Milwaukee die grinder vs air Die Grinder
- Thread starter Pistolero
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ThePostman
Well-known member
Depends on what you're doing, the Milwaukee cycophants will respond as they will. If you're stripping paint etc down to bare metal, shop air is nice and the tool is usually smaller. I have air tools older than some of the people at my shop, including die grinders. I started collecting tools as a teenager, before they did, some are 25 years old, and still run like new.
Continuous use, i want shop air.
Continuous use, i want shop air.
tmshort
Well-known member
How’s your compressor? Air grinders take a lot of air...
Air is the only go to, IMHO.... Smaller, lighter, much easier to control than older corded electric.... I do not have any experience with battery powered and probably will not find out.... Batteries run down too fast and cost too much....
LynnW
LynnW
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Renegade1LI
Well-known member
I don't have the Milwaukee yet, on the list, but I have the Dewalt cordless and love it. I have air ones also but really don't need them, I plan on getting the Milwaukee as I like that outs right angle, could come in handy.
I have both- the Milwaukee is great for what I use it for (carpentry and woodworking). I keep a 2" Roloc pad in it with various grit sanding disks. It gets used for fine tuning joints, etc. Not having to lug a compressor around is a big plus. It's not ideal for continuous use though. If you have to strip a bunch of rust off of a metal part, for example, I would use an air die grinder or a plug-in 4.5" grinder. I'm definitely happy with the Milwaukee though- I would buy another one in a heartbeat if mine got stolen.
RedneckWelder
Well-known member
The Milwaukee’s shortcomings are not the fault of the tool or brand itself. If you need a die grinder for quick, lighter duty, intermittent type work the Milwaukee will fit the bill. If you need one for the opposite reasons you want an air one. Same goes for other high battery usage tools with short runtimes like the heat gun. It’s a category of tools where you buy the battery version for convienience and portability, not as a total replacement for the corded/pnuematic versions like you might be able to do for drills and impacts (depending on your needs)
Just my opinion but the thought of a battery powered die grinder just seems silly as hell.
toolin' around
Well-known member
So far almost all of what’s been said is pretty true. I have both... I absolutely love the M12 RA... while it’s not as compact as an air grinder, there’s no hose to manage.
I use both mostly for weld prep and cleanup etc.
For heavy paint removal, I agree that it would be air all the way.
The one consideration is that air grinders use a ton of air... I hate air because it’s constantly kicking in my compressor, and I really need to upgrade again... so if you don’t have really solid shop air already, I’d really say the M12 is a seriously good option unless you need heavy duty cycle work... and the discussion is now about shop air, not die grinders!!!
I use both mostly for weld prep and cleanup etc.
For heavy paint removal, I agree that it would be air all the way.
The one consideration is that air grinders use a ton of air... I hate air because it’s constantly kicking in my compressor, and I really need to upgrade again... so if you don’t have really solid shop air already, I’d really say the M12 is a seriously good option unless you need heavy duty cycle work... and the discussion is now about shop air, not die grinders!!!
dnschmidt
Well-known member
All of you realize that you need at least an 80 gallon 5 (preferable 7.5 HP) compressor to run a die grinder in any sort of continuous mode. I have about 20 M12 batteries and four rapid chargers and keeping these batteries in a full state of charge takes about 1 amp of electricity. Keeping a 7 1/2 HP compressor running takes 746 watts/hp X 7.5 hp = 5,595 watts or 23.3 amps. Better yet I'm not dragging around a heavy air hose. I made my choice you can make yours.
I don't think that is true at all. Of course I'm sure many people have different views on what continuous means. I'm also not sure what you would use a small die grinder for more than several minutes at a time. I've never had any problems with my 60 gallon 3.7 HP compressor.
no you absolutely do not. The OP asked about die grinders not DA sanders and the Milwaukee one is about as powerful as a mini pneumatic which don't use a lot of air.milwaukeephil
Well-known member
I have multiple air die grinders (my favorite is my Aircat because it's super quiet and doesn't give me frostbite) and also the Milwaukee.
I keep an actual carbid burr bit on the Milwaukee and it does a great job. Pretty good with 2" Roloc disks as well. Where it falls short is if you put any kind of cutoff mandrel/disk on it because it bogs down and cuts out (overheats?) in seconds. I realize die grinders aren't meant to be cutoff tools, but I do it all the time with my air grinders and never have a problem.
I keep an actual carbid burr bit on the Milwaukee and it does a great job. Pretty good with 2" Roloc disks as well. Where it falls short is if you put any kind of cutoff mandrel/disk on it because it bogs down and cuts out (overheats?) in seconds. I realize die grinders aren't meant to be cutoff tools, but I do it all the time with my air grinders and never have a problem.
macgee
Well-known member
While what some think is acceptable for air die grinder is subjective and debatable? Proper continuous uninterruptible high PSI air is no doubt totally ideal and makes a huge difference when using for long spurts and all day and want no interruptions. Most home/small shops don't have that capability. Few have more than 80 gal/5hp set ups, usually less and compressor will be turning on a lot if you're grinding/cleaning up a lot of welds on a project. No big deal for occasional spot cleans.
I know, I know, at your business the air never runs out and have zero reason for an alternative like the M18. I'm curious as well to hear from others who use the M18 in practical terms/comparison to air in their home welding shop.
I know, I know, at your business the air never runs out and have zero reason for an alternative like the M18. I'm curious as well to hear from others who use the M18 in practical terms/comparison to air in their home welding shop.
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Why are you bringing up 18V tools? The tool in question is M12 and also eats batteries at a rate of about 1Ah every 2-3 minutes so without something like 2-3 6Ah you wont get tons of continuous run time from that either. A 60 gal big box compressor will run a mini die grinder continuously without much issue.
American Locomotive
Well-known member
You need to answer these questions first:
- Do you already have an air compressor?
- If you do, do you know how big the tank is, and how much air it can pump (CFM or l/m)?
- What is your intended use of the die grinder?
- Is access to tight areas a concern?
- Are you already invested in the M12 battery platform?
2) A true 5 HP compressor can easily keep up with even the most powerful hand-held die grinders. I've used die-grinders just fine with 3, 2 and even 1HP compressors because of their intermittent use nature. Rarely do I need a die grinder to go full out sustained for 10+ minutes.
3) Speaking of run time, with Milwaukee's claimed power output of 0.33HP, that only works out to about ~5-6 minutes of run time from a 2.0Ah battery if you're working it really hard. Tons and tons of reviews corroborate that this is indeed the case. So you're either going to be constantly waiting for your battery to charge in sustained use, or you'll need an investment in tons of M12 batteries. Not really any different of a scenario than waiting for an undersized compressor to fill back up...
4) Weight: At 2.5 pounds with 2.0aH battery, this tool is ~150% heavier than a more powerful IR die grinder.
5) Pneumatic die grinders are still significantly more compact
6) Modern light-weight synthetic swivel hose whips pretty much completely mitigate the issue of "heavy air hoses". Plus, you can also just put the hose over your shoulder, completely removing the weight off your hands. I can't exactly do that with an M12 battery.
- Do you already have an air compressor?
- If you do, do you know how big the tank is, and how much air it can pump (CFM or l/m)?
- What is your intended use of the die grinder?
- Is access to tight areas a concern?
- Are you already invested in the M12 battery platform?
1) The extra power consumption and inefficiency is really irrelevant to the average home shop user. It would take over 400 hours of continuous full-throttle use of an air-die grinder with a 5 HP compressor to recoup the investment cost of an M12 Die Grinder and 2.0ah battery from electrical savings. ~200 hours if you live in the North East. I use a die grinder fairly often, but I'd be lucky to put 400 hours on one over my entire lifetime.
2) A true 5 HP compressor can easily keep up with even the most powerful hand-held die grinders. I've used die-grinders just fine with 3, 2 and even 1HP compressors because of their intermittent use nature. Rarely do I need a die grinder to go full out sustained for 10+ minutes.
3) Speaking of run time, with Milwaukee's claimed power output of 0.33HP, that only works out to about ~5-6 minutes of run time from a 2.0Ah battery if you're working it really hard. Tons and tons of reviews corroborate that this is indeed the case. So you're either going to be constantly waiting for your battery to charge in sustained use, or you'll need an investment in tons of M12 batteries. Not really any different of a scenario than waiting for an undersized compressor to fill back up...
4) Weight: At 2.5 pounds with 2.0aH battery, this tool is ~150% heavier than a more powerful IR die grinder.
5) Pneumatic die grinders are still significantly more compact
6) Modern light-weight synthetic swivel hose whips pretty much completely mitigate the issue of "heavy air hoses". Plus, you can also just put the hose over your shoulder, completely removing the weight off your hands. I can't exactly do that with an M12 battery.
macgee
Well-known member
M18 was a typo and don't think anyone here is disputing that a good air die grinder setup is the king, it is. It's more about if the Milwaukee is worthy of using in a shop doing die grinding duties or just another red toy? Remember, if you're a Milwaukee die hard (I'm not) then you'll most likely will already have a plethora of batteries in the collection.
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With a high capacity battery or two it's a good tool. With the 2.0s that they package in the kit it's nearly useless for anything but very fast cosmetic touch-up duties.
cvairwerks
Well-known member
Fuel tanks...air die grinders OK....electric... Maybe, sorta might go BOOM...
Each have their place, but my little air grinders weighs about half the Milwaukee and is are smaller too. Use the battery tools for several hours a day and they will fatigue you in a hurry. My air ones, I can go probably double the hours before the fatigue sets in.
Each have their place, but my little air grinders weighs about half the Milwaukee and is are smaller too. Use the battery tools for several hours a day and they will fatigue you in a hurry. My air ones, I can go probably double the hours before the fatigue sets in.
Bannik254
Well-known member
Comes down to the project you're working on.
At work, I have battery-powered impacts, grinders, die grinders, drills, etc. that lay all around my work area that I can pick up, use, then set aside relatively quickly, while leaving my "main" tools, so-to-speak, left on my air hose for more continuous work.
I've seen my brother working with an air die grinder, w/ carbide burs, for almost 8 continuous hours grinding out fused copper and other non-ferrous contaminants. I prefer battery tools, I like picking up a tool, doing what I need to do, and quickly moving onto the next step.
Overpriced convenience. If I was already neck-deep in boomer tools, excuse me, air tools, I wouldn't have gone down the battery route, but for relatively newer techs battery tools are the go to's.
At work, I have battery-powered impacts, grinders, die grinders, drills, etc. that lay all around my work area that I can pick up, use, then set aside relatively quickly, while leaving my "main" tools, so-to-speak, left on my air hose for more continuous work.
I've seen my brother working with an air die grinder, w/ carbide burs, for almost 8 continuous hours grinding out fused copper and other non-ferrous contaminants. I prefer battery tools, I like picking up a tool, doing what I need to do, and quickly moving onto the next step.
Overpriced convenience. If I was already neck-deep in boomer tools, excuse me, air tools, I wouldn't have gone down the battery route, but for relatively newer techs battery tools are the go to's.
toolin' around
Well-known member
There is no “right/wrong” here... totally depends on what you currently have and what you what to do with the tool...
I don’t think it’s a matter of whether a 3HP compressor will keep up with a die grinder or not, or whether a 7HP is necessary... but a 3HP is going to run twice as long (I know it’s not necessarily linear) to fill the tank, and run more frequently... If I haven’t been in my garage and using air, likely the compressor is off, the M12 is much more convenient for a quick job... again, it comes down to what you want to do with it. Only the OP can answer that for himself.
I don’t think it’s a matter of whether a 3HP compressor will keep up with a die grinder or not, or whether a 7HP is necessary... but a 3HP is going to run twice as long (I know it’s not necessarily linear) to fill the tank, and run more frequently... If I haven’t been in my garage and using air, likely the compressor is off, the M12 is much more convenient for a quick job... again, it comes down to what you want to do with it. Only the OP can answer that for himself.
As everyone else has said, what are your plans with it?
I have no experience with the Milwaukee but have considered getting one multiple times. My two reasons are 1) I think it would be great for service calls and 2) sometimes an air hose can be an inconvenience (probably more me being lazy at times). Only real benefits I have came up with.
Having said that I find it hard to believe a battery powered die grinder can out work or out last an air powered one.
Air powered-Hook up the hose and go to work. Don't have worry about not having enough power or crawling out from under/out of something to change a battery.
My air powered ones are at lease 15 years old with HEAVY use and Ive never had a hiccup with them.....my battery powered tools....can't say the same for them.
Air powered with a good swivel on the end will probably fit more places than a bigger/bulkier battery powered one also.
Last reason for ME is that I don't have anything Milwaukee. Im all Dewalt and Snap on. Im about out of places to plug in chargers/store batterys, let alone add another line of tools
I have no experience with the Milwaukee but have considered getting one multiple times. My two reasons are 1) I think it would be great for service calls and 2) sometimes an air hose can be an inconvenience (probably more me being lazy at times). Only real benefits I have came up with.
Having said that I find it hard to believe a battery powered die grinder can out work or out last an air powered one.
Air powered-Hook up the hose and go to work. Don't have worry about not having enough power or crawling out from under/out of something to change a battery.
My air powered ones are at lease 15 years old with HEAVY use and Ive never had a hiccup with them.....my battery powered tools....can't say the same for them.
Air powered with a good swivel on the end will probably fit more places than a bigger/bulkier battery powered one also.
Last reason for ME is that I don't have anything Milwaukee. Im all Dewalt and Snap on. Im about out of places to plug in chargers/store batterys, let alone add another line of tools
vanapplebomb
Well-known member
The reason it looks good on paper is because ITT has an amazing advertising department. Seriously, those guys can turn straw into gold with a spinning wheel. They can make just about anything sound impressive and appealing.
My favorite bit of advertising plays right to the gullible and uninformed. They say their die grinder is “20% more powerful than pneumatic.” Sounds good, right? Now, lets just stop and think about that statement for a moment...
Milwaukee claim that their die grinder is 0.3hp. They also claim it is 20% more powerful than a competing die grinder. This makes the competitors die grinder ~0.25hp. Great, that’s all fine and dandy... But... Then they conflate that power with pneumatic tools. So, what they are saying is their electric .3hp die grinder is more powerful than a 1/4hp air die grinder... Ok, so what is a 1/4hp air die grinder? A 1/4hp air die grinder typically is the bottom of the barrel tool. These are the $14 die grinders you get from, shall we say, certain tool stores... if you know what I mean. So, Milwaukee is claiming their $170 die grinder is 20% more powerful than a $14 bottom of the barrel air tool. That’s just laughable. It darn better be, it’s more than 10X the cost! And remember, that’s just the cost of a bare tool. While their statement my be correct given certain conditions, they are comparing their top of the line tool to an el-cheapo disposable unit...two entirely different classes of tools. What a joke...
Other things that I don’t care for are the way those grinders eat through batteries when doing real work with it, and it’s physical size...it’s frickin’ enormous.
Here is my take...
If $170 is a price you are willing to pay for portability or lack of shop air, fine. That’s up to you. I will freely admit, it’s a good light duty tool for small jobs.
However, if you need a heavy duty die grinder for hogging out material, the Milwaukee isn’t up to the task. Sure, the power is on par with a decent $30-50 air die grinder, but it chews through batteries, overheats, shuts down and needs to cool. When you got a big job, it’s incredibly frustrating.
If you really need power, air is still the only option on the market. $80-100 gets you a basic 1hp die grinder...more than 3X the power of the Milwaukee at 1/2 the price.
American Locomotive
Well-known member
It depends on what kind of manifold we're talking about, and how much material you're actually trying to remove. If it's off a motorcycle and you're just trying to open it .020", no problem.
If it's off a school bus and you're trying to hog out 10mm of material, it will not be an enjoyable experience.
You also still never answered if you are invested in the M12 platform or not.
If you are doing a small motor like a lawn mower or similar you can get it done, especially if it is aluminum, but it will be slow.... If you are trying to do a big V8 with cast iron heads you will be at it a VERY LONG TIME
On the same note.... It is laughable to think about porting a set of heads with a cordless....
LynnW
If you are doing a small motor like a lawn mower or similar you can get it done, especially if it is aluminum, but it will be slow.... If you are trying to do a big V8 with cast iron heads you will be at it a VERY LONG TIME
On the same note.... It is laughable to think about porting a set of heads with a cordless....
LynnW
Thanks for the advise sir, I would be enlarging the port of a 4 cylinder aluminum intake of a Fiat spider really don't have any idea on the die grinder and never had one, was thinking of the Milwaukee bec I already have Milwaukee 12v batteries, so I was thinking if it would be possible, bec of no hose dragging, but with your advise, I think the air power would be nicer for doing the job and cheaper.
American Locomotive
Well-known member
I agree that a corded die-grinder will probably be what you want.
You might want to look into "flexible shaft" grinders.
You might want to look into "flexible shaft" grinders.
I don't know if modern corded die grinders are variable speed or not, if they are, they will probably work OK....
If they are not variable, they will spin too fast which makes them very hard to control....
I have a Craftsman hi-speed die grinder that is about 50 years old that is in almost new condition because of this....
I rarely use it because it is so hard to control.... Plus it is large and hard to manipulate where the air tool is small and much more manageable....
LynnW
dnschmidt
Well-known member
There are variable speed corded die grinders Makita makes one as does Metabo. They are not trigger controlled variable speed like a drill but have a roller where you set the max speed but use them with an on/off switch.