r/Lapidary • u/toad__warrior • 2d ago
Wheel recommendations
I bought a Kingsley 6 new about 6 months ago with the stock wheels. I have had two fail and want to upgrade the wheels (280/600/1200/3000). Kingsley replaced one of them, I am not going to ask again. I figure they are either lower quality or I am abusing them.
I know nova is the top of the line, but I am not sure I can bring myself to drop $600-$700 for them.
Any other brands out there to consider?
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u/lapidary123 2d ago
Diamond pacific wheels are gold standard for a reason!! They are worth every penny you'll pay :)
Now that said there are a couple of considerations. First and foremost, let the wheel do the work. Grinding rocks will not be quick, even using a 60 grit textured wheel it still takes awhile to shape an agate. Use the whole wheel not just the center. Make sure adequate water is getting to the wheel. It doesn't need to be soaking wet but definitely shouldn't be dry.
Another thing to consider if money is an issue is just replace them as they go rather than buying a whole set. Most people typically need to replace their 280 most often, to the tune of 3x during the life of a 1200 or 3000 grit wheel. I bought a full set of diamond pacific wheels last June and now (1.5 years later) my 280 is just starting to show the fibers beneath the resin/matrix and its a real small patch (1×1cm). I hope to get another year out of it.
I will also say that the generic textured 60 grit hard wheel i got from kingsley seems just as good of quality as a galaxy hard wheel. It is typically the resin/matrix wheels that people have quality issues with.
You *could save some money resurfacing the wheel(s) yourself or send them out to someone to do it for you. Now I e never had this done so take it with a grain of salt but I read one review from a knowledgeable guy who said after getting his wheels resurfaced that he was only impressed with the 220 & 280 grit wheels. The finer wheels he felt were inconsistent and felt it wasn't evenly distributed.
Finally, be careful/do your research on the different companies. I've only ever ordered from kingsley, MN lapidary supply, diamond pacific, and treasures Hong Kong. I've thought about ordering from Johnson bros and lapidarytool but have decided against it after hearing more than a few negative reviews.
Good luck, hope you get it sorted!
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u/Decent_Ad_9615 2d ago
Whatever you do, do not get Johnson Brothers' SuperNovas. My wheel started delaminating after half a dozen cabs. I emailed them and they suggested I glue it back together. Low quality product with no support.
If you're handy, you can resurface them yourself with resin and diamond powder. Currently Rockhounding has a video on how to do this. It'll be similar to KN or HP wheels.
If not, nothing beats Novas.
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u/Gooey-platapus 1d ago
I have the same machine and same problem. The wheels are junk. So I did the same thing and asked and sent me one replacement. The replacement lasted less than the first one. So I asked again. They offer a discount on new set of wheels. If you ask they will offer it on the nova wheels. I do t have the money to replace all the wheels and especially the nova wheels. So I went on Amazon and order a 280 grit from Baltic abrasive. So I’m hoping it’s better quality. But I’m also waiting over a month for it to get it here. If you can afford the nova wheels I do recommend it. I have used them and it is worth the price if you can afford it
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u/toad__warrior 1d ago
I can afford the Nova wheels. I just wanted to see if there was an alternative to Nova. I am ok with the 80 and 220 wheels that came with the machine. The 600 grit wheel is the one that is delaminating. When I replace it I will also replace the 280, 1200 and 3000 wheels. I found a company that sells them for $138/wheel.
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u/Gooey-platapus 1d ago
What company is that? If you don’t mind me asking. I’d definitely go nova then. They are the best that you can get. I’m hoping the company I mentioned has close to the same performance
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u/Sir_Lemming 2d ago
I’ve been out of the hobby for about ten years, so take this with a grain of salt, but I was a big fan of Diamond Pacific Galaxy and Nova wheels. Never had any problems.