Thoughts on angle grinders?

[whateg01]

Oh good! We need another metabo hpt thread!

 

[The Cobbler]

I lost interest in Hitachi when the high quality Japanese tools were replaced with, what appeared to me, to be very generic “Made in China” tools.

I used the made in Taiwan narrow crown staplers from Hitachi for stapling underlay . they were great guns . The brad nailers were also good, tho I didn't care for the locking tab on the nail carriage .
When they went to the much cheaper made in China line that cost more , they were garbage in my eyes.
There was a time when the old style guns in decent condition were selling for more on ebay than the new style were . What does that tell you?
I was buying non working or missing parts guns or ones that went for cheap , I probably have about 10 of them, some of them stripped for parts like pistons .
I was at a trade show & chatted with the sales guys at the Hitachi booth about it. They said, "We know the new stuff is junk, we keep telling them but no one listens to us"

 

[Dave455]

I used the made in Taiwan narrow crown staplers from Hitachi for stapling underlay . they were great guns . The brad nailers were also good, tho I didn't care for the locking tab on the nail carriage .
When they went to the much cheaper made in China line that cost more , they were garbage in my eyes.
There was a time when the old style guns in decent were selling for more on ebay than the new style were .
I was at a trade show & chatted with the sales guys at the Hitachi booth about it. They said, "We know the new stuff is junk, we keep telling them but no one listens to us"

Interesting to hear. I have no experience of those, and don’t even think I ever saw them.

I have both a professional carpenter, and a handyman, in my social circle, and both seem to rate the Hikoki / Metabo HPT nailers.

I think they were one of the first to come up with a compact / gas free cordless nailer, and despite my personal reservations about quality, they seem to have acquired quite a following.

Other than seeing the occasional sander or DIY tool, I hardly see any other Hikoki in the U.K. I probably see more of the old Japanese Hitachi. Given the age of some of those tools now, that’s quite impressive.

 

[The Cobbler]

^^^ if you like the new pneumatic guns, you'd probably love the older guns !

 

[Dave455]

^^^ if you like the new pneumatic guns, you'd probably love the older guns !

I have to say I am not surprised.

The Japanese made grinders were superb. I’ve seen them put up with brick and concrete dust in difficult environments - far worse than my grinders have to contend with - and they just seemed to go on and on.

I may keep an eye out for one of the Taiwan staplers. I am anticipating a project this year where I might need one.

 

[KnurledNut]

I didn’t know that, and I can’t really follow the rationale there.

I know that the former Hitachi Power Tools, and Metabo, are now under the same ownership, but they are very different.

I lost interest in Hitachi when the high quality Japanese tools were replaced with, what appeared to me, to be very generic “Made in China” tools. When those tools subsequently became branded “Hikoki” in most of the world, and “Metabo HPT” in the U.S. that still wasn’t really of interest.

Metabo have always had a mixed line. Some of their tools, in fact most of their German made tools, have always been first class. But for the last few years a buyer has had to exercise caution, as some lower quality tools have turned up under the Metabo name.

I can’t imagine what’s happening now? I can see why you might as well merge the lower quality Metabo line with the former Hitachi line, as they are comparable tools.

But what about the German made Metabo? How will customers know what’s worth spending the money on? Or will the German tools be dropped in the U.S. market? I know that European tools end up quite expensive in the U.S. by the time they have had an oceanic passage.

With all the Metabo recommendations in this thread I felt it beneficial to mention as some may not be aware and its uncertain what the future holds for the US market. For now, they state things will remain the same, but only time will tell. They have already changed the way it looks, which I don’t see as an improvment.



Metabo put up this article about the transition, where the above picture was posted:
https://www.metabo-hpt.com/metabo

 

[FleetMech]

What amp were the corded grinders did you smoke?

The Dewalt was a 10amp. Big, heavy grinder for a 4-1/2" and the head was so big you could only use about half a cut-off wheel before the head got in the way. I'm not sure this one burned-up or if the guys made it disappear once they heard we were getting new grinders. But I understand it was around the shop ~10 years so props where due.

I'm not sure about the Bosch, but it was a little 4-1/2" grinder. It definitely burned up as I saw it smoking. I believe it had brushes and those could have been replaced, but this also was around a long time and not worth fixing.

Really haven't seen much mention of safety yet, but it's worth paying a little more attention to.

While really not the intent of my post, I would appreciate more info about safety if you'd care to elaborate. We are a large construction outfit and have safety managers on-staff, however they don't pay much attention to the shop as the field is their primary focus. We all have face shields, and safety glasses are required at all times. Masks are available but I notice they don't get worn all that often. The biggest complaint is that they fog the safety glasses. I understand that grinding is not the hazard as say silica, however should they be required for fabrication work?

I haven’t used my 7” grinder in years. It scares me, and a 4 1/2 inch grinder does everything I need.

This is where I am at. However after reading the thread I do believe I am going to get a single 7" for truly hogging out materials. After talking with the guys weight is their biggest complaint when they're stuck on a grinding task for extended periods.

I don’t really like angle grinders, but I use them more than I’d wish, so I’ll share a few thoughts!

Boy, I hear you on that! Just not my favorite tool. I appreciate the thoughts you shared!

Buying several cheap ones instead of one good one? Personally, I wouldn’t. There’s far more to a quality grinder than tool life. I’ve owned one cheap grinder, and it was honestly the nastiest thing I have ever used. It was far more noisy than the better grinders, had far more vibration, and the switch was positively dangerous! There’s a ”base level“ of quality that I wouldn’t go below.

While I myself am a fan of, and always looking for cheaper tools that get the job done. I will not be going that route in this case. The main reason being the guys complain when we buy cheap tools. I guess they will complain about anything (I'm just as guilty at times) but if I get quality stuff it eliminates an excuse.

I have several, all corded, and lighter is better.
I imagine that heavy duty work requires a beast, but that can cause fatigue pretty fast.

I talked to the crew yesterday... they all agree: "lighter is better". So that will be a main focus along with amps.

With me more power is always a good thing but with angle grinders I find vibration to be the better compromise. Grinders are cheap. Carpal Tunnel is not.

There has been a few suggestions on some grinders that help mitigate vibration. Do you have any suggestions? What about anti-vibration type gloves? I hear you on this post. I'm not a fan of grinders because for this very reason. Thanks for the comment!

Have a look at corded Metabo angle grinders.

Metabo is at the top of the list. A lot of good comments about them in this thread.

-Great thread! I really appreciate all the comments. I expect to get some grinders ordered this week. Big help with all the input offered so far. I will follow up with what I bought. Thanks again all!

 

[Wamsutta]

I prefer BOSCH angle grinders with the sliding thumb switch on the left side of the barrel.

4 1/2, 5 , and 6 inch.

 

[whateg01]

I thought "we" determined that sliding switches are bad because the grinder will get loose and tear a giant hole in your leg before you can shut it off or unplug it

 

[david3921]

I thought "we" determined that sliding switches are bad because the grinder will get loose and tear a giant hole in your leg before you can shut it off or unplug it

One instance does not a trend make...

 

[GaryM909]

This corded rat tail Dewalt grinder is an industry standard. 13 amps and comes with 4½" and 6" guards. They have a real nice small body.(DWE43116)
The Makita 9005B grinder is a little bigger and only 10 amps but it is also an industry standard around here.
You have to order a 6" guard separately. These are real easy to maintain and I found they were more durable than the Dewalt ones.
I just used three this past Sunday to modify my wife's weight rack. I have ground all the corners off the guards and I also noticed that I don't use handles on any of the grinders. lol

 

[KnurledNut]

The Makita 9005B grinder is a little bigger and only 10 amps but it is also an industry standard around here.

For extended use, one of the greatest of all time metalworking grinders in my opinion.
Might be a little too much grinder for non-pro DIY though.
Always value your advice and experience Gary.

 

[Wamsutta]

I thought "we" determined that sliding switches are bad because the grinder will get loose and tear a giant hole in your leg before you can shut it off or unplug it

You slide the switch forward and it locks on. You slide the switch back and a spring will assist in sliding the switch back real fast.

Can the grinder inadvertently turn itself on? I don't see how. It's never happened to me and I have countless hours on them.

 

[tarbellb]

Those rat tail grinders are def the best for serious work
Requires two hands on the machine

Great for heavy material removal, but only when you have optimal access to the work

 

[M.Brane]

I have a DeWalt that I inherited with a cutoff wheel. 3 HFTs with grinding/flap/wire. I bought the cheapies thinking when they die I'd replace 'em with something better. I'm still waiting for them to die. I smoked one once from clamping it in a vice. It didn't like that, but it was $20 so no big loss.

I hate paddle switches. Too clumsy with gloves on. If 5h1t goes sideways I'm just letting go.

 

[david3921]

You slide the switch forward and it locks on. You slide the switch back and a spring will assist in sliding the switch back real fast.

Can the grinder inadvertently turn itself on? I don't see how. It's never happened to me and I have countless hours on them.

He's referring to a closed thread where an individual tore up his jogging pants.

 

[Alaniho]

for anykind of production or heavy use get corded where possible, cordless is great for the odd job but not repeating work.


Metabo and Fein would be the 2 that gave the best results in our shop. This would be the above entry level made in germany versions though. The entry level for all theese brands is made to a price and best avoided unless its only for the odd job. If you must go el cheapo we found the Hitachi / Hikoki really good value versus performance, with their higher powered version getting particularly good results. I am in Europe though so maybe branding is a bit different across the water.

Also don't ignore using good quality consumables, its easy to get tempted to cheapout but its such a false economy. No pojnt putting remould tyres on a Ferrari !!. Pferd and Walter would be the 2 standout brands for consumables.