Oregon 520-120 vs 620-120

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czyhorse

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As I was looking these over it would appear that they are the same except for the addition of the hydraulic clamping system to the 620. Am I correct? Do both of them have the ability to move the base in and out to center it on the grinding stone as it wears (or is you use a slightly different diameter grinding wheel)? It looks like it from the pictures but I would love to confirm that with someone who owns a 520. As much as I like the idea of auto clamping it is not worth an additional $170+ to me.

Also the Oregon grinders are the only ones that have this feature, correct?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
Do both of them have the ability to move the base in and out to center it on the grinding stone as it wears
Also the Oregon grinders are the only ones that have this feature, correct?
Both of the Oregon grinders you mention are very good quality; are the same format; use the same wheels; etc. Both models have the sliding vise, which allows compensation for wheel wear, allowing the user to re-center it directly over the cutter, for consistent grinding. These grinders are made for Oregon by Tecomec, and the Tecomec hydraulic clamping grinder is very similar to the Oregon model. The Oregon 520 is unique, as far as I know: there is no Tecomec equivalent model with the sliding vise feature.

The Oregon 520 also has a tilting vise, to obtain a 10° 'down angle', if desired. This is recommended by Oregon, on some chains, for improved cutting performance. This down angle must by approximated with the hydraulic clamping grinders, if desired, by sliding the vise forward and back, to make contact with different parts of the grinding wheel rim.

So, in summary, if the hydraulic clamping feature is not important to you, the Oregon 520 actually does 'more', and is simpler from a maintenance standpoint (no chance of leaks, ever). It is a very choice for most users.

Manuals for both are attached if you want to look at geeky details, etc.

I use a 'place holder' response when I see something on my phone, that I want to get back to with my desktop computer; otherwise, I forget about it, or have trouble finding it again later.

Philbert
 

Attachments

  • Oregon 520-120 English Only.pdf
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  • Oregon 620-120.pdf
    819.1 KB · Views: 4
Both of the Oregon grinders you mention are very good quality; are the same format; use the same wheels; etc. Both models have the sliding vise, which allows compensation for wheel wear, allowing the user to re-center it directly over the cutter, for consistent grinding. These grinders are made for Oregon by Tecomec, and the Tecomec hydraulic clamping grinder is very similar to the Oregon model. The Oregon 520 is unique, as far as I know: there is no Tecomec equivalent model with the sliding vise feature.

The Oregon 520 also has a tilting vise, to obtain a 10° 'down angle', if desired. This is recommended by Oregon, on some chains, for improved cutting performance. This down angle must by approximated with the hydraulic clamping grinders, if desired, by sliding the vise forward and back, to make contact with different parts of the grinding wheel rim.

So, in summary, if the hydraulic clamping feature is not important to you, the Oregon 520 actually does 'more', and is simpler from a maintenance standpoint (no chance of leaks, ever). It is a very choice for most users.

Manuals for both are attached if you want to look at geeky details, etc.


I use a 'place holder' response when I see something on my phone, that I want to get back to with my desktop computer; otherwise, I forget about it, or have trouble finding it again later.

Philbert
Thank you! Seriously!
I was doing some more looking today. It looks like tchomec is making a rival to the 520 which they are calling the EVO. It appears to be patterned after the 520 with the exception being it does not do the 10 degree tilt. But it is also $150 cheaper. They are both made by techomec, correct? Is the 10 degree tilt thing that important? $150 for a single feature important?

brilliant!
 
It looks like tchomec is making a rival to the 520 which they are calling the EVO
Different grinder. Compare that one to the Oregon 420. Smaller motor. Not as good vise. No grinding wheel wear compensation that you asked about.

All things equal, I would choose the Oregon 520. If I wanted to go economy, I would choose this one, with the full size motor, good quality wheels, no vise tilt, no light, no wheel wear compensation:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Tecomec-Co...Bench-Mounted-sharpener-520-120-/383242730198
AE832392-CA19-4E85-834A-E01E11D9EFD4.jpeg
A15BF710-F1A0-489B-864F-BF04FAF9B2FD.jpeg

Philbert
 

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