Corded angle grinder reccomendation

[Lucid Moments]

The only angle grinder I have owned is a DeWalt with a thumb switch instead of a paddle or trigger on it. I am perfectly happy with it. It has done everything I need it to do and never given me any problems. I am considering buying a second grinder so I can keep a cutoff wheel on one and grinding wheel or flap wheel on the second. Should I stay with the same or try a different style? Or brand for that matter. I have been happy with the DeWalt but I know lots of other brands are well thought off too.

 

[bimmer1980]

Good plan to get a second one.....

I have two of the Dewalt 4.5" grinders, one Milwaukee, one Rigid and one harbor freight..... also a dewalt cordless.....

I can't say anything bad about the dewalts..... For $10, I've been surprised at how long the harbor freight has lasted.... It is not as powerful or as smooth as the others, but it has kept going....

Personally, I appreciate a light weight, but powerful grinder...... I like that the switch will stay on....so thumb switch for me over the paddle.

I have not tried a Bosch or Metabo......

 

[Firebrick43]

The best 4.5" angle grinder I have ever used is a metabo with the tooless wheel change nut.

The local welding shop recommended it, said they had a local fab shop that dewalts would last 2 or 3 months and the metabo well over a year or more.
I don't use mine every day for hours but it has held up well and the trigger and handle are the most comfortable I have ever used. And its so nice not having to hunt for that elusive wrench to change wheels

 

[Tduby]

I know you said corded and I think corded you can’t really go wrong even seems like the harbor freight model holds up to light use. But I would really look at a cordless one for a cut off wheel they don’t need the power and generally don’t need to run a long time but they are very handy to use.

 

[BFBOB]

I have a Milwaukee and DeWalt 4.5", both with locking paddle switch. Both work great, guards adjust easily, spindle lock, reversible side handle, lots of power.
I'm a Milwaukee guy, but have to admit the DeWalt is just as good.
I also had an HF, flea market. by the time I'd run it into the ground (which took longer than I expected) I could see that they can do things my 7" and 9" can't. Gotta have 'em all - aaaaannnnd, it's the GJ Way!

 

[Kaizen]

Two makitas and two ryobi’s here. No noticeable difference between any of the four.
One gripe is the different locking nut nub spread. I have to have two different sizes


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[bczygan]

Multiple Metabo corded and battery powered at school. Battery ones run down too quick with heavy prolonged use, so have extra batteries and chargers.

We just got a Walter setup (Corded and battery) and it is very good.

At home I have a few HF with different wheels. At $10 each, they do me good.

Bill

 

[Slednut]

I have one of these, will not ever buy a cheap angle grinder again. The slow start, variable speed, quite and smoothness makes it more of a detail tool. It's also a great grinder.

 

[dnschmidt]

Metabo, preferably with variable speed.

 

[ItsNemo]

I've had no issues with my Dewalt ones...I do use my cordless ones (both a 20v and a 60v brushless) far more than my corded ones. Although when push comes to shove, pulling out the 7" corded is always fun to tear through material with

 

[ClappedOutBport]

DeWalt is the smoothest I've ever run. I like the 7 amp toggle.


I still like 7" 15 amp grinders for cutoff work. The cut so much faster. Wheel diameter is extremely important. I was cutting a 3/4" HSS toolbit with a disk worn down to about 3.5", and it was destroying the disk, and doing nothing but heating the toolbit. Switch to a new 7" disk of the same variety, and it's the total opposite. Ate the toolbit up, with little wear. In addition the big heavy grinder doesn't grab much at all, and when it does, it's gentle and the wheels don't explode.


Unless I was doing little stuff, thin tubing or the like, or handholding material, I prefer the 7". 7"ers are pretty hard to one-hand.

 

[Com_VC]

Anyone try the brushless corded grinders, if so how are they?

https://www.hikoki-powertools.com/products/powertools/ac-grind/g13ve/g13ve.html

 

[jonshonda]

There are dozens of threads on grinders, if not close to 100.

Long story short, pick the type of power switch you want, make sure it feels comfy in your hands, make sure the power cord is nice, and ALWAYS wear PPE. Dewalt, Makita, Metabo...whatever floats your boat.

 

[matt_i]

A metabo with a 6" thin cutoff disk is a fearsome tool.

There's absolutely a space for 4" angle grinders (and even smaller ones down to dremel-ish tools) but having owned the above for a few years now, I wished I would have found it sooner.

I have a pack of Metabo's Metal Slicer blades.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

i hear he ryobi is quite a bang for the buck. i have an older Milwaukee with a paddle swithch i like and couple craftsmans i dont like because of the slide switch. picked up a cordless dewalt with the trigger and i like that alot to

 

[dubdoc]

I just bought this Bosch 4.5" and love it. It's much better than my old Makita.

 

[exmaxima1]

Metabo, preferably with variable speed.

+1 for Metabo VS. I have the version optimized for stainless steel, and it has a slightly slower range of speeds. Perfect for bigger wire cup wheels.

But also consider a German-made Bosch with VS as well. Nearly as smooth as the Metabo, and costs quite a bit less. Make sure it says "Germany" on the label.

 

[SeisMec]

As bimmer1980 said.

For $10, I've been surprised at how long the harbor freight has lasted.... It is not as powerful or as smooth as the others, but it has kept going

(My emphasis.)

After you get a decent 2nd grinder, consider getting a 3rd - good enough for a (NOT HF) cupped twisted wire wheel.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I have a 5" Porter Cable German import from when they were independent, A 4.5" paddle switch B&D Industrial, a Dewalt in black grey, a Walter 4.5, and a Hitachi 4.5.and a big Bosch 7". At work I wore out a, switch went, 5" Makita.

For steady work, a 5" 10amp rat tail is what I found to be ideal, light enough for a wimp like me, powerful enough to do serious work. For 30 years the 5" Makita was the industrial standard. They still sell it beside their fancy new one.

The paddle DeWalt is a two handed grinder, better off using a 5" 10amp.

The Walter is nice, toolless wheel change , anti vibration, slip clutch and about 10amp. The problem with having a 10 amp motor, it's fat, making one hand use more difficult.

This leads us to Hitachi, a $30 special I bought so as to save the Walter when I had to cut loose a lot of machines. It lasted ! The smaller size makes it pretty handy. The Bosch version is up to $50 now. It had been the same price.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I had a cheap Princess Auto, like HF, 7' which I used as for cutting only. It worked good, it had an ideal top of the gearcase handle location . The wheel lock failed so I toosed it and bought the big Bosch. Something like that might make sense for you.

 

[MacMcMacmac]

When I did a stint in a welding shop 20 years ago, I would run the snot out of a 7" Makita for 10hrs straight. I mean RUN. I was the cleanup guy at the end of the production line at a trash container fabricator and I would go through a couple of wheels per shift. There were about 10 welders going full tilt. There were 2 shifts per day and the grinders were already the recipients of years of careful abuse. I looked like a coal miner by the time I got off at 2am. One day the day shift hadn't shown up and me and my coworker had a lovely wall of about 30, 2 cu/yard cans to clean up along with our normal load. Was a wonderful time (not).

I think Walter/Metabo are the nicest of all I have used. Aren't/weren't RIDGID grinders rebadged Metabos?

 

[jeepinerdeep]

I like a paddle switch on my cutoff wheel. That way when it launches into a low earth orbit after being pinched, it'll at least try to shut off before it splits me open like a hot dog.

Milwaukee is my game, but I don't think it really matters.

 

[lardy1]

I have a Hitachi G12SR3 that I've had about four or five years now. It's not a commercial quality tool by any means. But I do work it and it has held up. It was pretty affordable at the time and I was aware of its location on the quality scale.

 

[crewchief888]

i have 2 of the old HF orange grinders, a dewalt, and a hitachi.

the hitachi (IMHO) is the best of the 4 of them. i picked mine up at lowes several years ago.

i have a milwaukee fuel cordless in my service truck

 

[American Locomotive]

I have the DeWalt 5" variable speed brushless slide-switch (yes, brushless corded) grinder, and it is sweet. It is ridiculously powerful, and the variable speed is an awesome feature for wire brushing and detail work with flap discs and grinding discs.

It also has bind detection, so it will cut off the motor if the disc binds up. One of my favorite (and honestly it's a real stand out feature) is it has a dynamic brake when you turn it off. It will stop even the biggest, heaviest wheels in about a second.

It's also available in rat-tail and paddle variants. My only complaints are:
1) It is loud
2) The supplied handle is cheesey for the price point
3) The head is a little bulky with 5" flat cut-off wheels. The depressed center discs give you more access in tight areas.

 

[Kaizen]

Can you guys list Walter or metabo models that are good? Seems to be a hundred of each to choose from


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[WinMod21]

I like my 4 1/2" Dewalt. Although it felt a lot heavier than it used to, the other day, whilst I was hand-holding disc brake caliper anchor plates.

 

[tarmy]

Plan for several...

 

[Monte]

pick one

 

[Paul_The_Builder]

Can you guys list Walter or metabo models that are good? Seems to be a hundred of each to choose from


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Metabo has like 6 different features available on their grinders, and you end up paying roughly $40 for each feature. Their lowest end grinders with no extra features are around $60, and the high end ones will all the features are around $300.

Its indicated in the model number of the grinder:

W - safety clutch (although they apparently use W in some models without it)
E - Electronic soft start
V - Vario-Techo-Constamatic (variable speed)
(There is also a "Tacho-Constamatic" feature which is not variable speed)
B - brake that stops the disk within 2 seconds of releasing the trigger
A - Auto balancer to reduce vibrations
P - non-locking paddle switch

Then they list the power (in hundreds of watts) and the disk diameter (in mm), and then list any additional features.

Quick - quick nut system
RT - Rat tail
DS - "drop safe" lanyard ring
Innox - Stainless steel construction for corrosion resistance

So your basic $100 grinder will be something like a W 9-115 (900w 4.5" grinder with safety clutch)

And then you get your $300+ grinders like the WEPBA 16-150 QUICK RT DS. (1600w 6" grinder with all the bells and whistles).

They have a few cheap ones that you can buy for like $60 which don't have any features, although they still have "W" in their model name. They don't have the sticker on the back which shows the safety clutch feature. All of their higher end grinders are made in Germany. I'm not sure if the newer line of <$100 grinders are made in Germany or not.

I have 2 WEPBA grinders (rat tail and paddle handle) and they are simply amazing. They are so smooth that if you are wearing hearing protection and gloves, you almost can't tell if they're running or not while you're holding them. They have soft start and basically throttle power as you need it, so the grinder never "bogs down", it just keeps delivering more and more power as you need it and the RPMs stay constant. But, they're like $300, so yeah they should be a lot nicer than $100 grinders.

 

[James-W]

I have five angle grinders but the two I use more than any of the others are these two from Harbor Freight.

https://www.harborfreight.com/corded-4-12-in-5-amp-angle-grinder-60372.html

I have a cutoff wheel on one and I have a grinding wheel on the other one.

Angle grinders are a tool I don't use all that often, but when I do need to use one these Chicago Electric grinders work quite well.

 

[liliysdad]

HF Grinders work...but once you get a decent one, you'll realize why they are so cheap.

I pick up DeWalt and Makita grinders at the pawn shop. For A$20-$30, you can have ten times the grinder compared to anything HF sells. I have started using the DeWalt cordless a lot more, and the more I use it, the more I like it.

 

[ClappedOutBport]

HF Grinders work...but once you get a decent one, you'll realize why they are so cheap.

I pick up DeWalt and Makita grinders at the pawn shop. For A$20-$30, you can have ten times the grinder compared to anything HF sells. I have started using the DeWalt cordless a lot more, and the more I use it, the more I like it.

I'm inclined to agree. It's a false economy. They sound like a box of rocks, bog very easily, and will burn up under sustained high load. They all seem to die after a few years. I feel like the fellas that recommend them aren't using them very hard, but perhaps the ones asking the question won't either.

 

[sberry]

It would be an issue of them dying "after a few years" if they cost 100+$. At 10 it's a different matter but,,, a few go a long way but for about 30,,, and a lot of sub 50$ can get a pretty good grinder that will outlast most part timers. Been working all week on a heavier fab job with a 30$ grinder, actually like it better than my better ones.

 

[sberry]

It would be false economy if they cost a lot more. I do however think for a little more can get a lot more power and several times the life.

 

[James-W]

I'm inclined to agree. It's a false economy. They sound like a box of rocks, bog very easily, and will burn up under sustained high load. They all seem to die after a few years. I feel like the fellas that recommend them aren't using them very hard, but perhaps the ones asking the question won't either.

I disagree totally. What is it that you expect for $20??? Obviously, the Harbor Freight angle grinders are not the highest quality tool on planet Earth. But they work just fine and for people like myself who seldom to use an angle grinder, they are more than adequate. I have had the two Harbor Freight angle grinders for a few years now and if they both burned up tomorrow I will have more than gotten my money's worth from them. Actually, if I had used a Harbor Freight $20 angle grinder one time on a project I probably would have gotten my money's worth out of it. In my opinion, for tools that are used rarely, having the most expensive tool out there is not necessarily in your best financial interest. If you are going to use the tool all day every day, different story.

 

[Wamsutta]

Bosch with the slide switch on the left side. Electronic constant speed control. 6-inch is what I'll get next.

 

[anndel]

2 each Metabo WP9115 Quick.

 

[Kaizen]

Metabo has like 6 different features available on their grinders, and you end up paying roughly $40 for each feature. Their lowest end grinders with no extra features are around $60, and the high end ones will all the features are around $300.

Its indicated in the model number of the grinder:

W - safety clutch (although they apparently use W in some models without it)
E - Electronic soft start
V - Vario-Techo-Constamatic (variable speed)
(There is also a "Tacho-Constamatic" feature which is not variable speed)
B - brake that stops the disk within 2 seconds of releasing the trigger
A - Auto balancer to reduce vibrations
P - non-locking paddle switch

Then they list the power (in hundreds of watts) and the disk diameter (in mm), and then list any additional features.

Quick - quick nut system
RT - Rat tail
DS - "drop safe" lanyard ring
Innox - Stainless steel construction for corrosion resistance

So your basic $100 grinder will be something like a W 9-115 (900w 4.5" grinder with safety clutch)

And then you get your $300+ grinders like the WEPBA 16-150 QUICK RT DS. (1600w 6" grinder with all the bells and whistles).

They have a few cheap ones that you can buy for like $60 which don't have any features, although they still have "W" in their model name. They don't have the sticker on the back which shows the safety clutch feature. All of their higher end grinders are made in Germany. I'm not sure if the newer line of <$100 grinders are made in Germany or not.

I have 2 WEPBA grinders (rat tail and paddle handle) and they are simply amazing. They are so smooth that if you are wearing hearing protection and gloves, you almost can't tell if they're running or not while you're holding them. They have soft start and basically throttle power as you need it, so the grinder never "bogs down", it just keeps delivering more and more power as you need it and the RPMs stay constant. But, they're like $300, so yeah they should be a lot nicer than $100 grinders.

Thanks brother you just saved me ten hours of searching. I currently hate using grinders and think I need a top end one to make it more pleasant. This gives me a direct path. Lovin gj right now


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[MJK]

I had a DeWalt and Makita, and replaced the Makita with a VS toolless Metabo.

The metabo feels smoother and quieter, and the features are nice. But, the DeWalt cost a lot less and I like the smaller body and similar power of it.

Of the 3, I'd probably buy the DeWalt again first.