Recommend a good right angle grinder

[Lt CHEG]

I've got a little Christmas tool money and a Lowe's gift card to spend and I think it's time I got myself a right angle grinder. It's going to be a while before I'll have my 80 gallon dream compressor in my new garage, so since I'm working off my 30 gallon 1.6 HP Kobalt belt driven special, air powered grinders aren't really in the cards for what I want. I don't honestly do a lot of grinding so I went with a Ryobi 8" bench grinder last year and that has done pretty well for most of my grinding needs. I just want something that I can take to the job instead of the other way around. Frankly most of what it would be used for will be running a wire brush to remove corrosion. I will probably also touch up my front end loader bucket with it from time to time when I need to. I imagine it might come in handy for cutting some stuff too, again on an occasional basis. I'm thinking of sticking with a 4.5 inch unit as I think anything bigger would be too unwieldy to use if I ever was using it to score shapes into metal for any limited fab work that I might do. I have always had good luck with DeWalt power tools and just about every electrically powered tool that I own is produced by DeWalt, so I'm somewhat partial to them, but would consider others as well. Is the cheapest DeWalt 4.5 inch grinder good enough for me or should I look for something higher end or at least middle of the road? Should I be looking at other brands (preferably ones carried by Lowe's?) Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[lutter94]

I have the Milwaukee 6140-30. I really like the on/off paddle style switch rather than the cheaper models. They work fine don't get me wrong. But I think the next step up is worth it.

The DeWalt DW818 is going to be your basic angle grinder. The DeWalt D28402W has a better paddle switch to it, and I think they keep going up from there. If you find yourself changing styles of discs alot, I would think about getting another grinder. I. e. one with a flap disc, one with a cut off wheel (or whatever combination you prefer).

 

[5lima30]

I have a Makita that I have used hard for 10 years and it is still going strong. I have used a Milwaukee that was very good! The Hitachi might be worth looking at. I have other Hitachi power tools that I have been very happy with but no first hand experience with their angle grinders. One thing to consider is ergonomics, make sure that it is comfortable to use.

 

[dittle fart around]

Cheaper the better and buy two of them. I've got Dewalt's. They were 39 bucks apiece, ones for cutting and the other is for grinding.

 

[redwrench60]

I'm with Dittle, get two 4 1/2" grinders. I have two at work, a Milwaukee with a cup brush and a Makita with a grinding wheel/stone. Just make sure you get one with a spindle lock button for easy tool swaps, hate hunting for those special wrenches. Look for 7 to 10 amp motors for power!

 

[twincam00]

Milwaukee or Makita. I would highly recommend you get a paddle switch (on the bottom) versus the side switch which automatically locks on, way easier for a noob to use

 

[1steve]

Makita has always been good to me but if it ever quits i'm going with a Metabo.

 

[nw2571]

I think the OP is talking about buying an angle grinder from Lowes. So that means that Milwaukee, Metabo, and Makita are all out (Lowes doesn't stock these brands).

I agree with the recommendation of buying at least two. You'll find most jobs require at least two types of attachments.

So in keeping with that, here's your best deal on a quality pair from Lowe's:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_241584-353-...=/pl__0__s?Ntt=bosch+angle+grinder&facetInfo=

My local store has had pairs of Porter-Cables on sale the last few weeks or so as well, but they don't show up online. I thought they were a little cheaper (maybe $59?).

 

[geologist]

I've got a Black & Decker 4.5" angle grinder. It's reasonably well built, and honestly, it out performs my step-father's DeWalt. They run anywhere between $39 - $59, depending on where you get them. I paid $22 on mine since it was on clearance. The trigger is actually sort of a large button, rather than a paddle-style pressure switch. In my opinion, that makes it easier to control the speed.

 

[metaleltr]

I have a Craftsman Professional 4.5" Angle Grinder. Had it for 3 years now, it is still going strong. This thing has the longest cord I have seen on any newer power tool-10', most of the time I don't even need an extension cord. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...01&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=30-18779861-2

 

[holdover]

I started with a Makita and when it died after a few weeks I sent it back for repair, needing another one while waiting i purchased a HF one for 15.00 on sale. It doesn't have a paddle switch, which I would like, but I have gotten that grinder so hot in the last 10 years you can't hold it with gloves on. When the makita came back I used it a few times and it burned out again and went back to be repaied. For the money the HF are hard to beat, IF you get a good one, not sure about others experience with them.

 

[Outlawmws]

If you get a thumb button switch unit you WILL separate your thumbnail from the skin. another vote for a paddle switch unit.

Buying a pair is a nice to have, but if you are not welding/fabricating, I think one is fine.

I have two middle of the road grinders and one HF cheapie, and I can't recommend the cheapie. It gets hot (The factory grease is completely inadequate) and should really me lubed with gear oil, not grease. after re-greasing with a synthetic grease, I was STILL getting it way too hot, and reopened it and added the 140wt (And left the grease to hopefully help the seals keep the 140 wt inside). It gets warm but at least I don't get the feeling it is going to melt down in extended use.

Yeah it works but it's not anything I expect to last a long time...

 

[bmwpower]

I started with a Makita and when it died after a few weeks I sent it back for repair, needing another one while waiting i purchased a HF one for 15.00 on sale. It doesn't have a paddle switch, which I would like, but I have gotten that grinder so hot in the last 10 years you can't hold it with gloves on. When the makita came back I used it a few times and it burned out again and went back to be repaied. For the money the HF are hard to beat, IF you get a good one, not sure about others experience with them.

Jesus. What kind of job you use them on?

No problem with my Makitas.

 

[sberry]

While I like paddles the best deal on a grinder for the money is a B&D from Walmart. Its darn near as good as any I have ever used and at 30$ is hard to beat, doubt a hobby guy could wear one out.

 

[crewchief888]

i picked up a hitachi @ lowes a couple years ago, seems to be a good middle of the road grinder.
seems like it was $39.99 or so with a blow molded case and 5 grinding wheels

no better or worse than the dewalt i have.
less vibration & heat than the 5 year old orange HF grinders.

i thought i saw one of the big box stores had a 2 pack of porter cable grinders.
maybe you'll find and after christmas clearance



EDIT : was just @ local lowes, they have the hitachi grinder on sale for $44.99

 

[lotsoftools]

I have a 7 year old HF special, and it still works great. In fact, this past semester of welding school it outlasted quite a few of the other guys brand new Skil grinders. Really suprising.
Anyways, I got a Makita 9557PB for Christmas. I haven't used it yet. It has a paddle switch, which I think is almost mandatory. I dropped my HF once and it wouldn't shut off. It just started tearing up the floor until I caught it.
Also, I saw a two-pack of Porter Cable grinders at Lowes the other day. I don't remember the exact price, but think it was around $60.

 

[Jim Stabe]

I have 3 paddle switch HF grinders and I use them a lot. They are at least three years old and going strong. I never see them go on sale but use the 20% coupon and they are just over $20

 

[snap88]

My dewalt grinder has been good for the last 3 years, i did get a HF one before that and it took a sh$%^&*t on me after using it a few times.

 

[kb2tha]

Our local Lowe's had the Porter Cable two pack for $49.99 just before Christmas.
ken

 

[GTO]

I have a couple of HF's in my home shop,If I had to replace them now I would buy one of the Milwaukee Paddles.
@ work we use a Bosch.

 

[BBC71Nova]

I picked up the Bosch 2-pack at lowes and felt like it was a pretty good deal. They aren't paddle switch though. I looked at a lot of grinders and some were just too big for typical grinding of welds and stuff.

 

[browntown]

You won't find it at lowes, but I love my metabo. If I could find a USA made milwaukee, I'd probably buy it too. Metabo has the best tool-less system on the "quick" models. Whatever you choose, get the most power you can afford. I've found I can slow down a 7 amp grinder pretty easily.

The price/value proposition is a little harder to justify with metabo, but it will serve you well for years.

 

[Lt CHEG]

You guys are killing me with all these options. I like the idea of having two grinders frankly because I'm lazy and hate changing things. By the same token, even though I wouldn't be able to use my Lowe's gift card (it's only $25 and I'll find something else to use it on anyway), I'm also intrigued by the Metabo grinders. It looks like changing attachments on one of their grinders would be about as easy as changing drill bits, am I far off? I'm also thinking about picking up one of the higher end DeWalts (like $80) and their most basic model (about $50). If I can find a Porter Cable 2 pack for $50, I'll probably give that one a try. Oh, who knows. For those with the Metabo grinders is it really as simple as it looks to change attachments, and is it worth having two grinders if I was to spring for a Metabo? Thanks for all that you folks have provided me so far.

 

[camarotoolman]

I just picked up the better Dewalt at the flee market for $20, looks new. I save the lowes card for your next home repair disaster.

 

[Monte]

Here are some GREAT deals:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-FLEX-ANGL...931?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5efeadab

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-ANGLE-GRI...258?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5e1f284a

 

[Lt CHEG]

Here are some GREAT deals:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-FLEX-ANGL...931?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5efeadab

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-ANGLE-GRI...258?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5e1f284a

Do both of those units have quick change capability? Thanks for the heads up as it does look like those are priced very reasonably.

 

[Monte]

Do both of those units have quick change capability? Thanks for the heads up as it does look like those are priced very reasonably.

no, but the prices are very good for angle grinders "Made in Germany"

 

[holdover]

"Jesus. What kind of job you use them on?

No problem with my Makitas."


Grinding welds smooth on restorations and Hotrod builds

 

[american lockpicker]

Not much worth getting at Lowes unfortunately.

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

I picked two styles at Tractor Supply branded as Kawasaki. The first one (a trigger handle, but not a flip switch) was a POS... After burning through that one, I bough the next size up which I had been told was a vastly better grinder. This one has the same trigger (like a powder drill), but is also variable speed. You can dial the "max speed" down, and lock it on like a hand drill. I have put two of these through hell and hack, and they have been awesome! I do a LOT of metal grinding, paint & rust, and even metal cutting. I will only buy a variable speed one from now on, they are worth it many times over!

Now I also want to plug Harbor Freight for the wheels. I use a LOT of wheels and the $10.00 multi pack is a killer deal. Three 1/4 grinding stones, three flap disks, and I think 5 cut off wheels for $10.00? AWESOME deal and I have NEVER had one fail. I have gone through well over a dozen of these multi packs and a few packs of 10 cutting disks. Some people swear buy HF's 4.5" grinders too... but I will not buy anything electric powered from HF myself.

 

[sberry]

The HF grinders I have seen are hit and miss, saw one right out of the box fail. Also low on power. Thats what impressed me with the Wally world unit, I bought them just for spare and was impressed enough to put one on the bench where it is a daily driver, not sure how any wheels it has seen but its a lot, 3 maybe 4 boxes easy and thousands of cycles and the thing has good power. I got a Milwaukee sits right next to it but this gets used 10 to 1. The thing is heavy, got some weight to it. Its already earned its keep way over, if one would last half as long I am still in, won't be scared to replace it. Has outlasted 100$ units by far and the brushes look about half worn. I am not that easy to impress but for 30$ I am done buying pricey grinders, have a box with half a dozen broken ones in it now.

 

[Your Father]

I have two Dewalt grinders, both of them have the standard switch. Can't stand a paddle switch - it makes you have to hold the grinder in a way that is sometimes inconvenient. With the standard switch, once its on, its on. Never broken a thumbnail, either. LOL. But then again, I don't have manicured hands with acrylic nails.

 

[Coach James]

I have a Hitachi I bought a few years ago that I like, but if it quit, I would go for a couple of these.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Skil-4-1-2-Angle-Grinder-9295-01/14227167

or

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rockwell-ShopSeries-4-1-2-Angle-Grinder/15162055

Coach

 

[Lt CHEG]

So I went to Lowe's while out with the wife shopping today. I ended up trying the Bosch 2 pack :

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

They seemed like a pretty good deal and the reviews on the web seem pretty positive. I like how it came with two wheels and a diamond cutter. I will try it out and if I don't like it I will return it and probably spring for a Metabo, or something a little higher end. I played with the DeWalt 10 amp unit with paddle switch and I did not like the paddle switch arrangement at all, it just didn't feel comfortable. My grinder will mostly be used with a 3" cup, wire brush for removing surface corrosion on things that I use in the winter. The barrel is small enough on these grinders that I can comfortably wear gloves, so that should afford a little extra protection when using them, especially if I've got a grinding wheel in place. My first project will be to remove the surface rust on the right side muffler of my 2008 Polaris Sportsman 800, and then to shoot it with some high temp Rustoleum. I'll also clean up the mount for my plow and give that a quick touch up as well. I'm really a pretty lightweight user of grinding implements, so I hope this will be fine. In actuality if I had a big air compressor the stuff that I plan on using these grinders for would like be performed with die grinders, so these are primarily a stop gap measure. I'll be sure to report how I like these later in the week. Thanks to all for the input.

 

[sberry]

I just looked to see if I had a Skil one from there but it was B&D also, just black. I haven't ran that one but would be interesting to see if it was as good and for 28$ off the shelf it would be hard to beat even if it just comes close.

In actuality if I had a big air compressor the stuff that I plan on using these grinders for would like be performed with die grinders, so these are primarily a stop gap measure.

I actually do like air a bit better for wire wheel, easy to modulate the speed but for grinding like electric. One of the main reasons is cost, air is way more expensive to operate and not quite as portable to some extent. Takes 5 or 6 times the power to run the same wheel air.

 

[1320stang]

My Dewalt grinder almost ALWAYS has a knotted wire cup brush on it.

It's my second, has a slide switch, my first Dewalt had a paddle, bought it in '92, broke the paddle, need to get a new one as it still works. My second is probably 5-6 years old.

 

[805gregg]

I've got 6 in order of best to least 7" Milwaukee 6065 15 amp aluminum housing, for heavy grinding, this thing could grind through to China. Makita 7" 15 amp for sanding a good lighter grinder. 4.5" Milwaukee 11 amp for grinding, it could go with a bigger grinding wheel, a 4.5" Dewalt 10 amp used for cutting, a 4.5" Makita 6.4 amp used for rough sanding, and a cheap Skill 6 amp for fine sanding. It's so nice to just pick up a unit for a specific purpose and not have to constantly change grinding wheels or pads. Is this over kill?

 

[38Chevy454]

I have 3 Dewalts, the 4.5 or 5 inch size. One paddle and two side switch. The paddle is probably close to 20 years old and still going strong. The side switch are fairly new. I prefer the paddle myself.

I use the grinders with a knotted wire brush cup a lot. Or with sanding flap discs. Not clean work and never had any troubles.

 

[Greatbear]

I have a couple pneumatic grinders, a Makita 7/9", a DeWalt 4.5 incher, A DeWalt 4.5" cordless and recently I picked up the Bosch 2-pack at Lowe's for 79 bucks. The grinders are decent, with a locking momentary thumb switch, and came with four general purpose grinding wheels and a diamond cutting disc. They are 6 amp grinders, plenty of power for general work. Made in China. Like many angle grinders the heads can be clocked for different applications and personal preferences. Recommended.

 

[greasemonkey44]

good choice on the bosch units
i have a few around home and work; they are great!
quieter, and really powerful