Coote Grinders

[Franky]

First post here ( although I have been lurking awhile )
Been making knives awhile and am thinking about a nice grinder. Been using the search engine here ALOT and kind of narrowed my search to the coote and kgm's.
Question is what is wrong with the cootes that would make it a BAD choice. See alot of folks shy away from really recommending them but no one really having a reason or reasons that I've run across yet. A coote would fit my budget alittle better but I don't want something I'm not gonna be happy with either
So what are the really bad faults (are there any) of this grinder for knife making and general shop use? Whats wrong with a coote grinder that makes it "not as good" as others?
Give me the LOW DOWN on the coote grinders

[McAhron]

The coote does not have accesories made specificly for knife making the way a kmg does.The kmg is versatile the coote is not.The coote is a good machine capable of making a quality product.

[hammerdownnow]

The Coot is a two wheel. It is hard to look down on the edge of your knife while grinding without sanding off a patch of your forehead. They can be modified, but it takes some machine building skills.

A basic KMG in a platen model will carry you for a long time. As skills and needs arise you can ad super easy to change attachments to suit your evolving style. Over built to last many lifetimes there is no better bang for your buck. Abosoluty the best grinder made, but with a mid range price tag. If somethng happens and you have to sell it, you will find they hold their value. I would be interested if anyone had heard one single complaint about the KMG. Other than they don't have one...heehee.

[Franky]

Thanks for the replies ....I keep thinking someone will tell me about some tracking problems or quality problems from the cootes....but I've never heard any kind of feedback like that. Although they don't seem to be super popular with the knife making community... very few complaints are posted about them except some versitility issues. I guess I was looking for someone to say " I hate mine! or "I had this or that problems out of mine and wish I'd never bought it" but never seen that type review about them....

[Ray Rogers]

The Coote is a very well made piece of equipment and that's why you don't see that type of comment about it. It's basic 2 wheel design and the relative lack of versatility ARE the problem. That's a fact that will come to have significance for you if you use one for knifemaking for a few years.

Look at it this way: the Bader, the JL grinder, the KMG, the Wilton are all very popular with knife makers and they are all 3 wheel designs with lots of accessories. The Burr King is probably the most popular 2 wheel grinder but you don't hear of many people buying it these days when a KMG can be had for about the same price. The popularity of the Grizzly and Coote 2 wheel grinders is price based and not because they are the best suited to knife making. So, a lack of versatility is reason enough not to buy a particular grinder if you can afford something more suitable to the knife making task .....

[Will]

I've been running a Coote for about 4 years now and while I'd love to get my hands on a KMG, even if I did I wouldn't retire the Coote. It's a very nice machine for the money and you can put small wheels on it. I've got a glass platten on mine that raises the belt a 1/4" from the plain fo the two wheels and it's easy for me to grind on. I learned to grind on a two wheel, so the Coote is no problem for me. I would whole heartedly recomend the Coote as a first grinder if you can't see your way to a KMG. Even if you get a better machine in the future you'll still find uses for the Coote. BTW, the Coote if better for flat grinding, though I have hollow ground a couple on it.

[David Peterson]

I really like my Coote grinder. I have the glass platen too and it is used mainly for flat grinding. It tilts down if you want to do hollow grinding, but I rarely do that. If price is not a factor, then by all means get a KMG.

In my opinion, a Coote is an excellent investment and well worth the money. It seems much better than a Grizzly and has the fit and finish of a quality piece of machinery that should last a long time. I think it's all about what you can afford. I couldn't afford a KMG and I'm NOT sorry I bought the Coote. I probably wouldn't be sorry with a KMG either, but I just couldn't afford it at the time. I haven't needed the extras that the KMG has, so I just keep using the Coote.

Don't forget to get a $10 motor at the junk yard for the Coote and you're all set.

-Dave

[Raymond Johnson]

Franky
I have never used a coote grinder, so I can not comment on it. But I can't say enough good things about the kmg grinders. I have never really had any real problems with mine. And if you can aford it, I highly recomend it. It is worth every penny and will pay for itself.
On the other side of the coin, I still have and use my 1x42 sears grinder. It's not pretty, but it works. Buy the best you can afford and do the best with it. Good luck.
Raymond Johnson