Tim92 Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Hi all, I need to know a good brand that carries good angle grinders. My reason is because in the past 2-3 years I have gone through 3 angle grinders. I have really only used them for cutting up leaf springs so they aren't so big when I throw them into the forge. That and just quick stock removal for knives. So anyone know of any really good brands? Knife Prayer by Morris Herring "Heavenly Father, Thank you for my Knife Family. Help me, that they would see Jesus in me. Forge me into a caring person that would be a good witness. Sharpen me, to cut all sin from my life. Guard me, from saying the wrong thing, that I might not offend or hurt someone's feelings and lose my witness to them. Father, let me be able to Handle all trials and tribulations that come my way. Finally, Father, let me help Sheathe lost souls into your Fold. Father, let me use my craft to be a witness and to point the way that the unsaved might follow our Glorious Jesus. Amen." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Smith Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Well I just bought a Skill 4 1/2" Angle Grinder, and I will tell you in a week if it was a good deal or not as I will be using the heck out of mine. It is a 6.0 Amp with a 11,000 rpm's. John W Smithwww.smith-forge.orgFire and wind come from the sky, from the gods of the sky. But Crom is your god, Crom and he lives in the earth. Once, giants lived in the Earth, Conan. And in the darkness of chaos, they fooled Crom, and they took from him the enigma of steel. Crom was angered. And the Earth shook. Fire and wind struck down these giants, and they threw their bodies into the waters, but in their rage, the gods forgot the secret of steel and left it on the battlefield. We who found it are just men. Not gods. Not giants. Just men. The secret of steel has always carried with it a mystery. You must learn its riddle, Conan. You must learn its discipline. For no one - no one in this world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts.[Points to sword]This you can trust Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 The best 4 1/2" angle grinder I ever owned was a Milwaukee tools. I used it for 15 years before I burned up the motor. And I really abused the heck out of it. Bryan Virtuite et Armis (Virtue at Arms) http://kbryanforge.wordpress.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 If you are looking to get a GREAT angle grinder, you cannot go wrong with Metabo. They make a 4 1/2 inch with a 3 year warranty, top quality components, better copper wire for the internals which means more power and less heating up, and this cool thing on the armature that deflects dust and grit. They cost a bit more than your homeowner-grade dewalts and bosch, but are a better machine. Milwaukee are no longer made using metal gearing, the newer ones are not as beefy as the old ones (I used a milwaukee for a few years HARD in the ornamental iron business). Let not the swords of good and free men be reforged into plowshares, but may they rest in a place of honor; ready, well oiled and God willing unused. For if the price of peace becomes licking the boots of tyrants, then "To Arms!" I say, and may the fortunes of war smile upon patriots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I didn't know that Sam, seems like everything is being more cheaply made these days. I have a Rigid right now and am very happy with it. I haven't heard of Metabo, but I'm not a metal worker. Bryan Virtuite et Armis (Virtue at Arms) http://kbryanforge.wordpress.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 All the 'Good old brands' have seemed to have stopped making real quality stuff...for my 4 1/2 inch...I have a Harbor Freight..It's my second one,first lasted 4 years but at under $20 each I woud just as soon buy them as the brand names..their proberly made in the same factory in China. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." — Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim92 Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 (edited) Hey, Thanks for the replies! John: I'd really like to hear your review on it next week. K. Bryan Morgan: 15 years?! Wow! I am going to definatly look into the Milwaukee grinders. I have heard of them before but, I have had no experience with them. Sam: Those Metabo grinders look real tempting and they are even more tempting knowing that there is a 3 year warrenty. But the prices are really high on them and while I think a angle grinder is a mustin a shop, I don't think it would be worth it to spend $170 on one. But, I'll do some more research. Arthur: I'm afraid you're right about the quality of the grinders. I may end up doing the same thing and going with the cheapies and babying them. Thanks again for the help, -Tim Edited July 31, 2009 by Tim92 Knife Prayer by Morris Herring "Heavenly Father, Thank you for my Knife Family. Help me, that they would see Jesus in me. Forge me into a caring person that would be a good witness. Sharpen me, to cut all sin from my life. Guard me, from saying the wrong thing, that I might not offend or hurt someone's feelings and lose my witness to them. Father, let me be able to Handle all trials and tribulations that come my way. Finally, Father, let me help Sheathe lost souls into your Fold. Father, let me use my craft to be a witness and to point the way that the unsaved might follow our Glorious Jesus. Amen." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Sexstone Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Sam has it right..... I have used them all and there isn't one out there better than the Metabo...... like anything ....you get what you pay for .... and what ever you do get one that you can't lock the switch on.... the ones with a paddle switch are the most dangerous grinders out there because in order to hold the switch on you can only use it comfortably for a while till you hand gets tired holding the switch on.... it is very hard to use a paddle switch if you are holding the grinder in any way other than that traditional with one hand on the handle and the other hand closing the paddle switch and holding the "Body" of the grinder...and if you can't hold on to the grinder in a comfortable way you hands get tired too quickly and then it is easy for mistakes to happen and for you mussles to get damaged from gripping too hard for too long.... Paddle witches are one of my PET PEEVES with Osha..... Paddled switchs are erginomicaly bad for carpel tunnel ....... Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Norris Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I bought a more expensive angle grinder when I thought my cheapie had died. I spent $100 to $120, cannot remember exactly, and got a Hitachi. The Hitachi is, by far, better than the other two cheapies I have. It runs faster, runs smoother, and has more power then anything else I've used. Now that I have it, I only use a cheapie if I'm being lazy and it already has the attachment on it that I need. As far as cheapies go, I have one Harbour Freight, one off-brand orange ones that Mal-Wart sells. Each was less than $30 to purchase. The harbour freight one has been going now for 10 years. I thought I killed it once but, pulled out the brushes and cleaned them off, they had this thick build up of iron dust gunk, and now it runs again! The orange one from Mal-Wart runs so roughly, it shakes and rattles, that I never use it. A good thing considering that I do not feel it is safe to use and this is how it was straight from the box! The Harbour Freight one seems to be the exact same grinder as a DeWalt, just without the name on it. All of the above are 4 & 1/2" grinders, if that matters to you. I have always been given the advice to save up my money and get a quality tool to begin with. Most of the times I've been impatient and bought a cheap tool have resulted in my having to spend more money and buy a better quality one later. However, there have been times when I bought a more expensive tool only to find out that it was complete junk. Doing research, while time consuming and frustrating, especially when you just want to get down to work, is about the only way to safeguard your hard earned money. Good luck with your purchase! ~Bruce~ “All work is empty save when there is love, for work is love made visible.” Kahlil Gibran "It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them." - Alfred Adler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john marcus Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 (edited) its not clear that there is a best metabo hilti bosch milwaukee are all top tier many people do heavy work with 4.5 or 5 inch when they might be better served with a full size grinder, but they are light any easy to handle and will do most jobs intermittently. for heavy use go air or full size electric and its money well spent. ps i have killed beyond repair most brands but in all cases it was abuse for a small grinder and not their fault Edited July 31, 2009 by john marcus infinite edge cutlery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwilliams Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 I vote for the Milwaukee, although I also have two harbour freight grinders. I have each grinder set up with a different attachment, I set up the milwaukee with the wheel I use the most and the two cheapies get the wire cup brush and a grinding attachment that I use less often. Works for me and I actually like the Harbour frieght cheapies for a quick job. Chris Chris Williams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 For my big grinder I have a 20 year old Black & Decker Wildcat Professional...I've owned several big Milwaukee grinders and this outperformed them all much to my surprise...I don't know if it's still made..the only problem is it's too heavy... "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." — Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antoine Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 I have a Bosch for about 10 years, really good grinder. Antoine http://antoinemarcal.wordpress.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Ya they are all really good you can't go wrong with a top tier unit. Find the one you are comfortable with the price, and go for it. If you want to save money, Harbour Freight. I know people who have them and they work fine. Not to sure about longevity, I've never owned one. Think about your aplication, find the one you feel meets that need and do it. I used mine for flooring work. Ceramic and Porciline tile, slate, I cut steel with it when it was in the way. Heck a couple of times I cut metal door jams when I needed them to be alittle higher and didn't want to go to the truck and get my jam saw out. It just all depends on what you need it for. Bryan Virtuite et Armis (Virtue at Arms) http://kbryanforge.wordpress.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Kettell Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 (edited) I work in a shipyard building large tug boats. I have seen them all fail. As John Marcus said failure isn't necesarily the tools fault. There is not one stationary belt sander in our whole yard dispite my offer to managment to bring in my Bader for a week to show them what it can do, still not even a little 2x48 kalamazoo next to the ironworker Everything is done with hand held grinders and almost all of that with a 4 1/2". I have a fondness for the large body Makita 4 1/2(12amps I think) for heavy work as well as thier smallest 8amp with a locking switch. The new large body that I saw did not have a lock on feature and that would be a deal breaker. I have been using a bosch for 10 months, and while I didnt use to care for them, this one has stepped up to the plate, That being said when I have heavy work I use a 7 1/2 ' Metabo. It's a real creampuff. I'll have to agree with Sam on the Metabo. I have two at home. One full size body 4 1/2" that survived the fire that destroyed the yard a year ago, still works fine, and a small one with a lock on that I bought a t a flea market for fifteen bucks. I bought a new gaurd and Metabo quick nut for it($25) and put some grease in the gears and it runs like a dream. Beware while milwakee makes a great heavy duty model, The Milwakee you pay $100 for a Lowes or Home Depot, is NOT the same as the $150 ones from MSC or other industrial supply places. For starters a difference of 8 amps vs 12amps and that might also be where the ones with non metalic gearing are coming from. ~Herb Edited August 2, 2009 by Herb Kettell The few surviving Samurai survey the battlefield. Count the arms and legs and heads and then divide by five. TMBG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryC Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 I agree with the Harbor Freight grinders. They run them on sale quite often for less than $20. No matter which grinder you get it will only be as good as the disks you use on it. So I have a cheap grinder and good disks and not a complaint in the world with it. "Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSJackson Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 I got lucky last fall and saw a nice Hitachi 9.5 amp grinder on closeout at Lowes for $30. Been using it about 10 months now and it's way nicer than my old Ryobi cheapie. My brother has had one like it for a few years and really likes his too. I think he paid about $90 for his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Hastings Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 For my big grinder I have a 20 year old Black & Decker Wildcat Professional...I've owned several big Milwaukee grinders and this outperformed them all much to my surprise...I don't know if it's still made..the only problem is it's too heavy... I have one of those... Its around 22 years old and still goes strong whenever I need it. In the first few years I put a couple thousand hours on it. Only sees occasional use now. patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KPeacock Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 (edited) I've got a few of them for various chores. in the 4,5" size I've got three. I've got an older makitia that I really like, but I don;t use al lthat often. The two I use most are a DeWalt and a Harbor freight. I've abused the HF model for 4 years now and it still runs great. a little bit sloppier than the other two, but an angle grinder is not exactly a precision device. I bought the DeWalt for cutting some tile two years ago. I use it, but the HF grinder does most of the work. I leave a grinding disc on the HF, a cut-off wheel on the DeWalt, and either wire wheel, or a sanding disc on the Makita. It saves a bit of time not having to switch discs as often. Considering the cost of them, I'd happily buy a few more of the HF cheepies. Just today I bought a Hf multi-tool. I had been considering getting either a dremel version or getting the original Fein version. At $40, i figured I'd try the HF version to see if it will even do what I want it to do. If it works, I'll use it until it breaks and then replace with a higher quality model. Edited August 4, 2009 by KPeacock Have you ever thought about the life of steel? It's interesting to think that you can control the fate of a piece of metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giuseppe Maresca Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 The best tools I've used so far are Hilti. I have worked with a 10 yrs old hilti angle grinder, and it is still a great tool. They are pretty expensive tools anyway. Bosch are good too. Mourir pour des idées, c'est bien beau mais lesquelles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Burns Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I've got a 4" Makita I've used and abused for abt 4 years. Still good as new. Not saying it is the best but it is good. KSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim P Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 If you have a good air compressor, air tools are great. They're not that hard to fix, but they're expensive, they take a lot of abuse. But man, they cut so well. I used a 7 1/2" ingersoll we have at work, and it makes short work of leaf springs and it takes the forge scale right off, quickly. I want one for home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Pyron Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 I'll have to agree with several here and go with the makita. Mainly for the money, it's not a whole lot more expensive than the cheapies but the quality for the money is unbeatable in my opinon. I have another $20 grinder and it is NOTHING compared to the makita which was still only like 60-70. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendan Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Milwaukee are best, e.g. the Milwaukee 6088 It runs at an optimal 6000 RPM, and will shield your hands from vibrations with a Soft-Grip main handle, to give better better control as well as better comfort. More details at: http://best-gear.org/milwaukee-6088-30-7-inch9-inch-large-angle-grinder-with-lock-on/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stéphane A. Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I have a Bosch for about 10 years, really good grinder. Antoine I second that Antoine same for me and 12 years old. Probably Zillions of rounds I really hope the next will be such a good number Stéphane My link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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