Angle Grinder Recommendation

[kc-steve]

The only threaded attachments I use are the DeWalt knotted wire wheels and they work just fine on all the grinders I have or have had in the past. The DeWalt grinder I have will also use the standard non-threaded griding wheels that can be used on most any other 4 1/2" grinder. . . .

Well then, just chalk it up to my 'rebellious attitude' of disliking companies that try to squeeze more money out of consumers by making them THINK they have to use their proprietary consumables with their products.

I've been very happy with Milwaukee, HF, and Skil.

Steve

 

[filtered]

I've had 2 grinders so far. A HF which was absolute junk. It died in less than a year with very little use. To me HF power tools is like throwing your money in the trash. I'd rather spend more money and get more life out of my tools. I now own a Dewalt 4 1/2" 7 amp that i've had for 4 years if not more. It's still going strong. My buddy recommended buying a Dewalt, he's got the 10 amp version and abuses the heck out of it. It's got to be at least 7 years old if not more. I am impressed it still works knowing how much use and abuse it's taken over the years.

 

[Bo Heck]

I have 2 metabos, a 4.5" and 6", they are great machines, really enjoy the no tool quick change. I have used a Milwaukee 4.5" that was very smooth and had good power, they are pretty nice but need a spanner to change the disk. I have used a HF pretty extensively and it was a little scary. Vibrated like crazy and not near as powerful. The 50 dollar dewalts from Lowes seem to be pretty decent tools from word of mouth but I havent used one.

 

[all4sho]

I have 3 Dewalt D28402W ( 10 amp ) and love them, and I use them almost everyday!!!

 

[Monte]

If you look for a angle grinder with very slim housing look for the Bosch "1380 SLIM"

Several manufacturers offer their angle grinders with "Quick" flange nuts like Metabo, Bosch, Makita and Flex so you don´t need the wrench anymore to remove cutting/grinding discs which are too tight to remove them by hand. The "Quick flange nuts" get rid of that problem.

If you need more power and grind more often like every day or several days a week i can recommend a "rat tail" angle grinder because it´s more comfortable to hold on the long run because of the slimmer rear handle.

 

[davidj]

I have used most of the grinders out there, have owned a lot of them. For giggles I bought a couple of the Wallyworld at 30$ a piece. Way above the HF things and I am going to run one to see how long before it blows up, so far so good, very good power and if they all are like this I am about done buying more expensive grinders.

x2 on the walmart ones. its a Skil 4.5 grinder. I have used the **** out of mine and it has never let me down.

 

[crewchief888]

i have 3 HF orange models that are 4 years old, and no problems, a 3 year old dewalt, and a year old hitachi.
mine get beat up, dropped and stepped on quite often, never get cleaned and look like they possibly did some work on the ark.

as sugested before, go hang onto a few in the store before you decide on what to buy.
some tools just dont have the right feel to me.

maybe i'm a little wierd.

ok maybe a lot..........

 

[Greatbear]

The HDs around here currently have a deal on a pair of Bosch 4 1/2" angle grinders, two in a box, for $79. I'm not sure of the model numbers, however.

 

[jcabbbang]

Have a Milwaukee and a Dewalt, both work well but Milwaukee is the better of the two.

 

[Vinko]

Sorry, I don't have any examples because I don't use them. I first came to this conclusion when I tried to buy a simple cutting wheel with just a hole for an arbor at Home Depot and they had no such thing. All they had on their shelves at my local HD were disks that were threaded for DeWalts.

So if I am mistaken I am sorry,

I think you are mistaken. For kicks, I compared every Metabo, Bosch, Makita, and Milwaukee in our shop. None require anything special.

but it seems to me that ANY ATTACHMENT should be pretty much universal AND CHEAPER than something that is specially made for a specific brand.

Again, almost any attachment I've ever used on any of the above is universal, though I'd rather use higher quality versions of the above than anything else. Cheap costs me too much money in the long run.

The universal type is what I CURRENTLY use for Milwaukee, HF, and Skil angle grinders. And they are made by a large number of quality manufacturers, but I can't say that 3m makes them because I don't use 3m either.

Everything I've used from 3M (via McMaster-Carr) is universal as well. Happens to be a lot higher quality than the junk out there (and over an extended period of time, I save a lot of money), but that's another point.

 

[JayL]

How about a Bosch Variable Speed angle grinder? The capability to change speed comes in handy.

 

[Vinko]

How about a Bosch Variable Speed angle grinder? The capability to change speed comes in handy.

Nice to have that option.

I need another pneumatic die grinder that's about 8-12K rpm, in order to really use a wire wheel right.

In my experience, it's a lot better at that speed than at 25,000RPM.

Anyone have another idea on this?

 

[Vic1964]

Thanks for all the great advice. I ended up buying a DeWalt D28402K 4-1/2-Inch Small Angle Grinder Kit from amazon.com. I have not really put it to the test yet. I bought a wire brush for it over at Lowe's and used it to clean up some rusty brackets from my project car. It worked great for that. It would have taken me hours with sandpaper or a hand-held wire brush.

A couple of observations from this first project. I need to get a face shield and heavy duty gloves. Even using just the wire brush attachment, bit and pieces would occassionlly go flying. Also it looks pretty easy to take a chunk out of a finger if you are not careful. (I was wearing safety glasses and mechanics leather gloves).

 

[crewchief888]

Thanks for all the great advice. I ended up buying a DeWalt D28402K 4-1/2-Inch Small Angle Grinder Kit from amazon.com. I have not really put it to the test yet. I bought a wire brush for it over at Lowe's and used it to clean up some rusty brackets from my project car. It worked great for that. It would have taken me hours with sandpaper or a hand-held wire brush.

A couple of observations from this first project. I need to get a face shield and heavy duty gloves. Even using just the wire brush attachment, bit and pieces would occassionlly go flying. Also it looks pretty easy to take a chunk out of a finger if you are not careful. (I was wearing safety glasses and mechanics leather gloves).

i dont wear heavy (leather) gloves when grinding, cutting or even welding.

i never feel like i have a good grip with heavy gloves on

most of the time a cheap pair of brown jersey gloves are fine, if i wear leather gloves welding, i have a pair of thin tig gloves.

a face shield is a good idea, along with a pair of safety glasses.

 

[Ritter4.0]

I bought the $39 Porter Cable 4 1/2" one from Lowes a little over a year ago. I got it to use and abuse. It works great, even after being left out in the rain for a day or two by accident. I have bogged it down, and put it in a vise to use a flap wheel as a mini disc sander more than a few times. It looks very similar to the Black and Decker one posted, so it might be the same...

As far as safety, I always wear safety glasses, have my noise canceling headphones in (music is way better than the grinding noise), and wear a welding glove on the hand not on the trigger.

 

[Gregg33]

Other than a B&D belt sander which I rarely use, all my power tools are Makita. I have a 4.5 like mentioned in a previous post. Other than a on/off switch instead of a trigger I have no complaints. I used it (with a cutting wheel) to a large steel plate apart and also cut large diameter rusted nuts and bolts to remove a gearbox from a Bush Hog as I don't have torches. I ran it probably for a good hr almost non-stop. The grinder works just as good as new. I also have an expensive 6" (aluminum gearboxed) lightweight Makita that I use with a "nail head" to grind tires for my dirt car. Thats a very good machine as well, tons of power, but probably overkill for most casual users and not good for tight spaces.

btw...I've used several different DeWalt tolls over the years and I think you'll be pleased with that one as well.

 

[JayL]

A couple of observations from this first project. I need to get a face shield

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VXXUWK/?tag=atomicindus08-20

This has been recommended before by veteran members. I have one on the way as well.

 

[lamywaby]

I have two Metabo 4 1/2" grinders, they are by far my favorite ones to use. I also have a DeWalt and a Hitachi, the DeWalt is almost always used with a knotted wire wheel and has held up pretty well for the past year I've had it, it does have more gear noise now than it did when it was new but it has seen some pretty heavy use. The Hitachi has a cup wheel on it and gets the least use but I've never had any issues with it.

I also bought a 4 1/2" Milwaukee with the paddle switch but it was unbalanced when I tried to use it and had pretty bad gear whine. I expected better from an almost $100 tool so I returned it and spent the few extra buck for the Metabo. To be fair though I do have a 9" Milwaukee angle grinder and it has never let me down on the heavy work.

IMO the Metabo is worth getting just for the quick change feature if you only plan on having one or two grinders.

Erik

Can any of you good people recommend a modestly priced angle grinder? Ideally less than £50. Only going to have occassional, relatively light use. Immediate job is cutting about 1 metre long, 5 cm deep into a hard yet brittle lime mortar floor. Would like to puchase from a bricks and mortar shop, Screwfix, B&Q etc. Thanks.

 

[dnschmidt]

Grinders = Metabo

 

[Dave455]

Cheapest effective grinder I’ve found is the Makita 4530. I have other / better grinders but use this for rust cleaning etc.

£55 from Screwfix in the U.K.

Problem is, you’re not going to be able to cut 2“ with it. You probably need at least a 7” grinder.

Cheapest I’d go for would be Makita again, and you’re looking at £100 if you shop around. I really wouldn’t go much cheaper. You can do it, but these cheap grinders really are awful to use.



Spend a frac more and you can get a German made Fein or a German made Metabo (make sure they are German - cheapest in each range are not) or a better grade of Makita.

dnschmidt above is entirely correct, Metabo excel at grinders, but you will be looking at more money.

The better grinders give you more powerful motors, usually smoother, paddle switches, and variable speed.

 

[seber]

I've had just about every brand pass through my hands at one time or another. The best are without question Metabo. They are also the most expensive. Bosch is also very good and higher priced. Makita is very reliable but the rated power is a lie, They are always what I consider under powered. Milwaukee makes good power tools but the switches have always been troublesome. Easy to replace though. Otherwise, it'd just the luck of some are better examples from the same mfg.
Edit: Forgot to add my favorite, Hilti.

 

[finn]

Another thirteen year old zombie thread

 

[Hytekrednek]

my 2 Metabo units never let me down. Love them. One is a regular 5'', the other is a 6'' with the very thin/long head, flathead i think its called. Both great tools

 

[Hytekrednek]

I have two Metabo 4 1/2" grinders, they are by far my favorite ones to use. I also have a DeWalt and a Hitachi, the DeWalt is almost always used with a knotted wire wheel and has held up pretty well for the past year I've had it, it does have more gear noise now than it did when it was new but it has seen some pretty heavy use. The Hitachi has a cup wheel on it and gets the least use but I've never had any issues with it.

I also bought a 4 1/2" Milwaukee with the paddle switch but it was unbalanced when I tried to use it and had pretty bad gear whine. I expected better from an almost $100 tool so I returned it and spent the few extra buck for the Metabo. To be fair though I do have a 9" Milwaukee angle grinder and it has never let me down on the heavy work.

IMO the Metabo is worth getting just for the quick change feature if you only plan on having one or two grinders.

Erik

I agree. My 2 are very smooth and a pleasure to use. I really like the 6'' flathead model

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Y fave is a Black&Decker Industrial 7"(I think DeWalt did a version too), but I keep a Bosch antivibe handle on it.

 

[bb29510]

the german metabo has a faster rpm, making them better for cutting, they not going be sold at the box store but at the contruction equipment store

 

[thooks]

Another thirteen year old zombie thread

You gonna complain that the guy who brought it up used the search function?

 

[thooks]

I have both of the Makita grinders shown above (in recent times).

The ~$50 side switch Makitas are great for having around to keep dedicated to a cutting wheel, flap disc, grinding disc. I have two of them. They are NOT production shop grade/quality, they probably wouldn't last 3 months in a fab shop. For home use, occasional professional use, they are hard to beat as far as price/capability.

I have the 7" grinder, it is a beast and is great for hogging off material quickly with flap wheels. It also is great when using high-end, industrial quality cutting discs, it is equivalent to Metabo on that regard but heavier/bulkier.

I also have a couple of Makita 5" rat tail grinders. They are fab shop grade, they are work horses.

 

[finn]

You gonna complain that the guy who brought it up used the search function?

Yup. Most likely tools recommended on the first couple of pages aren’t even available anymore, or at least aren’t relevant to what is commonly available today.

Threads, like tools, especially power tools, have a shelf life, and should be allowed to expire after a time.

Edit: Also, when this thread was fresh, I may have recommended my then relatively new Metabo. After using it for a while, it’s among my least favorite. It’s no better than the Bosch or Milwaukee, but now I reach for my cordless Dewalt nine times out of ten.

Cordless is most handy for all but the biggest grinding tasks. No cords, no air lines.

 

[thooks]

Yup. Most likely tools recommended on the first couple of pages aren’t even available anymore, or at least aren’t relevant to what is commonly available today.

Threads, like tools, especially power tools, have a shelf life, and should be allowed to expire after a time.

The grinders that were recommended to the guy that brought this thread up from the grave are available today. He simply used the search function and .... brought this thread up to date for all intents and purposes.

 

[finn]

The grinders that were recommended to the guy that brought this thread up from the grave are available today. He simply used the search function and .... brought this thread up to date for all intents and purposes.

See my edit. Cordless grinders were much less prevalent in the olden days when this thread was originated.

Technology progresses with time.

 

[IndyGarage]

Interestingly my recommendation to these threads always was either Metabo or Makita.

A couple months ago my best Metabo crapped out on me - let the smoke out and locked up under semi hard duty. I hated to see that happen - previous I thought they were the best. I'm now on the Makita bandwagon. Have several of them and haven't burned one up yet.