Milwaukee right angle die grinder vs straight version . same power as air?

[GophersGarage]

First question, does the m12 right angle have the power to clean up rust etc like my air powered die grinder?

I was reading reviews on the straight version and some guys complaining that it shuts off when load is applied. Is the straight version more like a Dremel in power?

It looks like its the same motor on the right angle version.

basically looking to replace my air tool

 

[NBraun]

I don't think they would be a good option to completely replace an air powered grinder. I have the right angle version and love it. I use it to clean up stuff for welding, which it works great for. However it does go through batteries pretty quick. It's great to have for quick stuff, but if I were to sit down and start porting heads I would want an air powered tool.

 

[Bmxkelowna]

I have both and the straight one many times has had me wanting to throw it across the room. I won't ever pull it out of the drawer anymore. Even the 90° will shut off way too easy. I wish there was a way to remove the protection they have.

 

[tarmy]

I have both and the straight one many times has had me wanting to throw it across the room. I won't ever pull it out of the drawer anymore. Even the 90° will shut off way too easy. I wish there was a way to remove the protection they have.

This is my take on them as well. The worst Milwaukee tools I own…and I have a lot…

 

[GophersGarage]

interesting ok so the right angle might still be ok for basic task. I like the ides of a quick tool to do a little clean up or grind on the fly. It would not be for major work like heads to body work etc.

 

[Bmxkelowna]

interesting ok so the right angle might still be ok for basic task. I like the ides of a quick tool to do a little clean up or grind on the fly. It would not be for major work like heads to body work etc.

Yeah if you want to spend money, buy the right angle one and run it on setting 4 so it doesn't turn off every 5 seconds

 

[ChefRex]

I don't own them but I have yet met a battery power tool that I would replace a pneumatic tool. I have battery tools and love them for the convenience but they don't always get the job done.

 

[dnschmidt]

The right angle is the bomb in my opinion. The picture of the two tools above is a joke as both REQUIRE the M12 4.0 or 6.0 battery to even be serviceable but with it the straight works great as a 3" cut off tool, wire brush tool (be sure to use 20,000 rpm wire brushes) or with carbide burrs in reasonable duty work. The right angle with the right battery is killer with Roloc discs in either the fiber disc or Scotchbrite flavor. I have an unlimited number of 4.0 and 6.0 M12 batteries and the three at a time simultaneous charger so I've never been in a dead battery situation. With my 4 battery setup it’s impossible to be dead in the water as the charger is faster than the highest possible discharge rate.

 

[LXCam]

Well ****, now you guys say something. I just ordered the straight one yesterday.

 

[infinite97]

I can’t imagine anything replacing my air grinders at this point. I even bought a corded metabo 4.5” grinder to keep on my service truck.

 

[Buckgnarly]

Replace air, no. Great for quick roloc cleanup or prep, absolutely. They are great for quick stuff, but will not replace air.....I have the Snap On/Sioux for the heavy work, and to be honest, the Milwaukee comes out more often.

 

[LeeG]

I use mine all the time and almost never pull out the pneumatic.

 

[Jlarson]

We use them all the time, only time we run into the protection circuit on the right angle is trying to run some 3" stuff. I don't know if I've ever tripped the straight one with just a carbide on it.

 

[dnschmidt]

The problem with MIlwaukee, and probably everybody else, is that they give the impression that these high speed tools can use the cheap assed 1.5 and 2 amp hour compact batteries. THAT IS TOTAL ********. Throw those loser batteries away, or use them on your cordless ratchets which require far less juice and buy yourself some admittedly expensive 4.0 and 6.0 M12 batteries. Milwaukee should openly state this reality which they do not. Why they even sell their kits with these undersized batteries has pissed me off for years. Anything that's turning 20,000 rpm needs all the power it can get. Why do you think air powered die grinders require 5HP two stage compressors to power them? I love my electric and cordless die grinders because I don't have to run my big assed Quincy air compressor that's eating 30 amps of current at 240V to run them. It's a hell of a lot cheaper to charge batteries than run that big air pump.

 

[Jswain]

They bought the straight version at work and using it on a fairly warm day we regularly had to give it a 10-15 minute break every 10 minutes because it got so hot you couldn't touch it.

Now, we were in the middle of a field with no access to air so fairly handy...but replacing air not a damn chance. Not to mention the longevity of running them like that probably won't be too long and the wear and tear on the batteries etc.

 

[Ed_EOD]

I use my angled version constantly with roloc flap discs. Works great. I always have a couple 4.0 or 6.0 batteries charging and never need to wait.

 

[RoninB4]

Slightly OT here but I've used electric and pneumatic hand grinders in shop use on almost a daily basis for stamping dies and mold work for a couple of decades. I've always preferred pneumatic for more RPM in polishing/grinding where surface finish or detail size were factors. Pneumatic grinders were smaller, easier to manipulate, and took a greater variety of smaller tools. However, they did tend to lack torque and would bog if you were going for greater metal removal rates. Electric was bigger, heavier, and more clumsy to work with most of the time. It did have one distinct advantage, it wouldn't bog as easy with larger metal removal rates. I should say that the previous comments were for corded grinders. I've never used a cordless grinder and wouldn't have any faith in a battery lasting very long. I may be wrong and do love my cordless drill but for grinding I'd be reluctant to spend money on a battery powered model unless I was going remote in the field with it.

 

[f121]

I've never had a compressor big enough to run a die grinder, so the m12 90 degree die grinder has opened up a new tool for me, and it's brilliant.

I've only used mine with a 6.0ah battery and used carbide burrs to reshape 1/4" plate for making engine mounts, cleaning up welds, modifying brackets, the only thing I've worried about is getting swarf in my eyes, no issues with the tool cutting out unless the battery goes flat. It's also been brilliant with paint striping discs, because you can get in much smaller areas and much more precise than a 4.5" grinder. It's not even *that* heavy on battery when using the 6.0. Can't comment on using it with the little batteries.

For me the m12 90 degree die grinder is one of the must-buy m12 tools, along with the 3/8" stubby impact and the UHL.

 

[GeoBruin]

No new information but another data point: is the m12 RA die grinder worth it? Yes. It it comparable to the good air grinder? No.

 

[SILVERPLATE]

I have the right angle grinder and totally find it meeting higher expectations than I expected. The battery lasts a little longer than I thought it would. Not massive jobs but I have used it for grinding, cutting, polishing and I am totally satisfied with mine and enjoy using it.

 

[ecotec]

It will not replace an air die grinder. They just won’t... not yet, at least.

The m12 die grinders are still awesome and convenient. I used to go to a lot of estate sales. I probably have enough die grinder accessories (burrs, Roloc...) for the rest of my life. The convenience of being able to do a little job within seconds of grabbing the tools, out of a drawer, is wonderful.

 

[mopar4u]

It will not replace an air die grinder. They just won’t... not yet, at least.

The m12 die grinders are still awesome and convenient. I used to go to a lot of estate sales. I probably have enough die grinder accessories (burrs, Roloc...) for the rest of my life. The convenience of being able to do a little job within seconds of grabbing the tools, out of a drawer, is wonderful.

The grey spiny disc in your picture, what are they called? I have the 3m yellow one that is getting worn

 

[Sebhac0123]

I have both of them as part of my Milwaukee collection of tools and no, they will not replace the air die grinders for sure. For a quick use, like cleaning surfaces, removing old gaskets and maybe a little grinding, they're fine. As of the grinder part, it will shut off quickly. They don't like to cut big stuff. Overall, I use both alot. Only for quick use instead of grabbing the air hose

 

[ecotec]

The grey spiny disc in your picture, what are they called? I have the 3m yellow one that is getting worn

Bristle discs. They are really great. I use the **** out of the white and green ones.

 

[mopar4u]

Bristle discs. They are really great. I use the **** out of the white and green ones.

Thanks
I use them a ton as well for gasket removal and surface prep. Been long time since i bought one

 

[GophersGarage]

That's basically what I am looking for is a quick grind a quick clean up etc. I will still have my air tools for real projects.

I think the right angle will be good for me vs the straight.

 

[ecotec]

Thanks
I use them a ton as well for gasket removal and surface prep. Been long time since i bought one

Me too. I use them until there is not much left.

 

[Formula]

I have the right angle version and it doesn’t have enough beans compared to an air grinder. It might be ok for certain tasks, but not for me.

 

[Iridium rand]

The only reason really that battery is a good option is that most people don’t have the air supply for a solid air grinder and it’s more convenient of course, but if you do have that you plain and simply can’t come close with cordless, I love mine for quick jobs like cutting fence wire or some pipe but useless for heavy stuff or long runtime needs

 

[Rickster]

I have both, love them. Run the bigger batteries, plenty of power.

 

[GophersGarage]

I have a few other m12 tools which includes few 2.0 and 4.0 batteries so I think for now it’s enough for hobby use.

 

[jeepnut24]

Have both and love them, not going to replace pneumatic for really heavy work, but I can run them all night and not have a compressor kick on and wake up the house… excellent with a roloc

 

[dnschmidt]

Nobody has mentioned it but Milwaukee does make a M18 STRAIGHT die grinder (of which I have either two or three - can't remember the exact count right now) that has a lot more power than the M12. What I don't like about it is that it isn't variable speed as the M12 are. If you're using it with carbide burrs or cut off wheels that doesn't matter much. Variable speed is a much bigger deal on right angle grinders when your using Rolocs

 

[M635_Guy]

I think they're good for people like me who are going to use them for quick stuff. If you're doing serious grinding, cleaning up large areas, etc., you're not going to love them.

 

[GophersGarage]

I would most likely leave 3m roloc on it full time. For cut off wheel I use air . I need proper power to do that kind of cutting

 

[dnschmidt]

Air actually sort of ***** at cutting. Very little torque compared to a corded electric die grinder and stalls are very common with air. The cordless with big assed batteries work fine but I find the corded die grinder to be the best of the three options.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

From what I've heard, they won't quite replace an air grinder. But it depends on the application. In a shop, I'd go with air since it's readily available. These battery versions would really come in handy for me working on various jobs at different buildings.

 

[GeoBruin]

They're great, but yes they have limitations. It's hard to compare them to all air grinders since air grinders come in a variety of ratings. Probably somewhere between a 1/3 and a 1/2 horse. But even then, you can always crank up the pressure on a pneumatic so it's really hard to compare.

Like many have stated, I keep a roloc disc on mine nearly all the time. I used to run 3" discs which I could stall if the battery got low ish or if I really leaned on them, but then I got an Amazon warehouse deal on like a case of 2 inch discs, and I never stall it running those.

 

[Monte]

0.3HP

M12 FUEL™ 1/4" Right Angle Die Grinder | Milwaukee Tool

MILWAUKEE® M12 FUEL™ 1/4" Right Angle Die Grinder s the first cordless right angle die grinder that delivers the performance and size professional service mechanics demand

www.milwaukeetool.com

 

[steel 35]

I will say it mine replaced the straight air die grinder (So far) I like it a lot.