Thanks guys. (Al, the vid didn't work for me but I tried.)
Sorry I wasn't a bit more specific as to how it would be used. I use mostly HSS cutting tools so the primary use would be for making/sharpening those tools. I do tend to do a good bit of fabrication work and the bench grinder has been a bit "limiting". I have never used a belt grinder for metal working but it does seem that it would be a little more fab friendly. With that in mind, I think the general trend in these answers is leaning towards the belt grinder. I could always pick up a less expensive bench grinder if I really, really need one for something but I don't want to dink around with the stuff I see at HF for this as one moving part is one too many (JMHO been burned there before.)
What I am thinking of/looking at right now is one of the KMG belt grinders -
Beaumont Metal Works, specifically the 3-speed KMG-10 (the variable speed seems like over-kill).
There are a number of plans out there to make one but by the time I source all the materials (no "salvage" to speak of here and I don't have enough or the right kind of scrap) I'm probably within spitting distance to the price of a pre-made one. The time I spend in the "shop" is at a premium so I don't really have the time it would take for me to make one and I need to have a grinder in place so that I can get back to working on my backlog of projects that NEED to get done.
And yes, I have alerted the wife to the fact that our credit card bill may come in smoking from the purchase. She's sympathetic to my loss so I only get a couple of gasps, rolled eyes, and clutching of the stomach.
Next I need to replace the welder but I'm trying to space the purchases out a bit to give my wife a little time to recover.
I'm still probably going to stew about this for another day or two before I pull the trigger so if I'm making a huge mistake or there is a better option be sure to let me know.
Thanks guys,
-Ron
P.S. I'm still as pissed off as I was the day I found my shop broken into. There is a choice piece of hell for those that steal others' stuff.