The motor vibrates and causes the chain to change positions when grinding. All plastic allows for too much tolerance in critical positioning of the chain. Hence, some links are ground deeper than others because the plastic flexes too much. No way to positively set both left and right links exactly the same depth. Took it back to Harbor Freight and got my money back. Bench or Wall-mount Electric Chain Saw Sharpener
THIS IS a very generic sharpener marketed under a number of names. Price varies from 25.00 to 75.00-- all the same. Is it cheap? Yea. Does it work? You bet! You have to understand the mechanical setup that grinds to the stationary chain. With care and practice, you can do nearly as good as a 250.00 machine. And that is infinitely better than you can hand-file, and most of the time you are cutting with the saw. The slight imperfections that might occur due to vibration and play in the grinding arm are insignificant once you learn the machine. I have sharpened 100s of chains with one of these units. No complaints yet. I actually modified mine to accept 4 1/2" grinding wheels. That gives me a huge range of grits, wheel thickness, which I use to coarse grind damaged chains. While the adjusting knobs and chain clamp/vise are flimsy; they can be cinched down to work. For a homeowner, this unit is fine for the price less than 30.00. Cutting with sharp, balanced chains makes for a better running saw. That saves you time and money. If you have this tool you will likely keep 2-3 spare chains sharp; and that will last most of you guys, a lifetime.
This is way faster and more accurate than sharpening by hand. If I wanted to sharpen chains for a living I would have a $600 machine, but for my purpose this is fine. The plastic casing does allow some flex. A little practice and patience and it works just fine.
For 29.95 this is a very good sharpener. It is not as exact as a high price sharpener, but if you pay attention and use some creativity in retarding the chain movement it does a great job. Yes, it is more work than a $100+ machine and perhaps not as exact, but if you want that quality of sharpening, then of course spend the extra money. For my use around the farm this is a great machine at the price.
I have mounted two of these sharpeners, one with the stock 1/8" wheel, and one with a 3/16" wheel, for .375" chain and 3/8" chain. I agree with some reviewers that the unit is flexible. By that I mean that by applying pressure you can grind deeper, or grind out more of the tooth. This is actually an advantage; when one tooth has been damaged, you can grind away a little more tooth (and make up for it next sharpening.). When I'm out harvesting firewood, I use a Husky 61 for felling and bucking, and a Shindaiwa 357 for limbing. I keep an extra sharpened chain with me for each saw.
Before firewood season, I sharpen about 8 chains for each saw. I first go thru and sharpen all the left hand cutters, then switch the grinders over and sharpen all the right hand cutters. With a little practise you can get good on this grinder.
Critical components such as the chain stop arm and the grinder head stop are made of thin, extremely flexible plastic which in the case of the chain stop arm permits a side-to-side flexion of 1/4", rendering the entire tool utterly worthless for the intended task. Either pay more for a significantly higher quality chain grinder or continue using your file, which although time-consuming at least allows you to sharpen the chain teeth correctly. Also consider the Dremel chain-sharpening attachment, which allows similar accuracy as a file but with far greater speed. A waste of money, and yes it's made in China.
Cheap, flimsy piece of junk, and I only say "junk" so that my review doesn't get deleted. I've bought a ton of stuff from HF through the years, a lot of it I still have and use from time to time. This thing is way below HF's usual standards. I know how to sharpen a chain, yet my saw would not cut much better after I used this thing than it did beforehand. I think the problem is that there is so much flex that I cannot get a consistent angle from tooth to tooth. I'd rather do it by hand than use this thing; I'm going to spend about $100 and get a decent one. Don't waste your time or money with this thing. - Chicago - Chainsaw Sharpeners'
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