I owned the first version but did not have the Blade Grinding Attachment. I ended up not liking the results I got and found it wasn’t as foolproof as I had hoped. Fast forward to the release of the Mk.2: I bought it just because it came with a limited edition badge. That’s how ridiculous I am. I found the cassette with the guide to be just as difficult as the first time around. However, this version came with the Blade Grinding Attachment, so I figured I’d give it a whirl. It ended up being awesome. There is a learning curve, but I swear it’s less steep than using that guided cassette. I first practiced on my brother-in-law’s knives because he sucks. They turned out to be pretty sharp, and I didn’t screw anything up! With practice, I started to feel more confident and began to sharpen my own kitchen knives, then my pocket knives, and even some random things like a machete and a karambit. Now, I feel confident using it and love that I can use it as a belt grinder for flattening the spine or even thinning a blade. More on reddit.com

Mark 2 is just a bit easier to use. Instead of a wheel on the trigger to control speed, there is a button to push with a light readout showing the speed. The wheels on the grinding attachment can be adjusted to give you more or less slack on your convex edge. You can adjust the angle into .5 increments. The 90 plate on the grinding attachment is adjustable. Overall I do like it better than the original. More on reddit.com

great machine, tool sharpener addition is very good More on reddit.com

As a follow up, here are my 1st impressions. To cut to the chase, its a keeper! Like the difference between a Ford and a Cadillac I believe they used to say.  Both do the same thing, just in a different way.  The new WS has much less vibration and the rollers supported on both sides make all the belts run truer without flutter and with much less noise.  Didn’t expect that honestly, but it simply makes sharpening much less stressful without the noise/vibration.Had to learn a way to release the belt tensioner lever because the spring is so strong.  Finally figured it out by putting my left hand ‘behind/at the head’ of the BGA and then pushing the lever with my thumb.  That used to be a one hand job, but at least for me, no more.  Still adapting to routing the belts, especially the thin/flexible ones.  I’ll get it, but for now requires me to bend to the right to see what I’m doing because of the narrow available path to slide the belt into.All the new gadgets work as advertised including the moveable large roller.  Absolutely love the flatter bevel profile I can now get in the 3rd roller position not available on the original!  Another big plus is that there is now a metal ‘platen’ on the backside allowing absolutely flat grinding on things like scissors.  A big plus for me!  I had to install a piece of leather on the original to take up some space because of belt flex at that area.  No longer necessary as the belt runs cleanly directly against the platen.I also used the new V shaped sharpener with the guide off to sharpen some hedge clippers and found the same characteristics as the BGA, quite with less vibration and better belt tension.  Works great. More on reddit.com