Chicago Electric Angle Grinder... HF deal

[Ole_Red]

Chicago Electric Angle Grinder... HF deal.. update

anyone ever pick one of these up? Opinions?

I noticed that they have decent reviews, as do the Drill Master Grinders
Thinking about snagging one to do the grinding on my white walls...

 

[Lhorn]

I think general opinion is:
Orange = pass
blue = fail

I've got the blue one and it does ok for running a cutting wheel for a short period of time.

 

[gonefirefighting]

I have had several and its a **** shoot. I opted to go to home depot and find the best deal there. ended up getting two bosch grinders in a box for pretty cheap. that was years ago.

I have honestly stayed away from anything HF sells that you have to "plug in"

 

[koolkev12]

I have two of them and gotten a TON of use out of them. For what you pay they are work great and I have never had a problem with them. Definitely recommend!!

 

[maxspeed96ct]

I have the black one with the red switch. It makes a great spare and I use it often . Its nice when you have more then one gringer and dont have to switch wheels back and fourth .

I have a love hate feeling for the store, the quality on alot of the stuff is realy poor, but some stuff it doesnt matter and some stuff is so inexpensive its still worth buying if your just going to use it on a rare occasion.

 

[LutzTD]

I have a sears grinder and it has lasted for years, some things from HF are passable, but for long term your just waiting for the shoe to drop. My luck it would fail at the worst possible time, this costs me too much peace of mind.

If youre an occasional user or plan to use it and throw it away then get it. I bought a tiny drill press from them last month to do a quick job I couldnt do with a hand drill. the table bolt had threads but they where not threads they were just thread shaped rings. Finally I tapped the hole and chased the bolt and got it together, other than that is has surprised me and kept working through a couple hundred 3/8 diameter step drill holes in 1/8 steel.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I think general opinion is:
Orange = pass
blue = fail

I've got the blue one and it does ok for running a cutting wheel for a short period of time.

Hmm, I have the blue one and have used it for about 4 years, sometimes for several hours at a time. I have a spare set of brushes that came with it, but haven't needed them yet.

IMHOA great deal for the price.

Jim

 

[Falcon67]

I've got an orange one, think I gave $10 for it. It's a good piece, had it for a while. I used the heck out of it putting the roll bar in the Mustang. With a good disk it'll chew metal. The shield on mine was a "metric 4 inch", so I put a USA made Norton flap disk in it and the shield self adjusted. No problem after that.

 

[LawnDart79]

I have an orange grinder (bought in a bind when my Milwaukee was 40 miles away) and I've been pleasantly surprised with it. She doesn't look like much, but does the job when needed.

 

[Ole_Red]

Thanks for the responses fellas. I may go ahead and try out the HF Grinder... see what happens. I am only planning on using them on my tires so nothing too ********. Probably end up shaving 5 tires total. I will probably get the $20-30 one and track down some decent discs.

It could be hit n miss on it so we shall see! I also plan on picking up a 25" breaker bar ($9) and a few other odds and ends.

 

[Imcrazy]

I catch them on sale and buy several so that I can set each up for a different purpose.

Sure I could buy one really nice Milwaukee or Bosch but this way I just the grab the angle grinder set up for what I want. I usually have one each with wire brush, grinding wheel, flap disc and cutoff wheel.

Doing it this way saves me a lot of time.

 

[2manytoyz]

I bought one of the $9 orange grinders from HF also. I replaced the grinding wheel, and it works great. Amazing they can sell them so cheap and still make a profit.

Heck, it comes with a warranty. Buy it, abuse it, if it dies, return it. Already got my money's worth.

 

[clarkebd]

I've thought about getting one too. So cheap at $19. I wish they had a 7" one. 9" is too big and when I used one to cut through some landscaping bricks, 4.5" was too small.

The big difference I see between these and some name brand is the motor amp's.
This has about 1/2 the amp rating as the big name ones (but of course this is about 1/2 the price too!)

Volts: 120 volts (60 Hz)
Amps: 4.5
Watts: 570
Grinding speed: 11,000 RPM
Arbor: 5/8''-11 threaded spindle with 7/8'' arbor adapter
Shipping Weight: 5.05 lbs.

 

[clarkebd]

Nevermind... I see they do have a 7" one for $40 though. But much better motor probably makes it worth the $20 more.

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-angle-grinder-67648.html

 

[superduty59]

Seriously, for $10 what do you have to loose. I have a blue one used and abused it for 3 years. Still works fine. I just bought the red one as a back up if I ever need. I had an $80 Dewalt that I burnt up doing some light grinding with a flap wheel. This lasted a lot longer and I could buy 8 for the price of a Dewalt.

 

[clarkebd]

yeah I will spring for the 7" one. I don't have any coupons, but just subscribed to their mailing list. I'm sure they will send me a bunch.

We have a Northern Tool place 15 min from the house, but the HF place is about 40 min from the house so I never bought much of anything from them b/c of that.

 

[Conor]

keep in mind a 7" Angle Grinder gets heavy after a short while. Id stick with the 4.5" unless you have a specifc reason for needing one that big.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Costco is selling 4.5" Hitachi's for $20 or $25, I cant quite recall, seems to me it was only $20, which I thought, considering the brand was really cheap. I only bought one, I should have bought two. I didnt need one, Ive got three others, but at that price...

 

[Kentguy13]

I've burned up the red and blue ones already. I'm working on the black drill master right now, but after 6 months of cutting, grinding, and sanding the bearings in it are not nearly as nice as they were when new. I do like the switch on the Drill Master the best, and for the price I have no other complaints.

...I had an $80 Dewalt that I burnt up doing some light grinding with a flap wheel. This lasted a lot longer and I could buy 8 for the price of a Dewalt.

This is too bad... I was thinking of finally investing in the Dewalt when I burn this one, my 3rd, up. I did finally buy a cupped/knotted wire wheel by Dewalt for the 4-1/2", I love the dang thing. I should have spent that $15 years ago!

 

[crewchief888]

i have a couple of the orange ones.
they been hanging in there for 4 or 5 years now.
they do shake and vibrate quite a bit more than the dewalt & hitachi i have.

hope the old lady dont find out about them, i'll never find em again

 

[Joe Reed]

I've thought about getting one too. So cheap at $19. I wish they had a 7" one. 9" is too big and when I used one to cut through some landscaping bricks, 4.5" was too small.

The big difference I see between these and some name brand is the motor amp's.
This has about 1/2 the amp rating as the big name ones (but of course this is about 1/2 the price too!)

Volts: 120 volts (60 Hz)
Amps: 4.5
Watts: 570
Grinding speed: 11,000 RPM
Arbor: 5/8''-11 threaded spindle with 7/8'' arbor adapter
Shipping Weight: 5.05 lbs.

I've used the orange HF 4.5" angle grinder to cut landscaping bricks and blocks. You don't have to cut all that deep....just a deep score then break them off.

I've used (abused?) the heck out of that grinder and it still works. For only $19 I'll just trash it and buy a new one when (if?) it dies. For a tool that only gets occasional use, I don't see the point of buying an expensive grinder....I'd rather spend that money on a tool I use a lot.

 

[Ole_Red]

http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-4-1-2-half-inch-angle-grinder-91223.html#pr-header-91223

is this the "orange" one that you guys keep referring to?

 

[srmofo]

I had a blue one years ago....it lasted for a couple of hours before I let the smoke out. The thing vibrated so bad it wasnt worth the gas to go exchange it

 

[crewchief888]

http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-4-1-2-half-inch-angle-grinder-91223.html#pr-header-91223

is this the "orange" one that you guys keep referring to?

i think thats the newer style RED one.

the orange ones are, well...

orange

i havent seen any in a store for (probably) a couple years, but i dont pay that much attention to them anymore.

 

[Zeke]

The red one looks exactly like the orange ones I have. HF doesn't seem to show the orange one anymore. I bought 2 of them and the 3/8ths drill motor so I could leave them in the floorboard of a project car rather than go to the tool box and get the nicer makita out.

That was at least 2 cars ago.

 

[diggerrick]

I catch them on sale and buy several so that I can set each up for a different purpose.

Sure I could buy one really nice Milwaukee or Bosch but this way I just the grab the angle grinder set up for what I want. I usually have one each with wire brush, grinding wheel, flap disc and cutoff wheel.

Doing it this way saves me a lot of time.

My philosophy almost exactly, except I bought a "nearly new" Dewalt with a couple spare wheels and a nice case at a pawn shop for $30 that I use for heavy grinding. The HF grinders have a cutoff wheel, a wire wheel, and a Scotchbrite wheel.

 

[Ole_Red]

well I picked up the red one tonight. I will report back once I use it. I picked up a 10-pack of assorted discs as well.

 

[Ole_Red]

well I picked up the red one tonight. I will report back once I use it. I picked up a 10-pack of assorted discs as well.

It worked very well. Was able to grind down one tire and got a good feel for it. Pretty confident in my purchase.

Check out the pics of the final product: CLICK HERE!

 

[ed_v]

At the price they sell for, I have thought about buying a few of them for different purposes. I love the Makita's with the safety paddle switch though. If there is a way to hurt yourself, I usually find a way. If they had a HF model with the paddle switch I'd be all over it!

Ed

 

[Ole_Red]

At the price they sell for, I have thought about buying a few of them for different purposes. I love the Makita's with the safety paddle switch though. If there is a way to hurt yourself, I usually find a way. If they had a HF model with the paddle switch I'd be all over it!

Ed

They do! The BLUE ONE

Almost picked that one up..... but didnt feel like spending the extra $10

 

[Kentguy13]

Ole Red.... that's a great idea! I like the white wall tire video. Thanks!

 

[Ole_Red]

Ole Red.... that's a great idea! I like the white wall tire video. Thanks!

thanks. A lot of people put the back end up on jacks and then put the car in reverse and do it that way. It goes super quick if you do it that way. I didnt want to risk anything so it was just as easy to pull the wheel off and go to town that way.

 

[ckadams00]

I have a blue one and don't tax it very hard - no complaints. I also have two two Chinese that I picked up on sale at Menard's for $9 each (I mean really how can you pass up a $9 grinder?). I have a decent DeWalt that I use when I really need to workat something - I think for light use you'd be fine. I would rather have several of these cheap ones with different wheels set up than only one expensive one. Not everyone can afford seven Metabo like Jack . . .

 

[larry4406]

I have the Drill Master version http://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-half-inch-angle-grinder-95578.html

I got it once for $9.99. Works extremely well. My Ryobi grinder died from a switch issue yet it was about $30 at Home Depot. I will be buying two more of the Drill Master versions.

 

[RCL]

Have used and abused three of the orange HF grinders. Just swab out the grease that is in them and replace with a good synthetic and they do fine.

 

[Displaced Hokie]

I have the red one and it's OK. Not very powerful, and sounds like it's about to explode in the gearbox. But, it soldiers on. I've lubed the box and it's fine inside. I ran it yesterday with a cutoff wheel cutting a groove in some concrete and it worked fine. Again, for $9 how can I complain?

For big jobs I have this 7" one and love it. I use it as a polisher, a sander, and a grinder and it's awesome. Great power and I like the variable speed. It does not have a grinder shield, however.

 

[Ole_Red]

I have the Drill Master version http://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-half-inch-angle-grinder-95578.html
I got it once for $9.99. Works extremely well. My Ryobi grinder died from a switch issue yet it was about $30 at Home Depot. I will be buying two more of the Drill Master versions.

I almost picked this one up. Who knows, I still might if I decide it isnt worth the hassle of changing discs.

I have the red one and it's OK. Not very powerful, and sounds like it's about to explode in the gearbox. But, it soldiers on. I've lubed the box and it's fine inside. I ran it yesterday with a cutoff wheel cutting a groove in some concrete and it worked fine. Again, for $9 how can I complain?

For big jobs I have this 7" one and love it. I use it as a polisher, a sander, and a grinder and it's awesome. Great power and I like the variable speed. It does not have a grinder shield, however.

The red one doesn't seem to scream at all. I was actually expecting it to be a lot louder than it was.

I almost bought the 7" polisher as well, just to have it. I currently have 2 Oreilly's electric buffers that I rotate back and forth between. Once one dies, I will probably upgrade to one like that though.

Have used and abused three of the orange HF grinders. Just swab out the grease that is in them and replace with a good synthetic and they do fine.

I will probably change the grease out at some point... or just swap it out for a new one once it goes **** up!

 

[AZBarracuda]

My neighbor and I have been buying the blue ones (x3), the orange ones (x4), and recently the Drill Master (black one) when they go on sale for $9 over the past 10 years. Purchased as disposables, they are used moderately for projects and have held up pretty well despite the tool-abusive nature of my neighbor. Have had the on/off switch fail on a blue one after 2 years, but fixed it by bypassing the switch internally and installing a line switch in the cord. Dropped a blue one from some altitude and split the shell. Fixed it with JB Weld. The latest blue one had really crappy bearings straight out of the box. Too much play in the drive shaft and it shakes. Only had one orange one fail: gear head. I like the ergonomics of the Drill Master, and it works great.

 

[Eldogg]

We have had great luck with the paddle switch H/F grinders at the shop, I bought them after reading lots of good reviews on pirate4x4.

 

[Ole_Red]

My neighbor and I have been buying the blue ones (x3), the orange ones (x4), and recently the Drill Master (black one) when they go on sale for $9 over the past 10 years. Purchased as disposables, they are used moderately for projects and have held up pretty well despite the tool-abusive nature of my neighbor. Have had the on/off switch fail on a blue one after 2 years, but fixed it by bypassing the switch internally and installing a line switch in the cord. Dropped a blue one from some altitude and split the shell. Fixed it with JB Weld. The latest blue one had really crappy bearings straight out of the box. Too much play in the drive shaft and it shakes. Only had one orange one fail: gear head. I like the ergonomics of the Drill Master, and it works great.

We have had great luck with the paddle switch H/F grinders at the shop, I bought them after reading lots of good reviews on pirate4x4.

Once we get our garage (and house) and I get the garage organized, I will probably pick up a couple of the $9 ones. I believe the paddle ones were $25 when I was there... maybe a deal is coming down the pike soon on those.