13 Highly Rated Bench Grinder Attachments From Amazon

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Bench grinders are a bit of a unicorn power tool when it comes to attachments. Some attachments (like an abrasive wheel of some sort) are so key to a bench grinder's operation — they're practically part of the machine. But you still need to practice discernment when buying. Others are imperative for safe operation, to the point that they might as well be required (case in point, eye shields and tool rests). There are also lots of aftermarket and universal attachments available: Which is even more reason to shop carefully when picking out bench grinder accoutrements, whether it's a dressing tool or a sharpening guide.

We dug through Amazon's accessories for 6- and 8-inch bench grinders, the most common sizes found in consumer workshops and garages. There's some remarkable engineering here and there — in a handful of drill bit sharpening attachments, for example — but what really stood out was the lack of variety in most categories. As bench grinders have fallen out of favor everywhere except machine shops and auto repair establishments, innovation seems to have drifted toward angle grinders, belt sanders, and freestanding, dedicated sharpening tools.

Fortunately, on Amazon, we found enough products in most categories for a meaningful comparison to improve your bench grinder's functionality. We prioritized products with good customer ratings and at least 50 reviews. We also gave weight to factors like overall brand credibility and safety complaints. You can find out more about our exact methodology at the end of this article.  

This category includes vitrified, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, and other general-purpose metalworking bench grinder wheels. There is, as you might expect, a huge variety of options here, but surprisingly few highly rated listings; only diamond grinding wheels seemed less well regarded. Our pick was the Powertec brand's 6- and 8-inch aluminum oxide grinding wheels, which had 4.5 stars (on 613 ratings) and 4.6 stars (on 77 ratings), respectively. Prices vary wildly by size and grit, but purchasers found the pricing reasonable, the fit reliable, and the quality acceptable.

Customers love Scottchen's collection of 6-inch buffing wheels (which have 4.7 stars from 413 ratings) for metal, acrylic, and ceramic. With attachments like this, you can even polish plastic ... carefully. The kit represents each step in a progressively finer polishing regimen from coarse sisal pads to ultra-soft flannel. Unlike other Scottchen kits and those of many competitors, this Scottchen kit doesn't come with polishing compounds, so shop carefully depending on your own needs. But customers were extremely satisfied with the ground covered by the variety within this kit.

Wire wheels are indispensable for broadening a bench grinder's usefulness. Steel wire wheels are typically used for ferrous metals (steel and, of course, iron), and are a reliable way to remove corrosion and paint, as well as cleaning up welds. The Weiler Wolverine 4-inch Crimped Wire Wheel ($29.79, with 4.6 stars on 175 ratings) is well-regarded for its quality, including the fact that it doesn't shed wires like many wire wheels do. Purchasers acknowledge that the Weiler wire wheel is more expensive than other options, but seem mostly unbothered by the cost.

Brass wire wheels are used to clean and resurface softer metals like copper and aluminum, and they can also be used on steel if you need to reduce the risk of scratching a surface. The Dapetz 6-inch brass wire wheels are a consumer favorite ($11.99, 4.5 stars on 140 ratings) for their price, effectiveness, and the fact that, like Weiler wheels, they tend to keep their wire bristles in place in spite of being crimped. The Dapetz wheel comes with a variety of bore adapters to ensure maximum compatibility.

Gytycatah's 6-inch 80-grit diamond grinding wheel might look suspect with its 5 stars on 7 ratings, and that impression is exacerbated by the brand's 600-grit diamond wheel, which has a lower 3.9 stars on 15 ratings. It's probably safe to assume these wheels are regressing to the mean as they get more reviews. However, the current reviews do seem to be genuine and, as there are very few highly rated competitors, Gytycatah is our first pick in the diamond wheel category. 

CBM grinding wheels seem far better-represented on Amazon than diamond wheels, and while Powertec's 8-inch 180-grit CBN wheel (the 6-inch version can be found here) is well-liked (4.9 stars on 17 ratings, more than typical for the category), even positive reviews can't help but reference the high price ($135.99 for a single wheel). However, one reviewer noted that the CBN wheel prompted him to buy a larger grinder, and it's not every day that you see an attachment appreciated enough to drive the purchase of a more expensive device.

You likely won't spend a better $7.99 for your bench grinder's performance than on Powertec's diamond dressing tool (4.6 stars on 2,149 ratings). There are more attractive, gimmicky options out there, but this basic tool does exactly what you need it to, and, seemingly, does it well: It resurfaces silicon carbide and aluminum oxide grinding wheels to remove buildup and burrs. Besides dressing grinder wheels, it can also be used for crowning. There are some reviewer complaints about the unevenness of the dresser's surface, but the general consensus is that this Powertec dresser offers good value for money.

A tool rest that can be accurately and evenly positioned ⅛ inch or closer to your bench grinding wheel is one of those non-optional safety accessories, and it can make all the difference in the usability and effectiveness of your bench grinder. Vevor's adjustable replacement tool rest and sharpening jig (4.4 stars on 52 reviews) works for 6- and 8-inch grinders. Purchasers find the $26.90 price so appealing that they can overlook a couple of reported flaws in its adjustability and levers.

The other indispensable safety accessory is an eye shield, and there are replacement shields aplenty on Amazon. At $39.99, Neeki's 4-by-6-inch eye shield (rated 4.9 stars across 17 reviews) might be pricey, but buyers say it's crystal clear, durable, and mounts easily to most bench grinders. A product image proclaims that this is a "13-pack," but don't get too excited; that actually refers to the total number of pieces in the kit: 2 polycarbonate shields and 11 bits of mounting hardware.

We expected a broader variety of mountable lamps, or at least of lights built for benchtop tools in general. The 5-watt Scottchen LED bench grinder lamp ($19.99) caught our eye because of its good rating (4.6 stars across 14 reviews), solid mounting base, and flexible neck, which offers 360-degree adjustment. The 5-watt LED is roughly equivalent to a 50-watt incandescent bulb; plenty for a tool-specific task light in most cases, even though not all reviewers agree. But most find it bright and useful enough, which is notable in the tool-lighting space.

Another rarity appears to be aftermarket inner and outer guard covers, probably due to the difficulty of fitting such a wide range of bench grinders. Harfington is one of only a few manufacturers in this space, and does reasonably well with an average of around 4 stars across all of its rated guard covers. To get a sense of how these guards work, consider this set of left and right shrouds ($33.39), but be sure to check the specs and reviews on all available options before ordering.

It pained us not to be able to choose a Jet-brand stand in this category, but Jet's bench grinder stands appear to all be fitted for particular Jet grinder models and we wanted a universal stand. There are a surprising number of stands on Amazon, and Wen's 32-inch bench grinder stand ($56.09, 4.6 stars across 1,621 ratings) is the most popular among purchasers. It comes with a water pot for cooling down materials and features a universal mounting plate that appears to be configurable for most bench grinders.

Amazon is cluttered with cheap plastic angle guides that have poor reviews. Our pick, the General Tools drill grinding attachment ($30.79, 4.2 stars on 1,374 ratings), is a nifty bit of kit, and is cheaper than and functionally equivalent to the only real competitors on Amazon, Draper and Sealey. It is essentially an elaborate angle and motion guide, and while a few purchasers found it difficult to set up, most reported it being perfectly functional and a great way to save money on drill bits by sharpening the ones you've already paid for.

We relied almost exclusively on Amazon reviewers' ratings and discussions of these attachments. We aimed to choose products with at least 50 reviews, where possible. Where this wasn't possible, we prioritized review counts of at least half as large as the competitor with the most ratings. And where even that wasn't possible, we subjectively judged the reliability of the few available reviews or excluded the category altogether, as was the case for belt sander attachments, which seem to only be represented on Amazon by one brand.

While we generally followed consumer ratings, we did give weight to other factors when the category was too close to call. Products with a substantial number of similar, credible safety-related complaints got dinged, while products from known name brands were occasionally privileged over generic or unbranded products with similar ratings.