I bought this grinder to replace a 25 year old Ryobi BE321 that I've driven about 100,000 miles on (and it still works). I was concerned that the Makita would not be balanced. however, due to the motor housing/drive belt protruding from the left side of the mill housing, did not prove to be a problem. The grinder is well balanced. The ergonomics are different from the BE321's locomotive style, but it didn't take long to get used to using the grinder. Replacing the strap is easy and the strapโฆ