A little over a year ago I was in the same boat. I wanted to add a grinder and maybe a buffer to my garage. When I looked at all the readily available options like Dewalt, Ryobi, Sunex, HF and others in that sort of price range, I wasn't sure what to get.
I'd just gotten into collecting and restoring old vises thanks to GJ and it wasn't long before I realized how much of a following the old Craftsman block grinders have here as well.
I picked up my first one as an add on purchase from a lady I initially contacted about buying an Athol vise she had listed for sale. She was in CA and I live in AZ but we were eventually able to arrange to meet and I was able to buy the vise for $75 and a Craftsman 1/3HP grinder on an original stand for another $75.
The grinder was missing the guards, tool rests and eye shields and I planned on watching eBay for replacements but as luck would have it, she found a box in the garage with all the missing parts and shipped them to me. She wouldn't let me pay her any more money even for the shipping! After receiving the parts I went to work on cleaning the grinder up and doing a sort of mini restoration. It was really in good shape and didn't need much and it was instantly evident that buying an old grinder was the right move for me.
I have no desire to get into collecting grinders like I do vises but I have added a 1/2HP Craftsman Commercial grinder and a small Baldor I picked up for $40 that I've set up as a buffer. Having the second grinder certainly comes in handy instead of changing stones/wire wheels all the time and the little Baldor is remarkable as a buffer, even with those 8" pads!
Both of my CM came on original stands and I was also able to pick up another stand for the Baldor. I'm really looking forward to getting my garage set up and getting these bolted down when we buy a house later this year.
Whether you decide to buy a new or vintage grinder, I hope my story helps and didn't bore too much!
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