Tormek T4 vs T8 – An In-depth Comparison That Helps You Make The Right Choice

The housing of T4 has a zinc top with ABS plastic sides. Both the motor shaft openings and universal support sleeves are cast into the zinc top as a piece, increasing sharpening accuracy by 300%.

The zinc top serves as a radiator and expends heat to avoid overheating. Although it performs an excellent operation, it certainly does not have the mechanical feel and look of the T8.

The T8 housing is identical to the T4, but now the body frames are machined into the zinc cast, along with two ABS plastic sideboards. This enhancement further increases stability and expends heat faster than T4.

The zinc combinations that we use today are as strong as magnesium and aluminum composites. They are steady, corrosion-resistant, outstandingly robust, and can be cast in more slender walls for a more lightweight product.

With such an improvement, you can expect the T8 housing to last for a long time. As usual, the shaft is made from stainless steel, no worry about it breaking, rusting, or bending over time.

Feel free to read the review on Tormek T8

The motor of T4 is a single-phase 120W. The T4 utilizes a motor that runs for 30 out of 60 minutes. That means it’s intended only to run at a time for 30 minutes, cooling time is required.

This lower-duty cycle, though, will not make much of a difference for a DIY hobbyist unless you’re running a professional sharpening service.

CHECK IT OUT [TORMEK T4]

The T8 incorporates a more powerful 200W motor. The duty cycle of the T8 motor is continuous, unlike T4, which runs for 30 minutes at a time. The motor can run continuously without the need to cool down. It runs on 115V with a 25,000-hour life.

Since this motor is designed to run continuously, it can handle heavy-duty sharpening jobs, including commercial use.

CHECK IT OUT [TORMEK T8]

Generally, the running speed of the T4 is 120 rpm. Unlike high-speed grinders, running at 120 rpm means a lesser chance of over-grinding unintentionally.

The T8 runs slower at the speed of 90 rpm, but it also means to provide stability and better cooling for all-day grinding. It requires a little patience to achieve perfection.

The grinding wheel of the T4 is 8″ x 1 5/8” (200×40 mm) instead of the standard 10″ x 2” (250×50 mm). It features a ceramic build grindstone wheel with 220 grit aluminum oxide.

This smaller-sized wheel gives the tool’s edge a more noticeable hollow grind compared to T8. The wheel is designed to run with water as a water-cooled sharpening system.

Unlike the T4, which has a smaller 8″ diameter, the T8 features a 10″ x 2” (250x50mm) grinding wheel. The width is slightly thicker, though.

Tormek packs a premier grinding wheel into the T8. It’s estimated to last 25% longer than the T4 wheel.

The leather honing wheel of the T4 is 5″ × 1″ (145×26 mm). Use it to remove blur and polish the blades to mirror finish. Along with the stropping paste, it only takes about 10-20 seconds for the honing wheel to hone a tool’s edge.

The T8 features an 8 5/8″ × 1 7/32″ (220×31 mm) honing wheel, bigger than the T4. The leather honing wheel is located opposite the grinding wheel and allows a smooth and razor finish.

The T4 includes a standard water trough that uses water to cool the steel for the entire sharpening process.

It allows the blade to be in contact with the grinding wheel for as long as it takes to achieve a razor-sharp edge. Sharpening and cooling at the same time.

The T8 comes with a noticeable improvement that allows you to adjust the height of the water trough to fit the size of the grindstone (when it becomes smaller over time). It’s a bigger trough and also includes a scraper with a magnet to ease the cleaning at the end of the day.

Unlike the T4, this water trough has an enlarged standard lip to prevent water spillage and keeps the workbench dry.

In addition, a handy chute is also included that you can clip on the flank of the water trough to direct water back to the trough. This makes it convenient to sharpen longer tools (chef’s knives and planer blades) that span over the side of the grindstone.

The Square Edge Jig sharpens chisels and plane irons and is an essential tool for woodworkers. However, in the T4 sharpener, the square edge jig is not available. You’ll need to buy a separate Square Edge Jig for the T4.

The availability of a variety of jigs ensures precise sharpening on almost any tool.

The T8 sharpener comes with the SE-77 Square Edge Jig. The revamped Square Edge jig features two adjustment knobs for putting a camber on plane blades.

It works by loosening the knobs to increase the motion of the jig, which facilitates an increase in the curvature of the bevel edge.

You can also define the camber by pressing hard on either side of the blades alternately while sharpening.

The Square Edge jig can securely hold tools that are up to 3″ wide and 3/8″ thick at an exact 90-degree angle to the grindstone. The pressure bar on the jig evens the clamping pressure on the tool by thrusting it up against the flat rim of the jig.

Although the T4 comes with a stone grader to change the grinding wheel grit, it does not include the truing tool. You will need to buy a separate truing tool to true the grindstone round and flat.

With the availability of the truing tool TT-50 in T8, you can dress and true your grindstone flat and round. It can instantly mount and lock on the Tormek Universal Support, which guides the truing tool as well as the jigs. It secures the surface of the stone parallel to the tool equipped in the jig.

W x D x H = 230 x 200 x 260 mm (9 1/16″ x 7 7/8″ x 10 1/4″)

W x D x H = 270 x 270 x 330 mm (10 5/8″ x 10 5/8″ x 12″)

The T8 is definitely bulkier since more features are built into it.

The full weight of the T4 is approximately 17.6 lbs (8.0 kg).  Although it’s compact and lighter, it’s not considered portable. You don’t carry it around like the handheld sharpener. It’s supposed to sit on the workbench to operate.

The T8 weighs more than T4 at 32.6 lbs (14.8 kg), and it’s the heaviest compared the two models.

The T8 industrial motor and the grindstone do make a difference. These make up a professional knife sharpener that is used by the pro.

The warranty on the T4 is 7 years, but it is limited to 2 years if you use it for industrial/commercial purposes. However, it can last about 10,000 hours.

The T8 also comes with a 7-year warranty, including commercial use.