its adjustability also gets mixed reviews, with some customers really emphasizing the importance of making careful, precise settings before you start sharpening for best results.