4.5 grinder recommendation?

[bigtiller]

harbor freight consumables are junk. i found a dewalt sale at a local murdochs, and got a great deal on dewalt wheels and stuff, so i have a good stock of them now.

kept being tempted by the metabo, so ordered that one. thanks for the recs though. i may pick up a VS one as well, sounds interesting. have not used one before.

For a second or third grinder, look at a cordless model. they are very handy when using a thin cut-off wheel.

 

[3Lfarms]

I use the higher amp Dewalt for wire brushes and 36 grit flap wheels when I am doing a lot of grinding.
I have three of the $30 HF grinders for cutting and general light grinding.
A good cup brush will let the magic smoke out of one of the HF grinders in short order though. Been there, done that.

 

[California]

I use the higher amp Dewalt for wire brushes and 36 grit flap wheels when I am doing a lot of grinding.

I tried a 24 grit flap wheel (not available at HF, so DeWalt from Tractor Supply), to clean up rusty metal before welding. Wow! 24 grit is way more aggressive. I prefer it for this application.

 

[aczlan]

I use the higher amp Dewalt for wire brushes and 36 grit flap wheels when I am doing a lot of grinding.
I have three of the $30 HF grinders for cutting and general light grinding.
A good cup brush will let the magic smoke out of one of the HF grinders in short order though. Been there, done that.

My problem was the gearbox losing a couple of teeth in a row, not the smoke getting let out...

Aaron Z

 

[California]

My problem was the gearbox losing a couple of teeth in a row, not the smoke getting let out...

Mine, the $9.95 model, spit out its internal plastic cooling fan, in fragments. The similar one 10 years newer went up in smoke. Both had been installed in a chop-saw holder. They aren't well suited to that continual heavy load.

My better HF angle grinders, orange and the blue one with paddle switch, continue to work as expected.

I recently got a Ryobi 18 volt angle grinder since I have the batteries and could use the included charger. So far, I like it. But its power is probably equal to a 5 amp grinder like HF's orange, now red, version.

I really want an 11 amp pro-grade angle grinder!

 

[Big Barn]

Sadly they’re all using more plastic parts theses days.

My “tool guy” who has repaired more than his share of grinders pointed out the differences in Metabos. (His fave).

The newer ones are considerably more ergonomic but the weight savings are a direct result of plastic replacing metal. In his industrial setting the entire dockyard was equipped with Metabo grinders with many being rebuilt multiple times.

I toasted my 7-9 inch Milwaukee due to plastic components.



Mind you i didn’t have much invested in it as I bought it used.

 

[Fallon]

Mine, the $9.95 model, spit out its internal plastic cooling fan, in fragments. The similar one 10 years newer went up in smoke. Both had been installed in a chop-saw holder. They aren't well suited to that continual heavy load.

My better HF angle grinders, orange and the blue one with paddle switch, continue to work as expected.

I recently got a Ryobi 18 volt angle grinder since I have the batteries and could use the included charger. So far, I like it. But its power is probably equal to a 5 amp grinder like HF's orange, now red, version.

I really want an 11 amp pro-grade angle grinder!

I'm a Ryobi fan as well. Not great, but good enough & more importantly One+ batteries are the ones I got started with. Once you get locked into a battery system you are hard pressed to change.

I only have 1 One+ grinder for now. Equal power to the HF grinders, but massively more convenient without the cord for under 15 minutes of grinding.

 

[DJ54]

For my money, I go with the DeWalt mid grade grinder. I do a lot of cup brushing cleaning up rusty metal tubing from conduit reels. Even with deep clean with using electrolysis, it needs to be buffed off. Dust being sucked in, will wear the armature contact point where the brushes run, and wear it to the point of no return. I used Milwaukee also, and they last about the same amount of time, but here, the DeWalt's are a little less expensive. I'll get 2, maybe 3 years out of one, and you can tell it's starting to falter, so time to be looking for a new one.

Here, Home Depot seems to have the best prices on comparable models. When the kids ask what I want for Christmas, I ask for the HD gift cards, to buy new power tools, if needed. At least I get something I can "use"...

 

[swines]

I have, Bosch, Milwaukee, Metabo, and Fein grinders. FWIW - as of 2016, Metabo is owned by Hitachi. The Fein grinders are made in Germany and, in my estimation, are the best dollar value. The Fein grinder line starts at about $69 and goes up to about $400 depending upon the size of the grinder and features (anti-vibration, motor wattage, etc.). The have a "two pack" of small grinders that put out 360 Watts for $99. For $50 bucks a piece that's hard to beat. The last one I bought was the WSG8-115 for $129 because it has a 13 foot cord.

I recently bought the Milwaukee 18 volt battery operated grinder because I do enough "remote" grinding that the convenience is worth the cost. So far, it's as good as AC units for power and grinding ability. I use it with Norton Blaze fiber discs and it's faster than a standard depressed center grinding wheel.

 

[not2old]

For a second or third grinder, look at a cordless model. they are very handy when using a thin cut-off wheel.

I'm really disappointed with my Makita cordless. The brushless model might be better.