Angle Grinders (and hand held drills etc)

[st@rk]

What's people's attitudes towards these?

1. Buy cheap and replace more frequently, probably getting 2-3 replacements for the price of the more expensive brands

2. Buy quality (I'm talking Bosch, DeWalt, Makita etc) and it lasts

I buy the best hand tools etc I can (mainly Snap On) but these don't really 'wear' so they last forever. Just had the bearings go in my mid-spec angle grinder and questioning whether the higher end brands are worth the expense?

If they are worth the expense, are spares such as bearings, brushes etc well catered for years down the line?

Thanks

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

There aren't really any power tools worth planning on owning for more than a few years anymore. No matter what you get these days, it is primarily plastic and effectively disposable.

That said, I keep one good 4½" angle grinder around (DeWalt), an ancient 7" Millers Falls, and a whole slew of Harbor Freight 4½" grinders.

Drill motors are a different story, I have a 3/8" Skil corded, a 3/8" Dewalt corded, a 1/2" Milwaukee corded and 2 Ryobi 3/8" cordless models. I've never had a cheap one last more than a few holes for some reason.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

Get some parts from ereplacementparts.com and fix your grinder. I hear good things about the black & Decker angle grinder.

 

[cheechi]

I'm going to make an assumption, since you asked about grinders and drills and no other tools, you use your drills more for sanding drums/discs, wire wheels, that sort of thing rather than just drilling holes? If so you're going to have a different story than someone who uses their drill just for drilling holes and driving screws.

If you use the drill for material prep, treat it like a grinder. however long you plan to own it, pay for it appropriately. I have a 1/2" Skil quick chuck for doing the dirty work & 1/2" DeWalt with a side handle for what I thought was going to be just drilling bigger holes, but turns out that handle makes it great for sanding and wire wheels. I hadn't intended to use it for this due to the real chuck and the other cost a lot less and I don't care as much if I get metal dust in it.

Here's my suggestion if you're using it like I think; get a nice one and a cheaper one, and cycle them till you find something you like.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Craftsman's standard angle grinder is showing up as $33 and change online. It's not Harbor Freight cheap, but might be better built. I might go that route and see how it handles occasional use.

 

[darkk]

I bought a cheapie Workforce at sears for almost nothing *$9.99*during a sale a few years ago. Damned thing hasn't quit yet!

 

[lotsoftools]

I try to stay around $75 max for a grinder now. I just had to retire my HF orange grinder from 2007 and replaced it with a Makita. Hopefully it will last a couple of years.

 

[e-tek]

Both.

My first 4.5inch was/is a Makita, worth about $69. It's about 10 years old now, has built several cars and has never failed.

But I also buy cheap ($19.99) grinders from Canadian Tire and they last - so long as you don't abuse them: I've ruined 2 after overheating them during big cuts. Being $19.99 I just can't say "no" and have 4 in use and 2 new in the box.

 

[PCO6]

I hate changing discs so I have about ten or twelve 4", 4.5" and 5" grinders. My total grinding, cutting, wire wheeling, etc. time is the same. I just use more grinders to do it. I have a few decent ones (DeWalts) but the rest are cheapies from Princess Auto. The only ones I've burned out in the last 2 or 3 years have been a Craftsman and a B&D.

 

[NUTTSGT]

My Cman Professional was a decent grinder when I bought it 8 years ago ro so. It replaced a cheapo unit but at a truck/tent tool sale. I'd rather spend a few bucks and have something that should last over the disposable grinder.

When that cheap one dies, you'll be in the middle of a project and it won't be during regular business hours.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I think the cost-effective options are at either the low or the high end -- but not the middle. You can burn out a lot of $15 Harbor Freight grinders and still not be out of pocket very much money. I've only ever had one of those fail.

On the other hand, there's Metabo. I want to explain more about Metabo -- but really, here's all I need to say: Metabo makes awesome angle grinders.

(I've never worn out a drill, as far as I can remember. But I don't use them for sanding.)

 

[skruft]

I have various "good" brands of electric angle grinders and have had good luck for many years, but I am a hobbyist so they do not see daily service. I believe it all depends on how you will use them. I have a Craftsman Industrial (the oldest, which I use with a coarse wire brush and has been run a lot, so I'm surprised how well it has lasted), a Bosch and a Metabo.

I do use drills nearly every day and had many fail over the years. I settled mostly on Milwaukee corded and DeWalt cordless. Also I have had great luck with AEG drills.

I gave up on Craftsman drills long ago because they all failed quickly in light service. They were not used hard and just died. (And Craftsman electric die grinders failed after practically no service!) I would not buy one at any price.

 

[st@rk]

Thanks guys

Angle grinder is mainly used for automotive bodyshell / chassis preperation; mainly wire wheels and grinding discs with the odd cutting etc. Hand held drills are used mainly for holes in the chassis and other awkward sized parts where its impractical to use a pillar drill. Never for fitting / screwing etc.

I've always bought cheap thinking regular replacement was more cost effective, but I've gone for a Makita 9554NB 115mm / 41/2" (£50ish) as I do use it for long durations without cool downs so we'll see how it gets on...

 

[IndyGarage]

Every one I've broken has been a switch.

I finally wore out my first Harbor Freight grinder - switch failed - it was about 10 years old and I think it might have cost $20. I threw it in the parts bin - I'm going to make a toolpost grinder for my lathe and I figure I can adapt it for that.

I bought a Cheap "Kawasaki" grinder that was in the clearance bin at a variety store for $15 - it worked exactly one time before its switch broke - I've seen that same one for up to $50 in other stores. It seemed like a nice grinder, but without a switch it's junk.

I've bought two Bosch mid tier 4.5 inch grinders at about $69 apiece on sale and two similar Makitas at I think $75 apiece and two Porter Cable $39.99 rat tails. I've used all of them very hard - flap wheels, rope wire brushes and sometimes a grinding wheel- for many hours. I like using the P-C's the best, but they seem to be getting a little more noisy - they work hard and have good ergonomics. The Makitas run the smoothest, but I don't like the placement of their on/off switch and the body is a bit bulky. The Boschs are noisy, run a bit rough, and are the easiest to bog down, but they have a thin body and a good side handle.

I also have a Hitachi 4.5 that is old and beat up. It runs well, but the switch on it is going too.
.

I also bought a Hitachi 15 amp 7 incher about 8 months ago - it's by far the best grinder of the bunch. It has a soft start motor, it runs really smooth and the larger wheels get the work done much faster. It has enough power to do some damage in a hurry, so if you are accident prone you should stick to one of the small ones. It is significantly heavier, though, and I can't run it for more than about 10 minutes at a time.

 

[383 240z]

I have 2 craftsman pros One with a grinder wheel, one with a cut off wheel. And I use the hell out of them, no joke at least 6 days a week for the last 7-8 years still running great. Keith

 

[Monte]

Professional grade angle grinders mostly have a "soft start" feature, so the tool don´t fly out of your hands when you start it, and it´s better for the gears, they usually have a coated/protected rotor so the motor will last longer, a better longer cord (usually about 4 meter rubber and not 2 meter PVC), anti vibration handle and overall lower vibration, longer lasting bearings and brushes (try it out with a wire wheel....), toolless guard adjustment, "restart protection" so if someone pulls the plug out of the outlet or the fuse blow the tool don´t start automatically after you put the plug/fuse back in. Higher priced grinders often have features like a "Autobalancer" to reduce vibrations, speed dial or "constant electronic" which maintains the speed under load so if you cut something or use the flap disc to grind something the grinder maintains it speed at 10.000 rpm or 11.000 rpm other grinders will bog down to 6 or 7000 rpm under load which is not good on the long run. Professional grinders usually have a overload/overheat protection, cheap grinders on the other hand ........

so i personally only can recommend professional power tools because i already owned the cheapos and they didn´t last very long.

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

I don't see a point in buying the cheapest power tools out there, but I don't see a point in spending the money on something like a Metabo - if I'm spending that sort of money, I'll buy Hilti.

I've been happy and disappointed with a variety of brands. I normally try something out based on its merits, not it's brand name; the last thing I bought based on brand name was a Bosch random orbital sander, and it went back to the store the same day. I picked up a Hitachi drill/impact set not expecting a whole lot, but it's nicer than the Dewalts, Milwaukees, and Makitas I've played with. Picked up a set of Bosch grinders at Lowes not knowing how they'd work, and I still use them weekly.

 

[theknurl]

grinders;
air;
Dotco 10L1200B angle head 12k rpm (2)

electric;
4 1/2"
Bosch-Scintilla 0-603-255-034 11k rpm, i buy the discs in 10 packs
9"
Milwaukee 6k rpm 15Amp #6088

the electrics have long cords
my base air hose is 100' long
i have NO cordless tools
all of the above are ~30 years old and have required ZERO repairs

drills;
air;
Snap On PD3A with the worst Jacobs 33B chuck ever made

electric;
Milwaukee 1/4" Hole Shooter 2,500 rpm*
Milwaukee Heavy Duty 1/2" #S412 no load 450, full load 300 triple gear reduction......at least 60 years old, it got a new cord
Milwaukee Heavy Duty 2 speed D handle*
Milwaukee HoleHawg 2 speed*
*they're at Mom's no part #sorry

 

[justanengineer]

I buy Milwaukee for one simple reason, their tools are among the toughest made and when they do finally die as everything does, theyre very easily rebuildable and parts are CHEAP. Ive bought a few of their tools new and admittedly today you have to be careful to buy the domestic and not Chinese, but their domestic tools are as solid as ever and a joy to use. Milwaukee also makes one of the nicest keyless drill chucks ever IMO.

 

[RivennHewn]

I'm kinda tough on grinders, so I go middle of the road.

HF **** won't last the day, and who wants to get their new Fein all dirty?

I have a Milwaukee, DeWalt, and two Makitas.

One's for metal, one for concrete/stone, and two backups.

Like Jay Leno used to say: Burn 'em up, we'll make more!

 

[85camaro]

Angle grinders are a tool I have used almost every day for the last twenty years. I have owned them all, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, Craftsman, HF, and some junk Chinese made that didn't last a day.

In my humble opinion, there is a clear cut winner. There is a grinder that reins supreme, that stands alone at the top, that is second to none. The king of the angle grinder is Makita.

 

[Cobra4B]

C-man professional angle grinder and China-Freight $9 pnuematic 3" cut-off wheel for random small tight spaces. Good idea buying a 2nd angle grinder so you don't have to constantly switch discs for grinding and cutting.