Which brand for handheld electric tools?

[DrZero]

I went to the local professional tool store (which is happily about a block away because I live at the edge of the light industry district) to shop for an 4.5" angle grinder. Anyway they have in stock Milwaukee, DeWalt and Makita brands. Close inspection indicates they are all made in China. I think my local Home Depot sports the same brands. Here's the web page of their offerings.

So, it looks like the

• 
  DeWalts is $59.

• Makita is $70

• Milwaulkee has both a $59 and $99 model.

My question is do you prefer a brand, in general, in small basic electric hand tools like this? Now that all these brands are made in China is there really enough difference between them to even justify preferring any brand over another?

For whatever it's worth the guy running the store says he sees the Makita rep every week, so prefers Makita. Makes sense from his point of view.

No matter what I'm going to buy it from the guy down the street, not Home Depot, but I appreciate them putting everything on the web for my reference, and do buy stuff from them from time to time.

 

[Monte]

I don´t know if there is a big difference between these models so I probably would check them out and take the model which fits the best in your hands.

 

[american lockpicker]

I got a Bosch grinder thats made in Germany and I'm going to be adding a Metabo soon(also German). For brands its safe to say I like bosch... Not really loyal to the name but they make a lot of tools in Germany and Switzerland, widely available and, they are priced the same or better than name brand Chinese made tools.

 

[scott37300]

I have a dewalt 4 1/2" HD I bought from HD about 5 years ago. I know dewalt makes a few different models, think I paid around 90-100 bucks for mine but they had another dewalt 4 1/2" that was only like 50 bucks. Mine had more amps and a few other features. It has been a good grinder so far, only complaint is when I use it a lot the metal head of it gets pretty hot to the point it almost burns your hand. I also have 3 other grinders that are about 10 years old, a 4 1/2" milwaukee, 4 1/2" makita, and a 7" milwaukee that I bought used that are all good grinders.

Do some searching on the model numbers of the grinders you looked at, I know dewalt and think milwaukee and maybe makita all sell a couple different models of grinders, from low end to high end.

 

[Joe From NY]

i have 5 different HF/Northern chinese cheapo's, each cost no more than $20. I put a different disk on each one to save trouble of swapping disks. All have some monster torque and get the job done great. All came with extra carbon brushes, when was the last time you bought a reasonably priced american tool that came with replacement brushes? i am impressed with their quality.

 

[Valkyrie Rider]

Metabo are likely one of the best out there! When I went to school for welding.... ALL the grinders were Metabo and they held up awesome to student use/abuse.

If you don't use it a ton, get a few of the HF ones when they go on sale (the orange ones). They sell for about $20 and like said before set up one for grinding, one with wire wheel, one cutoff etc. They last a decent time for the money (especially if you re-grease them before use) from what I've seen and what I've read on fab sites.

 

[american lockpicker]

i have 5 different HF/Northern chinese cheapo's, each cost no more than $20. I put a different disk on each one to save trouble of swapping disks.

That sounds like a great idea.

 

[Homoudont]

I use a dewalt 4 1/2 inch grinder I use for tile work. It looks like it's been to hell and back but still runs really good. If I ever have to replace the grinder I'll just get another Dewalt.

 

[sselander]

It depends...

One manufacturer can't be good at everything

Coastal Tool near me has an excellent website that has a best of category page: "We based our decisions on performance, features, reliability and price."

http://www.coastaltool.com/a/misc/besttool.htm

They have been around for a while and can also give advice

http://www.coastaltool.com/index.html

 

[woody 73]

You might laugh about this advice but brand aside I give my business to a small tool store,when they see me coming they roll out the red carpet. If I buy what they are selling they in turn will literally bend over backwards if that tool breaks,after all they want my business.Oh I am sure you could get a better deal on the web but the great service that I get is well worth it.

For what it is worth if your guy is saying (makita=brand X)then buy it.

 

[american lockpicker]

You might laugh about this advice but brand aside I give my business to a small tool store,when they see me coming they roll out the red carpet. If I buy what they are selling they in turn will literally bend over backwards if that tool breaks,after all they want my business.Oh I am sure you could get a better deal on the web but the great service that I get is well worth it.

For what it is worth if your guy is saying (makita=brand X)then buy it.

I do that occasionally. Also I've noticed smaller shops tend to carry more USA or EU made tools(a lot is NOS though...)

 

[Bigpigdave]

I like the Milwaukee 4.5-5" paddle switch grinders. I have a pair of them and use them a lot. I also have an older Craftsman Pro and a Makita. They have worked well also but the Makita is starting to develop some noise in the head. All of the manufacturers make several different models, check out their websites for details. If you are only going to have one grinder go for the highest amp model offered in your price range.
Good luck, Dave

 

[Lhorn]

i have 5 different HF/Northern chinese cheapo's, each cost no more than $20. I put a different disk on each one to save trouble of swapping disks. All have some monster torque and get the job done great. All came with extra carbon brushes, when was the last time you bought a reasonably priced american tool that came with replacement brushes? i am impressed with their quality

I too like the cheapo angle grinders to have set up with different wheels. I have one with a flap wheel and one with a cutting disk. They're good for light stuff but replacement brushes or not, they are for light duty. So it's a good idea to spend a little money on a decent one for real grinding ect, because the cheap ones bog down awfully easily. I think the description of "monster torque" has to be a bit tonque in cheek. Not sure what to think about the replacement brushes. For the most part these things will start smoking or melt in your hand before you wear out the brushes, but you throw it away and get a new one.

 

[crewchief888]

ive got a couple of HF orange grinders i picked up for $9.95 several years ago, they've been holding up pretty good for the abuse they get.
i also have a dewalt, and a hitachi, all of them have been good grinders so far.

the hf models have a sanding disk, and wire wheel, the others have a cutoff and grinding wheels on.
if the HF model dies, i'm only out $10, they been holding up for over 4 years now.

 

[sberry]

A better deal than the 20$ ones from HF is the 30$ ones from Walmart, very good unit for the money, good power and is a clone of the DeWalt.

 

[Jared]

I have a 5" makita, pretty well the standard in industry around here.

 

[bigdummy30]

i use this style grinder for cutting granite and still have the original dewalt model i bought over 10 years ago and have burned up 2 different ryobis in the past year alone doing the same stuff......i have both model dewalts and even the smaller amperage model has enough *** to slice through granite,the only thing i would pay attention to is the trigger...one model dewalt has a paddle switch and the other has a slider switch which you can lock "on"....

 

[IndyGarage]

Every manufacturer seems to have cheaper ones and better ones.

One thing to look for is the Amp draw on the motor. Cheap ones are 4-5 amps. Better ones 7-8.

Right now I have a Harbor Freight 5 amp, which has worked fine for many years, but doesn't have much power, a Hitachi 5.5 amp which is OK, a Cheapo China made Kawasaki brand that broke it's switch on the first use, but otherwise works OK, a Makita that I bought used and works well, and I just bought a Bosch 7.5 amp with the thin barrel that I really like.

 

[Gary S]

i have 5 different HF/Northern chinese cheapo's, each cost no more than $20. I put a different disk on each one to save trouble of swapping disks..

I do the same thing. I have a couple of the really cheap Chinese grinders. I beat them up and they keep on going anyway. When I have a big cutting job to do, I pull out both of them and run one until it gets too hot to hold. Then I switch off and use the other one until it is too hot to hold. I can't seem to kill them and I have just a fraction of money invested. For light jobs, either one will do the entire job just fine, and I don't have to pay Makita prices.

If you are a contractor and need the tool to work 8-10 hours a day every day, buy the best. For many of us amateurs, the cheap tools can do all we need at a fraction of the price.

 

[mrholeshot]

This is one tool I prefer the Makita.

 

[kc-steve]

I just bought a Makita Drill 18v L-ion and love it. Charges the batteries in just a few minutes. Has lots of power that goes a looong time. Very happy with it.

Have been buying different grinders though.

Steve

 

[Ign]

My vote is Milwaukee but they just re-did their grinder line. The new ones look nice and they bumped up the amps on the less expensive model(s).

Everyone gets happy about the cheap HF grinders and they're ok. They are noticeably poorer quality in terms of fit, finish, ergonomics, switches, and length/flexibility of power cord.

The extra motor brushes that come w the cheap China units are just a scam; if you really use it the grinder won't last long enough to need new brushes. It's also kind of like an Autozone thing - they'll happily give you a crappy part at a cheap price w a lifetime warranty.

After going thru a half dozen HF grinders I've learned my lesson - you still get what you pay for and I have a mixture of Milwaukee, Ridgid and Metabo.

Both a cutting wheel and a wire cup brush are the hardest on grinders. I keep my cutting wheel on a 12amp 4.5" Milwaukee. It never bogs, but you better have a good grip on it.

 

[a390st]

I had a little Makita that was very good. I also have a Porter Cable which is basically a Black and Decker. It has been great, too. The Wal Mart grinders are really worth the money for a cheap grinder. Some of the older DeWalts had problems with the brushes needing replaced too often.

 

[May Pop]

I like the Milwaukees but also have a 30 year old Craftsman. I have used most brands at work also. They all last many years.
Find one that is comfortable to hold and turn one.Also consider price so you can buy a couple soes not to constantly have to change different discs.
Ron

 

[PSU Engineer]

If you are interested in a Metabo 4-1/2" angle grinder, there is one on sale this month at MSCDirect for $99. I saw it in the back of the super saver flyer.

Metabo WS-115
MSC Direct order# KW84556166

Tony