Die Grinder Purchase

[chad s]

I need an angle die grinder, and Im stuck between these two (but open to any suggestions of course).

This IR kit (but from Lowes for $10 cheaper):
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...s&subcat=Air+Tool+Accessories&pid=00919559000

Or this Aircat:
http://cgi.ebay.com/AIRCAT-1-4-AIR-...ryZ22663QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I already have a Husky (USA made believe it or not!) standard die grinder, I now just need and angle one. The Ingersoll_rand kit has a straight die grinder too, which is more compact than my Husky, which is nice. I havnt been able to find any word on the aircat, but it doesnt seem to have a safety built into the switch. Opinions?

I mainly want the best performance, I have about 23 cfm@90psi, so I dont think air supply is an issue for either of the above.

 

[PurdueSD]

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/3YY39

^ i bought that one about 6 months ago, I love it!

 

[bmwpower]

I need an angle die grinder, and Im stuck between these two (but open to any suggestions of course).

This IR kit (but from Lowes for $10 cheaper):
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...s&subcat=Air+Tool+Accessories&pid=00919559000

Or this Aircat:
http://cgi.ebay.com/AIRCAT-1-4-AIR-...ryZ22663QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I already have a Husky (USA made believe it or not!) standard die grinder, I now just need and angle one. The Ingersoll_rand kit has a straight die grinder too, which is more compact than my Husky, which is nice. I havnt been able to find any word on the aircat, but it doesnt seem to have a safety built into the switch. Opinions?

I mainly want the best performance, I have about 23 cfm@90psi, so I dont think air supply is an issue for either of the above.

I bought the IR kit some time ago...I love it. Good deal for the price.

Some more info on it in a thread here:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6406&highlight=IR+die+grinder

 

[Hurricane]

the ir kit is junk. its good for sanding discs but ***** for cutting. it has very little power. i have a 20 year old blue point that is 10x more powerful. id get the aircat
________
GL1800

 

[SteveU]

I will get the aircat based on the low noise level (I really dislike loud noise) and the good experience I have had with the nitrocat & their air ratchets. Most of the time if it's not preplanned I don't bring earplugs out to the barn & to wear earmuffs when it is 90+ isn't comfortable. Lost a lot of hearing while in the military & really want to keep what i have left so the difference between a tool that runs low 80 db vs one that runs 90+ db means a lot to me.

 

[chad s]

So I'll rule out the IR kit.

I kind of dislike the presence of a safety in the trigger on the Aircat, and cant find any first hand knowledge of its use, only that other aircat tools are great.

What about Sioux, where does it fit in, in the range of quality? Arnt Snap On die grinders made by Sioux?

 

[ImportTuner]

I got the IR set from Lowes per bmwpower's recommendation; it works great for me and I highly recommend it ...

 

[Uncle Buck]

That is what I would have done as well.

 

[chad s]

Well, I borrowed a friends IR 3102, and it seemed to have a good ammount of power, and was easy on CFM's, so I ordered one from The Tool Warehouse. Well, after using it since Friday, it already died. Thats 2.5 days of use, and I dont plan on trying another. I expected a quality tool, but its Chinese made junk. I guess Im best off finding an American made tool, maybe a Viking?

Im calling the tool warehouse tomorrow, and hope they let me exchange it, despite that it shows signs of use. So, the saga to find a good die grinder continues....

 

[Fast Orange]

I think we've done this before,but how about a few of the Harbour Freight cheepies ,set each up with a different tool and run em til they die?If you've spent $100 on the one you've already killed,you could have bought 5 or 6 HFs
and wouldn't have had to change tooling during the project.Give the HFs a drop of oil occassionally and they last a decent amount of use.I just treat them as if they're a consumable item like sandpaper.

George

 

[engnerdan]

I have a northern tools right angle die grinder and I love it, I have been abusing it for about 9 months now and it shows no sign of stopping. I think I spent $40-$50 for it and I know for the same price you could pick up a whole kit form northern with backing pad and some sanding discs. In addition to working well I like the fact that it has an over-molded plastic handle which makes it more bearable to use in the winter.

Dan

 

[chad s]

Just a quick update, figuring I had nothing to lose, I disassembled the die grinder, found nothing that looked wrong (not that I have much experience with the mechanics of pneumatic tools), and re-assembled it, and it worked fine again. We'll see how it performes next weekend.

 

[markl]

I have 4 of the HF die grinders, 2 straight, 2 angle and use them all the time. Havent died yet, just a few drops of oil about once a week and they wont stop. All about 2 yrs old and i cant kill them. For what its worth I'd buy another one.

 

[engnerdan]

I have 4 of the HF die grinders, 2 straight, 2 angle and use them all the time. Havent died yet, just a few drops of oil about once a week and they wont stop. All about 2 yrs old and i cant kill them. For what its worth I'd buy another one.

The last HF die grinder I had (one of the mini ones) had so much run out on the collet you could see it wiggle turning it by hand. But this might be fine if your not using a carbide with it.

Dan

 

[eschoendorff]

I have a HF 90* grinder, but I only use scotchbrite pads on it, so run-out isn't an issue (so far)...