I will second the Vevor grinder, as far as value for the dollar. I've used Oregon and Tecomec grinders at work, and had been debating getting one for myself but couldn't quite make up my mind to spend the money. Then my wife surprised me with a Vevor grinder as a Christmas gift. In her defense she wasn't trying to cheap out, she just knew I had been wanting a grinder and being an Amazon frequent purchaser I think this is the first one she ran across.
It's not as nice as the higher dollar grinders, but I think it's comparable to the lower priced Oregons and Tecomecs in the $300 and under range. I did some tuning/tweaking on mine (stiffened the chain stop up some, shimmed the hinge pivot pin to remove slop between the back and arm, and bolted a big piece of angle iron on the back and bottom to eliminate any flex between the base and back). I also welded a piece of flat stock on the bottom of that angle iron so I could clamp the whole thing upright into my bench vise. I also bought a CBN wheel for it.
Now this thing is rock solid, with no flex either down or sideways when you pull the wheel down into cutting position. Tooth length is very consistent. Grinding is effortless, if you start with a good clean chain (soaked in diesel fuel or some such, and brushed as needed before sharpening).
So for a $200 total investment and a little tinkering, I have a solid tool with a great cutting wheel. I would rather have even this unmodified, out-of-the-box grinder with CBN wheel than a high dollar grinder with a regular abrasive wheel. I think the wheel makes that much difference.
Granted, the slop and flex in the other grinders can be overcome to a great extent just by using consistent technique and pressure, and even with their own faults they really do a good job on getting chains consistent again. But with the low cost of the Vevor, I thought it was worth tinkering with just to see how solidly it could be tuned. My one concern is the motor, as sometimes Chinese electrical motors aren't the best, but it seems solid so far and should last a long time no more than I use it.
I'm actually considering getting another one just to leave set up to grind rakers. They're still under $100 last time I looked, either direct from Vevor or Amazon. Don't get me wrong, the high-dollar grinders are great, especially if you use them a lot, but I'm just offering this as an option to the infrequent homeowner or farmstead users.
Good luck with your decision!
