#1. Technical Features

Power

This bench grinder is powered by a modest 2.1 Amps motor. However, it is still enough to turn the wheels at a no-load speed of 3,450 RPM. At this speed, the bench grinder is fast enough to sharpen your tools even if they are made from hardened steel. The motor is also powerful enough to deliver a smooth performance without stalling, even if you press hard against the wheels. Best of all, the power switch is located right at the front of the unit making it easy to switch on or off.

Even if this bench grinder is not a heavy-duty model, it is sufficiently powerful to sharpen any type of tool and is more than adequate for the casual woodworker. We do not recommend this model as a heavy-duty grinder that will be used for long hours. Additionally, we do not recommend material polishing on it, especially high-density materials like metal. While it does have the power to perform those tasks, the smaller motor in this model will get easily fatigued for any work other than casual grinding and general tool sharpening.

Grinding Wheel

The grinding wheel in this model measures 6-inch in diameter so it is reasonably big and will allow you to work comfortably. Bear in mind that you can choose a bigger variant of the Wen 4276 that measures 8-inch in diameter. Furthermore, it has an arbor size of 1/2-inch making it sufficiently big to sharpen large tools. You will have no difficulty sharpening tools like chisels or even knives using this bench grinder.

There are 2 wheels of different grit sizes in this model. A fine 60 grit wheel and a coarser 36 grit wheel, depending on your purpose. The wheels have enough versatility to allow you to perform both material removal, polishing, and general-purpose grinding work, aside from sharpening your tools. Very practical indeed. Furthermore, this grinding wheel is made from a high-quality mineral material, and it will not chip away or break over time.

Noise

One of the main pros of having a smaller motor in a bench grinder is noise. Indeed, the Wen 4276 is a fairly silent bench grinder when compared to other more premium models like the DeWalt DW758. You will not need ear protection to operate this bench grinder at all. In fact, one of the major concerns of using a bench grinder is noise. So if noise is a concern to you, and you need a less noisy environment to sharpen your tools or usual bench greater, this will not be a problem with this unit.

Base

The base of this unit is large and provides a lot of stability to this bench grinder. As long as you lay this unit on a flat surface, you will have no problem at all. To recap, a stable bench grinder is very important since it directly affects the accuracy and usability of this tool. The more stable the bench grinder, the more productive you become. This is especially true if you have to sharpen a lot of tools in quick succession. However, nothing is perfect. One small caveat we note is that you cannot secure this model to a workbench with bolts since there are no insert mount holes.

Safety

As with any power tool, security is an important aspect. There is a handy spark deflector that is transparent in this unit. It allows you to see your grinding as well as protects you from random sparks and debris flying during your sharpening. Although we do not recommend it, you can safely go ahead and use this bench grinder without ear protection because the spark deflector does a terrific job. Best, this deflector can be moved around and positioned in a way that suits the way you work. There is a lot of versatility right there.

Additionally, what we also like is the presence of a detachable work light that provides clear visibility to the work area. Additionally, this work light is a clip-on system which means that you can quickly and easily remove or relocate the light position if required.

Lastly, the power switch is located right at the front in case of an emergency. You can easily switch it off (or switch on).

#2. Price

The price is the Wen 4276 best feature. It is very competitively priced and at this price, it is hard to find a better model than this one. Of course, there are better quality bench grinders like the DeWalt DW756, but it offers almost the same performance and versatility at a significantly higher price. Therefore, we think that this model is an excellent bang for the buck and beginners now have a great way to get started grinding for little money.

#3. Pros/Cons

Pros

• Affordable. Value for money
• Low noise. Will not require ear protection
• Clip-on light system for visibility
• Option to upgrade to an 8-inch wheel variant
• Power button located right at the front of the unit
• Clearview spark deflector on both wheels

Cons

• Not the most performing bench grinder. Can under-perform when doing polishing on high-density material
• Not the best construction quality. Many parts like the tool rest are made from plastic. Understandable, since this is a budget bench grinder
• Base cannot be bolted to a workbench for more stability

#4. Who Should Buy?

The Wen 4276 is an affordable bench grinder for the casual woodworker. We recommend this model only to those looking forward to sharpening their tools and not for material polishing. While it can still manage to pull it off, we feel that the smaller motor in this model is not powerful enough for polishing work. For casual tool sharpening work, this model from Wen is an amazing unit for the money.