Favorite angle grinder?

shawn

shawn

running dog lackey of the oppressor class
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Mar 13, 2005
Location
Raleigh, NC
I have a 4.5" 8.5A Milwaukee that's about 20 years old, and has been great. It's about due for its second cord and might need brushes soon, but mostly it needs a buddy. What do you like?

Harbor Freight/Bauer/Central Bullshit grinders are garbage, so that's right out.

I sorted Tool Barn's grinder category by best selling, and it looks like they move a lot of Makitas. Seems like most of them are side switch, though.

Ideally, I want something with a tool-less guard adjustment (my Milwaukee has a little lever, push it down and rotate the guard, flip it 180* to remove) and a paddle switch. Considering stepping up to a 5" or 6" just to be able to use larger cutoff wheels from time to time.
 
My personal one is a Dewalt 4.5 8500. The ones I use at work are DeWalt 10,500 and 11k. I love the 11k the best.
 
I too have a Milwaukee 4.5" angle grinder that is about 18 yrs old. I've had to fix the cord once where it goes into the grinder. I plan on buying another Milwaukee when the time comes.
 
I’ve got a Milwaukee like you fellas too. My son cut the cord one day. Found out it was cut and needed to grind and ended up with a Dewalt because it was at Tractor Supply 3 miles from my house on a Saturday. It’s several years old and I like it. Similar features, lever to unlock, drop or rotate the guard and a paddle. I won’t ever own a grinder that has a switch, the paddle is a must.
 
Still like the 11 amp dewalt angle grinders. I went from a side switch to the switch you can control with your index and middle finger. Still prefer the side switch. I am pretty relentless on these. First one lasted 10 years.

www.homedepot.com

DEWALT 11 Amp Corded 4.5 in. Small Angle Grinder DWE402W - The Home Depot

Bring a magnificent tool to fulfill your cutting needs in the home or jobsite by selecting this DEWALT Corded Small Angle Grinder
www.homedepot.com
 
shawn said:
They're not what they used to be.

Hence this thread.
Click to expand...

That's good to know. I didn't know that their quality had gone to shit. I always thought Milwaukee was a top shelf brand.
 
If you're feeling spendy, DeWalt makes a few brushless corded units with paddle switches. Fancy brushless DC motor tricks are included. Metabo HPT (ex-Hitachi) makes brushless as well, but I don't think any are paddle switch. Kinda want to try one, but not convinced the benefits are necessary (except they probably run a lot cooler and presumably have more power). Changing brushes is not a big deal.

I actually really like Metabo brushed. And Bosch, Metabo HPT, Makita, for cheaper models.
 
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drkelly said:
I always thought Milwaukee was a top shelf brand.
Click to expand...
They were about four owners ago. Now they're comparable to Dewalt. Probably fine, nothing special
 
NickMaul said:
Still like the 11 amp dewalt angle grinders. I went from a side switch to the switch you can control with your index and middle finger. Still prefer the side switch. I am pretty relentless on these. First one lasted 10 years.

www.homedepot.com

DEWALT 11 Amp Corded 4.5 in. Small Angle Grinder DWE402W - The Home Depot

Bring a magnificent tool to fulfill your cutting needs in the home or jobsite by selecting this DEWALT Corded Small Angle Grinder
www.homedepot.com
Click to expand...
The smaller (8A) version of this is 2/$100

Any thoughts on 4.5 vs 5 vs 6" grinders? I'll run big discs on the 4.5s without a guard from time to time in order to get more reach or more life, not sure if the bigger units also have bigger gearboxes that would make this less effective. Incidentally, these are two of the best-sellers at toolbarn:

www.toolbarn.com

Toolbarn.com

ToolBarn.com offers a large selection of online power tools, hand tools, nail guns, fasteners & pressure washer parts from top brands like Milwaukee, DEWALT, Karcher, Senco, Makita & more!
www.toolbarn.com www.toolbarn.com

www.toolbarn.com

Toolbarn.com

ToolBarn.com offers a large selection of online power tools, hand tools, nail guns, fasteners & pressure washer parts from top brands like Milwaukee, DEWALT, Karcher, Senco, Makita & more!
www.toolbarn.com www.toolbarn.com
 
After seeing how much worse @braxton357's face got when he had a conversation with his grinder, I got the M18 fuel with built in brake. Love it, but not as much power as my corded Milwaukee. I think my corded one is like 11 or 12 amps though. It doesn't spin as fast as others, but it also doesn't really slow down when you lean on it.
 
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I have to admit that I took the guard off my angle grinder right after I bought it. I wear a full face shield though like I posted in 77greenmachine thread. I only buy 5" cut off wheels and grinding wheels.
 
I have a 20ish year old Milwaukee the same. The bearings in it sound like shit and i keep waiting on it to lock up. I'm in the market too.
 
justjeepin86 said:
I have a 20ish year old Milwaukee the same. The bearings in it sound like shit and i keep waiting on it to lock up. I'm in the market too.
Click to expand...

Haha! The bearings in mine sound like shit too, but it has sounded like that for many years. I've been waiting on it to fail for so long now that I've given up waiting. It might outlast me.
 
Best grinder I know of is one someone else is using...lol I have 2 dewalt corded and 2 20v dewalts. It all depends on the job to be done for what I grab. But when it comes to having to do lots of grinding I have always gone to the air powered Dynabrade 4 inch, kinda expensive but imo best you can get.
 
drkelly said:
have to admit that I took the guard off my angle grinder right after I bought it. I
Click to expand...

I spent a month last spring waiting on my right hand to heal... So guards are on unless absolutely required. I was damn lucky.... Do not recommend.
 
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I use the hitachi for all one handed cleanup bc it’s light weight. Picked it up a random day at Lowe’s 10 yrs ago on sale for like $39.
I use the 13a 9k rpm dewalt for heavy work with two hands. Far less fatigue when running it for multiple hours with the smaller handle and trigger switch.
The 13a dewalt I love with a 4.5” flap wheel bc it doesn’t bog, it just moves material.
The little hitachi is just for cleanup or light cutting.
Fwiw we stopped buying Milwaukee at school bc they would last 8 weeks on average.

I actually bought and used a $9 HF drill master one daily at school just to prove it would work and last longer than the much higher priced Milwaukee’s. Also keep one in the trailer for wheeling and spare in the work trailer for just in case.

I used the Milwaukee 20v lithium cordless on Steve’s new buggy for clearancing and prepping tubes on the chassis and it works great. Far better than my nicad dewalt 18v cordless
 
Since we're posting pictures.... :D

IMG_20210228_122214.jpg


This one is pretty new, less than a year for sure. Bearings are shot.
IMG_20210228_122409.jpg
 
shawn said:
I spent a month last spring waiting on my right hand to heal... So guards are on unless absolutely required. I was damn lucky.... Do not recommend.
Click to expand...
I only very rarely run one without a guard. 9/10 times, the guard really isn’t in the way. Plus when running one handed a lot of times I run one finger on the back of the guard.
 
shawn said:
Link?
Click to expand...

www.dewalt.com

5 in. Brushless Paddle Switch Small Angle Grinder with KICKBACK BRAKE™

Complete a wide range of grinding applications with the 5 in. Brushless Paddle Switch Small Angle Grinder with KICKBACK BRAKE™. This grinder is equipped a KICKBACK BRAKE™ that engages to stop the wheel when a pinch, stall, or bind-up occurs. Featuring a powerful brushless motor and the E-CLUTCH®...
www.dewalt.com www.dewalt.com
www.dewalt.com

5 in. Brushless Paddle-Switch Small Angle Grinder with KICKBACK BREAK™

Take on a variety of grinding applications with this 5 in. Brushless Paddle-Switch Small Angle Grinder. Engineered with a powerful brushless motor and PERFORM & PROTECT™ safety features like E-CLUTCH® technology, this grinder is designed to help provide enhanced control in bind-up situations...
www.dewalt.com www.dewalt.com
www.dewalt.com

5 in. Brushless Paddle Switch Small Angle Grinder with Kickback Brake, No Lock-On

This 5 in. Brushless Paddle Switch Small Angle Grinder with Kickback Brake and No Lock-On features our long-lasting brushless motor. You'll never need to take it out of service to replace brushes. It has an internal brake to stop the wheel when you release the switch. PERFORM & PROTECT™ features...
www.dewalt.com www.dewalt.com
www.dewalt.com

5 in. / 6 in. Brushless Paddle Switch Small Angle Grinder with KICKBACK BRAKE™

Take on a variety of grinding applications with this 5 in. - 6 in. Brushless Paddle Switch Small Angle Grinder. Engineered with a powerful brushless motor and E-CLUTCH® technology, this grinder is designed to help provide enhanced control in bind-up situations.
www.dewalt.com www.dewalt.com

It's basically 2 models, but one model has 3 variants.
 
XJsavage said:
My personal one is a Dewalt 4.5 8500. The ones I use at work are DeWalt 10,500 and 11k. I love the 11k the best.
Click to expand...
Edit. This is what I use at the house. DWE4011. 7a. 12k No guard. This is a tough little rascal. *Coors not included*
IMG_20210301_202426255.jpg
 
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