Metabo, Fein, Hitachi, Milwaukee angle grinders- a peek inside

tarbellb · Jan 21, 2018

Opened all my grinders to lube and curiosity sake, some notable differences in just the gear assemblies.

Left to right- Brushless Hitachi G12VE, Metabo WEV-15-125, Fein WSG14-125, Milwaukee 6130-33, Hitachi G12SR3

_ Both Hitachi's have a smaller diameter gear.
_ Metabo had the least amount of grease, but the ONLY one with a gasket.
_ Both the cheaper models, Milwaukee and Hitachi GS12 had a bushing instead of a bearing.
_ Fein seemed to have the tightest tolerances?
_ Funky blue grease for the Milwaukee? That 6amp Hitachi on the right is my oldest grinder, 10+ yrs now, been seriously beat on (like running 4" wire cups..)

Overall about what you would expect.
==============

This all came about because I just bought (2) Brushless Hitachi G12VE and had a chance to test and play around.

Did a quick review here- https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=357786

But overall very happy for the price, paid about $125 ea, about what they are going for right now. Compared to Metabo WEV series that start at $190 and go up.
Performance seems to be about on par with Metabo, but the biggest gain with the brushless motor is
_ super skinny barrel, very comfortable and perfectly balanced!
_ lower noise, about half that of my Fein and Metabo.

The work I do benefits a ton from variable speed, its a convenient feature for sure.

rmsg0040 · Jan 21, 2018

Love my metabo with the "quick" feature, makes all others seem inferior

tarbellb · Jan 21, 2018

rmsg0040 said:
Love my metabo with the "quick" feature, makes all others seem inferior

I liked it too, till I saw one of those "quick" nuts brake, turned into a real pita. (so much ****** innuendo...)

Still love my Metabo, but this Hitachi has better features and cheaper. When Metabo comes out with a Brushless that will be interesting.

rmsg0040 · Jan 21, 2018

Just looking at that pin wrench is hurting my eyes LOL

Fender1325 · Jan 22, 2018

They're all quick release really. No tool needed. Hold the stopper button down and spin the disc to tighten or loosen.

tarbellb · Jan 22, 2018

Fender1325 said:
They're all quick release really. No tool needed. Hold the stopper button down and spin the disc to tighten or loosen.

This ^^^^ I threw the wrench, allen, and 1/4" disc in the trash.

Been handtighting for years with no problems.

maico · Jan 22, 2018

tarbellb said:
I liked it too, till I saw one of those "quick" nuts brake, turned into a real pita. (so much ****** innuendo...)

Still love my Metabo, but this Hitachi has better features and cheaper. When Metabo comes out with a Brushless that will be interesting.

Presumably the quick release could break if you ignore the warnings and press it when the rpm is to high ?

I haven't had any problems with mine which here in the UK was the cheapest non-Chinese made vari-speed grinder available.

tarbellb · Mar 21, 2018

Lucky guy to have "cheap" Metabos running around....

I think the quick feature is neat, but again I just break all my disc loose by hand making it a moot point.

Just got done using my new Hitachi for the latest project, grinding non stop for 4-6hrs a day x 15 days. Never skipped a beat. So easy to handle, constantly found myself holding it with one hand no problem and way more control at odd angles.

How long will it take for anybody else to build a Brushless (corded) grinder?

engineer2 · Mar 21, 2018

Interesting that some taper their pinion gear and some do not.

Lelandwelds · Mar 21, 2018

I don't think I have ever done that. How are you cleaning? What is your lube of choice? Aerosols carb cleaner? Ultra sound? Synthetic marine wheel bearing grease?

Mine either sprout legs or fry the insulation. I use the 4.5" when I should break out the 8000 rpm B&D, the Makita GA7911, or the 9" Hitachi. The biguns do knock out the work but kill the operator.

dutchgray · Mar 21, 2018

I never bother replacing the grease unless they develop a leak and you need to add some, the motors always fail first in mine and its not worth the cost to replace the field or armature.

Wamsutta · Mar 21, 2018

I tried all kinds of different greases to get my Bosch grinder to run cool. The metal gearbox housing would always get real hot real fast. Finally on a whim I decided to try it without grease. Runs cool as a cucumber without grease. I figure the grease blocks the airflow of the cooling fan that's on the end of the motor. The grinder is the model 1375A.

Locator · Mar 21, 2018

A question - looking at that Hitachi G12VE, as well as Metabos and Feins that also have the clutch that is supposed to stop to prevent kickback - does that work to prevent wire cup brush kickback?

In other words, I've thought about getting a grinder with paddle switch for using wire brush wheels and cups. I would prefer a variable speed model, to use the wire wheels at a slower speed, but I've not seen any Metabo like that.

I have the Hitachi brushless, but haven't used it with a wire cup brush, yet.

Thanks.

anndel · Mar 21, 2018

Love my Metabo quick...still made in Germany but curious to see now that Hitachi MTP was sold off by Hitachi to an investment holding company.

It'll be interesting if you included the Harbor Freight Hercules angle grinder in this study as well.

Thanks for sharing!

PWC Repair · Mar 21, 2018

Interesting that the Metabo spins opposite of all the others......wonder why?

Wamsutta · Mar 21, 2018

Locator said:
A question - looking at that Hitachi G12VE, as well as Metabos and Feins that also have the clutch that is supposed to stop to prevent kickback - does that work to prevent wire cup brush kickback?

In other words, I've thought about getting a grinder with paddle switch for using wire brush wheels and cups. I would prefer a variable speed model, to use the wire wheels at a slower speed, but I've not seen any Metabo like that.

I have the Hitachi brushless, but haven't used it with a wire cup brush, yet.

Thanks.

The only one I found that's variable speed with a paddle switch is the Bosch GWS13-50VSP (2800-11,500 RPM). None of the Metabo models with a paddle switch are variable speed.

https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/angle-grinders-gws13-50vsp-143519-p/

Locator · Mar 21, 2018

Wamsutta said:
The only one I found that's variable speed with a paddle switch is the Bosch GWS13-50VSP (2800-11,500 RPM). None of the Metabo models with a paddle switch are variable speed.

https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/angle-grinders-gws13-50vsp-143519-p/

Yeah, I've seen that one, as well as a Makita 5" model. I've been thinking about the Makita, but if the auto-stop technology works with wire wheels, I could use the Hitachi. It's just that I'm not sure if the wire wheels completely stop when they kickback and does it require a complete stop for the anti-kickback to work?

Wamsutta · Mar 21, 2018

Locator said:
Yeah, I've seen that one, as well as a Makita 5" model. I've been thinking about the Makita, but if the auto-stop technology works with wire wheels, I could use the Hitachi. It's just that I'm not sure if the wire wheels completely stop when they kickback and does it require a complete stop for the anti-kickback to work?

I'm trying to figure out how you're going to get a wire wheel caught on something anyway. I suppose it's possible, but I've never had it happen to me. Usually wire wheels are pretty forgiving. Just make sure you're using the side handle at all times.

dutchgray · Mar 21, 2018

PWC Repair said:
Interesting that the Metabo spins opposite of all the others......wonder why?

It doesn't, they have reversed the angle of the gear teeth which reverses the loading on the pinion, I think its to do with safety clutch mechanism but as I havent had one apart i'm not certain.

Wamsutta · Mar 21, 2018

dutchgray said:
It doesn't, they have reversed the angle of the gear teeth which reverses the loading on the pinion, I think its to do with safety clutch mechanism but as I havent had one apart i'm not certain.

Don't most grinders spin clockwise as you're looking down on them?

Tinner · Mar 21, 2018

Wamsutta said:
Don't most grinders spin clockwise as you're looking down on them?

I've never seen one that didn't,

tarbellb · Mar 22, 2018

I havent ran a cup a big cup brush on the Hitachi yet, but i do know what you are talking about with the kick. Usually its when you catch it going against the grain.

Perhaps I will throw my 4" brass cup on and see what happens, I suspect the safety kicks in anytime the motor gets bogged down to ** rpms which might happen with a large cup kicking?

Wamsutta · Mar 22, 2018

tarbellb said:
I havent ran a cup a big cup brush on the Hitachi yet, but i do know what you are talking about with the kick. Usually its when you catch it going against the grain.

Perhaps I will throw my 4" brass cup on and see what happens, I suspect the safety kicks in anytime the motor gets bogged down to ** rpms which might happen with a large cup kicking?

You have to be careful not to exceed the RPM printed on the wire wheel; doing so will put a lot of stress on the motor and cook the windings.

dutchgray · Mar 22, 2018

Tinner said:
I've never seen one that didn't,

We had a Ryobi 12" electric disc cutter that ran backwards, always trying to push itself into your legs as you cut stuff, Dad gave the thing away in the end as it was just felt wrong using the thing.

Metabo, Fein, Hitachi, Milwaukee angle grinders- a peek inside

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