Best type of angle grinder

[Dale_Brown]

Hello all,

Soon I will be starting my C10 driver project. Rockers, floors, and doors all need attention.

In the past I have purchased angle grinders from harbor freight and northern tools. While they worked for small task around the house their life expectancy was not very long.

Looking on Ebay I noticed a huge price difference from the Harbor freight and brand names line Metabow and Makita.


My question is, are the high end grinders with the extra cost?
I also noticed some have variable speed. Is this a good option?

Sorry if I posed in the wrong forum but I searched the board and couldn’t find the information I was looking for.

Dale

[Tshort1]

Are you talking about Air or electric? I have had my Dewalt electrick grinder for years and it still works great I use it for most of my metal grinding needs. My Air Angle grinder is Kobalt from lowes I t also is great but i only use it for cleaning gasket areas and stripping paint when doing body work. Hope that helps. You get what you pay for.

[johnnyclack]

If you plan to use it a lot; I use grinders all-day-long in a fabrication shop (where price is not an option <>in my opinion, based on ease of use & disk swap out)

Electric
1. Bosch
2. Milwaukie
3. DeWalt
Air/pneumatic
1. Ingersoll Rand
2. Chicago Pneumatic
3. Snap-On


You may want to check out some of the Welding forums . I am sure you’ll find a host of opinions located there as well

[donut]

Even the high end grinders, you get what you pay for. Can't speak for the air grinders, but the electrics have low and high end grinders. Granted I'd take a low end brand name over the stuff that the cheaper stores sell.

What size grinder are you looking for? 4-1/2" most common for a handheld.
Check your local welding supply store, see what they carry. Professionals generally won't use junk for very long.

Over the years I've owned,
Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt, Black and Decker professional, AEG, Skil and currently a Metabo.

[_Ogre]

any name brand grinder will last for years in a home shop, metabo is way over priced imo.
i also keep one of those cheap harbor freight grinders around with cut off blade on it to keep wheel changes down

[ryanroo]

i use the dewalt 4.5" at home and at work. i work as a fabricator, and i beat on electric grinders. with no maintenance the dewalts last ~1 year. more or less depending on what my projects look like that year. i do not buy them for my job, the company does. my wife got me the one i use at home as a gift. i have my eye on a bosch, but i think the next one i buy will be this:

http://www.feinus.com/en_us/grinding...nders-t288469/

supposed to be very good tools. i like nice tools. get something good and it'll last for a long time

Ryan

[midniteblues]

I bought a harbor freight grinder that lasted 3 or 4 cuts and the brushes were done changed the brushes and cut a peice of chain and the brushes were toast again.although i hear somepeople have good luck with them. I bought a decent black n decker thats been really good too me and recently my makita's brushes went out it was my wire wheel grinder so it had some long hours on it and was about 12-14 yrs old.

i wont buy power tools from hf anymore unless its something i dont need to rely onalthough the heat gun i got from there works pretty good

I'm not sure if all grinders do now but my old makita had a switch that locked when it was on. that was the one thing i didnt like about it the b&d has the pressure switch witch is nice for when your t shirt is quikly becomeing part of your wire wheel you just let it go and it shuts off but every now and then when you lay it down and just so happens the hammer handle or something else wants too push the switch and it'll tear something up.my kid was bit by the makita once and he wouldnt touch it afterwards

[johnnyclack]

My 4.5 Bosch has a locking switch of a sort, it’s at the end of the handle. It requires very minimal pressure to keep it engaged, from the pinky finger. This feature is nice for it allows for the relaxing/tightening of the other fingers during prolonged periods of grinding.

My large 7.5” Milwaukee has the type of lock that remains on once set, as result is very dangerous when using it. But the level of torque this unit delivers you don’t want to fall asleep grinding..

[NONHOG]

Happy with my DeWalt. I see them on sale regularly.

[DesertCat]

Have a Hitachi, had it for several years... still like new. Got it at Lowe's on sale for like $40 IIRC

[Hubscrub]

My dewalt has been a very good one it's been used for several years on several projects.

[TexasJimmy]

I'm in the industrial tool rental business. Metabo is a brand of choice for welders and fabricators at the plants I work in. We offer other brands, but they don't hold up as well.

Safety Note: DO NOT remove the blade guard or trigger safety on any and all grinders. Check power cords often for bare wires.

Have a safe day!
Tim
Posted via Mobile Device

[johnnyclack]

Who/where is Metabo manufactured? I have not heard much about them, how long have they been on the market. I may want to pick one up to try it out.

The reason I like my Bosch 4.5 is because the guard can be rotated to adjust for access required to grind. This is the first grinder I have used that has this feature

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by TexasJimmy

Safety Note: DO NOT remove the blade guard or trigger safety on any and all grinders.

have you ever used a grinder?
take out of box, throw away blade guard and that silly little side handle they give you.
and use.

[TexasJimmy]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

have you ever used a grinder?
take out of box, throw away blade guard and that silly little side handle they give you.
and use.

Take the advise or leave it. It's your choice.

I owned a shop for 7 years and was a Snap-On before getting into the industrial business. Just trying to help.

Tim
Posted via Mobile Device

[vidman]

The Metabo will last you a life-time if used at home or shop. But they are not cheap. I have 2 of them that i use in my garage and have had 1 for about 12 years and the other is around 6 years old and have had zero problems with them. We also have about 10 of them at work and all work great. Machinist and welder by trade. But you don,t have to have the best. Most of the other popular brands will give you years of service with proper care. the other thing is how it feels in your hand..Just my 2 cents worth

[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by vidman

The Metabo will last you a life-time if used at home or shop. But they are not cheap. I have 2 of them that i use in my garage and have had 1 for about 12 years and the other is around 6 years old and have had zero problems with them. We also have about 10 of them at work and all work great. Machinist and welder by trade. But you don,t have to have the best. Most of the other popular brands will give you years of service with proper care. the other thing is how it feels in your hand..Just my 2 cents worth

Most of the machinists i know look at angle grinders like they are ugly snakes! they think they are just noisy things us heathen welders have to annoy them! hahaha (i am a sub-pro machinist and welder)

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

(i am a sub-pro machinist and welder)

so do you annoy the machinist in you when your grinding your welds?

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by johnnyclack

Who/where is Metabo manufactured? I have not heard much about them, how long have they been on the market. I may want to pick one up to try it out.

The reason I like my Bosch 4.5 is because the guard can be rotated to adjust for access required to grind. This is the first grinder I have used that has this feature

I'm a Metabo man myself. I got tired of replacing the others. They aren't cheap, but I'm getting to me point in my life where I only buy stuff that I expect to last me from now on until I lay down my tools for the last time.

And to answer your question, they are made in Germany. And there is a lever you push to allow you to re-position the guard anywhere you prefer around the wheel. No tools required.

[LEEVON]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

have you ever used a grinder?
take out of box, throw away blade guard and that silly little side handle they give you.
and use.

Have you ever held a man's jugular vein shut after a grinder kicked back into his neck? Or had to watch a man who made a living with his hands become completely disabled after a grinder cut through his tendons? I know it's extra dramatic...but if you've seen what I have you might think differently about that advice.

I like my Makita for home use, hasn't let me down.

[Tx Firefighter]

Take a look at this picture. That's the top of my right leg. That exact Metabo grinder I pictured above got loose from my hands. It went through my leather welding apron, through my Wrangler jeans, and did what you see here. That was with all guards in place too. No sense in making them any more dangerous by removing the guards.

It was so deep that they had to run a row of internal stitches down inside the muscle then a second row of stitches on the top of the skin. My thumb is there for scale and I have real big hands.

It can happen in an instant, all it takes is dropping your guard for a split second to let something like this happen.

[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

so do you annoy the machinist in you when your grinding your welds?

YES!

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

Take a look at this picture. That's the top of my right leg. That exact Metabo grinder I pictured above got loose from my hands. It went through my leather welding apron, through my Wrangler jeans, and did what you see here. That was with all guards in place too. No sense in making them any more dangerous by removing the guards.

It was so deep that they had to run a row of internal stitches down inside the muscle then a second row of stitches on the top of the skin. My thumb is there for scale and I have real big hands.

It can happen in an instant, all it takes is dropping your guard for a split second to let something like this happen.

i have a sweet scar on my left leg that looked like that, but not quite so long... mine was cauterized shut from the speed of the sanding disk and about 1/4" wide and deep! i hate the ER, so i just covered it in paper towels and duct tape... and i must confess, i am a guard free type of moron. i have plenty of scars on my hands to show it

[Rochlow]

Makita.. 20 plus years trouble free!! I think it's getting close to giving up the ghost. Not sure what brand I will get next. I'll look for another Makita, if not Dewalt or Milwakee.

[johnnyclack]

Makita.. 20 plus years are not the same today.

They are a quality product, but not the same as when they first made thier claim on the market....

[crossfire84]

i like my dewalt plus its american made.