Need Suggestions - Right Angle Die Grinder and 2" Discs

[nafterclifen]

I'm looking to buy a right angle (90 degree) pneumatic die grinder to clean up surfaces on a vehicle (wheel hubs, brakes, etc). Probably only use it a handful of times a year but I want it to be reliable and work whenever I need it. I'm a DIY guy that's willing to pay a little extra for quality. But not tool truck prices! Suggestions?

I also need some advice and suggestions on compatible 2" roloc prep pads - fine, medium or coarse for automotive?

Any experience with this Eastwood tool? https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-2-surface-prep-tool.html

 

[GeoBruin]

I have nk experience with the Eastwood. It's a bit unique in that it is advertised as a surface prep tool, not a die grinder, though in the Q&A no one can quite explain the diglfference. One visual thing that stands out is it look alike the bevel gear mechanism is somehow on the other side of the handle relative to the collet holder. That looks like it gets the grinding surface closer to the handle. That could be a good or bad thing depending on what you're looking for.

I've sort of been looking for a pneumatic RA dir grinder as well and the 3/4 hp Aircat composite RA die grinder had been speaking to me. Lots of power but at 79 dB, I still way quieter than most models out there. Perhaps due in part to the spiral bevel gears.

 

[PugetDude]

Not pneumatic, but I absolutely love my Right Angle M12 die grinder. I use mainly 40 grit zirconium flap discs from Amazon. No listening to my noisy air compressor.

Amazon.com

 

[Lucid Moments]

I am a big fan of Asto Pneumatics tools. I don't have any of their die grinders, the die grinders I have were inherited and predate them. I do have a couple of their impact tools and I am pretty impressed with them.

 

[jonshonda]

The Milwaukee M12 polisher doubles as a grinder with dual speed capability.

I know you said absolutely nothing about batteries, but in the spirit of spending I thought I would help!

 

[NYBODYMAN]

I have an IR that is over 20 years old that survived 10+ years of daily use in a body shop and is still going. I am a fan of IR tools.

 

[oldmachinenut]

I have 2 right angle and 2 straight Astro Pneumatic Onyx die grinders. I am very happy with the purchase

 

[dnschmidt]

Astro if you're going pneumatic but in all honesty once you have the M12 (and this must be used with the 4.0 or 6.0 battery or you'll be changing the little batteries every 5 minutes) you'll never use pneumatic again unless the area you're using it in is really small.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

I went through a couple hf ones and picked up a porter cable one from tsc and it’s much nicer. I have only had it 2 years maybe but so far so good and it was $30 then

 

[cvairwerks]

Dotco 10 or 12 series will last long enough to pass down to your grandkids... The ones I had in my box at work, were purchased new in the early 60's and still in use in 2003 when I moved to the flight line. Still see a couple of them every once in a while out there.

 

[ez-duzit]

...I absolutely love my Right Angle M12 die grinder...

This. Excellent tool.

 

[PugetDude]

Don’t want to derail this thread on a pneumatic tool with more M12 talk, but….
The M12 polisher is a good sander/polisher but it is NOT a good substitute for a right angle die grinder, not fast enough and the geometry is wrong.

 

[GlennSullivan]

Ingersoll Rand or Chicago Pneumatic, can’t go wrong with either and they will virtually last forever.

 

[Zewnten]

Chief 90 available at harbor freight held has up well. Lots of power when I put a cutting disk on it, scotchbeite and sanding wheels don't slow it down at all.

 

[Craftfab]

I have gotten 2" roloc discs from Jag10 that have worked well. Most of time though I use 3" 3M brand rolocs and when they get worn around the edge, I put them on a 2" backer and trim the 3" disc down to 2" and gives a new clean edged disc

 

[oldwino]

Another Astro fan here. the twopiece Onyx set ishard to beat for the price

 

[GeoBruin]

I have gotten 2" roloc discs from Jag10 that have worked well. Most of time though I use 3" 3M brand rolocs and when they get worn around the edge, I put them on a 2" backer and trim the 3" disc down to 2" and gives a new clean edged disc

You just changed my life...

 

[rlitman]

I went through a couple hf ones and picked up a porter cable one from tsc and it’s much nicer. I have only had it 2 years maybe but so far so good and it was $30 then

Ingersoll Rand or Chicago Pneumatic, can’t go wrong with either and they will virtually last forever.

I have several HF angle die grinders that I got for $9 when they were on sale and I also have one Chicago Pneumatic. The CP spins a little faster, but the HF trigger is easier to finesse. For that reason, I usually reach for the HF. I do use genuine 2" Roloc pads though. The HF aren't anywhere near as nice.

Another Astro fan here. the twopiece Onyx set ishard to beat for the price

If I were in the market, that's where i'd be too.

 

[dnschmidt]

How exactly do you trim a Roloc disc from 3" to 2"? These are resin fiber discs and are intentionally made extremely tough. I'm not damaging a $30 aviation shear to save a $2.00 Roloc. Also, how do you keep them perfectly round so that they maintain there balance on a tool that spins at 20,000 rpm?

 

[Rinspeed]

The cheap ones last almost as long as the expensive ones in my experience and I use them all the time. Most versatile tool in my toolbox by far. What other tool can sharpen, cut, polish, grind, shape etc.




https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/2161583

 

[908Jim]

I think pretty much everything in the $15-25 price point is the same - Cheap HF caliber grinders that have crappy bevel gears, low power, but never seem to die with home use and are probably fine for occasional use. The key with these is spin them full speed and vary the pressure on the roloc. I've had one I probably got for $9.99 at HF that saw an hour or two of daily use for like 2 years and its still runs. Noisy gears, bogs down, and hard to regulate but it's fine for basic roloc type work. Doesn't cut it if you need variable speed.

I think the next step up is the $50-$80 range where you get mid-grade Chicago Pneumatic, Ingersoll-Rand, Jupiter pneumatic, Etc which will probably last the average DIY/gear-head a decade or more. Unfortunately, a lot of rebadged $30 dollar tools being sold at 2-3x that.

• Sioux 5055A ($75)
• Chicago Pneumatic CP875 ($60)
• Ingersoll Rand 301B ($60)

Then you get into the $200-600+ range where you get true industrial grade stuff. Dynabride, Cleco, Sioux (SDG prefix, not the 50xx prefix), The pro-grade IR G3 tools etc. If you're patient, you can get good deals on rebuilt Sioux/Dynabride stuff on ebay. I took a chance on a Sioux 1hp straight die grinder for ~75 that was used but in reasonable shape and it's an absolute monster. Needs like 30 SCFM at full load but It's unstoppable. I had it apart and the internal surfaces and bearings seemed fine, but if needed I could always rebuild it. The only reason I own smaller grinders is the air consumption on this guy makes i less than ideal for some tasks.

 

[Rinspeed]

I think pretty much everything in the $15-25 price point is the same - Cheap HF caliber grinders that have crappy bevel gears, low power, but never seem to die with home use and are probably fine for occasional use. The key with these is spin them full speed and vary the pressure on the roloc. I've had one I probably got for $9.99 at HF that saw an hour or two of daily use for like 2 years and its still runs. Noisy gears, bogs down, and hard to regulate but it's fine for basic roloc type work. Doesn't cut it if you need variable speed.

I think the next step up is the $50-$80 range where you get mid-grade Chicago Pneumatic, Ingersoll-Rand, Jupiter pneumatic, Etc which will probably last the average DIY/gear-head a decade or more. Unfortunately, a lot of rebadged $30 dollar tools being sold at 2-3x that.

• Sioux 5055A ($75)
• Chicago Pneumatic CP875 ($60)
• Ingersoll Rand 301B ($60)

I've good luck with both the Sioux and the lower end IR. Like I said any of them in the $60-80 range should last the average person easily 10-12 years. Some of the ones at the shop run an hour or two every day and if we get 18 months out of them that is good in my opinion. Good quality pneumatic oil certainly helps.

 

[Craftfab]

How exactly do you trim a Roloc disc from 3" to 2"? These are resin fiber discs and are intentionally made extremely tough. I'm not damaging a $30 aviation shear to save a $2.00 Roloc. Also, how do you keep them perfectly round so that they maintain there balance on a tool that spins at 20,000 rpm?

Well I think the scissors I use cost $2.99 and cut the 120 grit and scotchbrite wheels just fine. I put them on the 2" backer and take my time cutting around. They cut very easily. Got the idea from 14:30 mark of this video. Has worked well for me. YMMV

 

[Buckaroo5]

I have the IR 301B, source my Roloc discs from Zoro and use the medium and the course. Have used 3M and Zoro house brand without any noticeable difference. Goal is to avoid sparks. Also have the Roloc Brake Hub Cleaning Disc for around the lugs.

 

[mike93lx]

I'm another very happy m12 user. Not having to deal with a hose or firing up the compressor is quite nice. It's also very quiet

 

[nafterclifen]

Thanks all! I ended up buying the Astro 204 Onyx. Cordless would have been nice but I'm already invested into Dewalt tools/batteries and I didn't want to go down the red road for fear of it never ending (ha ha).

 

[mike93lx]

Thanks all! I ended up buying the Astro 204 Onyx. Cordless would have been nice but I'm already invested into Dewalt tools/batteries and I didn't want to go down the red road for fear of it never ending (ha ha).

I was apprehensive too when I bought into m12 (also a Dewalt user). After getting a couple tools that are really well suited to the M12 battery (ratchet and die grinder), I have no regrets. The ratchet alone is a fantastic reason to get m12

 

[PugetDude]

I didn't want to go down the red road for fear of it never ending (ha ha).

It can happen…

 

[Highland]

If you do any metal fabrication, I predict it will become one of your most used tools. I think I have three angle die grinders, two straight and a extra long.

They live in a drawer with a squeeze bottle of ATF and every time they come out of the drawer they get a couple drops. The oldest is closing in on thirty years old!

 

[NFH2740]

This. Excellent tool.

Which battery are you using with it? The 3 aH have left me unamused.

 

[setfocus]

I've never had to replace a die grinder. I feel even cheap die grinders can last if they're actually taken care of. Not dropped a million times, oiled, and the head greased for 90*.

I've got a matco .5 hp 90* that was used by every tire-tech at a general service tire shop for cleaning hubs/wheels for 1-2 years. I oiled it everyday, greased once a week. When I moved up from tires, the grinder went in the tool box and was only used by me and I also got a cheap little mac grinder that became the beater... But 7-8 years later that matco grinder is still going strong, the little mac grinder is holding up decently, still very usable

 

[Snapped-off]

IR, CP, Astro.

I'd probably try the Astro Onyx if I was buying one now. I have a straight IR, and a right angle Snap-on (Sioux?). I don't really care for the Snap-on.

 

[ez-duzit]

Which battery are you using with it? The 3 aH have left me unamused.

I use all the sizes. Have a pile of them.

 

[PugetDude]

I usually grab a 4.0 Ah battery when I'm using the die grinder. Lasts longer and the bigger base allows it to stand up when I'm not using it.

 

[mike93lx]

I generally run a 2.0 to keep it compact

 

[Xcursion88]

Get a Chicago Pneumatic Cp875

It's insanely durable. We clean wheel beads up several times a day...clean knuckles, hub surfaces, you name it. Have many around the shop. Never once a failure.

Get a 2 inch disc holder and some 3 inch rice cakes and clean the whole world up.

 

[Xcursion88]

The cheap ones last almost as long as the expensive ones in my experience and I use them all the time. Most versatile tool in my toolbox by far. What other tool can sharpen, cut, polish, grind, shape etc.




https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/2161583

Not in a professional world. The cheap ones are garbage. No offense

 

[cvairwerks]

Dotco’s will run for practically forever. I’ve worn out CP’s and IR’s while the Dotco’s keep spinning.

 

[Super Mech]

I’ve went through two Harbor Freight right angle tools in 20 years. They can’t be beat for the price. Mine are used in a commercial environment and if I oil them 3-4 times a year it’s a lot. As far as discs go I find 3m to be the best but they can be costly.