Really? As a grinder substitute?

Definately. My 1 inch kalamazoo belt sander gets a lot of use.
The flat surface makes it ideal for grinding contors.
My 2 inch belt sander runs twice as fast and only gets used
for hogging off stock.

Another big plus is that you can use it for all kinds of metal.
Grinding aluminum is dangerous. Easy on a belt sander.

chuck