4&1/2" angle grinder reccomendations?

[eastexan]

That must be why you might find two 5 inch grinders on a shelf under a 2 inch pile of dust within a 100 miles of here and even have to look just as hard for a 5 inch disk.:confused2:

All shops around here use 4.5s,7's, or 9's, with an occasional 4 thrown in.

It might be a regional thing...but I can count on 1 hand the times I have seen a 5 inch grinder in use.

+1
Same here :thumbsup:

 

[Gary Fowler]

Same here, 4" and 4.5". I have never seen a 5 " grinder or grinder blade, but there is a lot of stuff that I have never seen so I wont say they dont exist. Never seen a ghost either.

 

[JoelD]

Used my 3 inch air cut off tool yesterday on my truck, gets into tight places nicely.

My B&D 4.5 inch grinder has worked great for years.

Joel

 

[Gary Fowler]

After some web searches, it seems like there are lots of 5" grinders on the European websites, but only Dewalt seems to have them in my local market, but I dont find any 5" blades for them and Lowes price is $139 for the grinder. From the looks of it, it is just a more powerful and slightly larger 4" but since they dont stock 5" blades for it, it is still just a 4.5". I guess if I was me buying a grinder and wanted more power, I would just go ahead and get the 7 " for about $100 more and use the larger blades for heavy work. I like the 4 1/2" because they are light and remove metal fast. I dont like them because the blades don't last very long. Since you get a lot more cutting surface with a 7" blade vs a 4 or 4.5 and the cost is very little difference, it is much more economical to use a 7" grinder than the small one.

 

[FastPauly]

Word of caution for the "fix-it yourselfer's" out there......you cannot buy parts for Hilti tools. You have to send them back to Hilti. I also have a Snap-On grinder that those traveling tool salesmen peddle....a local dropped it off at my shop asking if I could repair it.....it has definate gear issues. So far, I am striking out on finding parts for it....Snap-ons web site has info (parts diagram) for it but sadly, "parts unavailable" is stated.

In the past couple of months, I have been doing a lot of grinder repairs for the NG drilling/pipeline industry that has swarmed the NE corner of PA. For the most part, repairs consist of replacing bad cords, switches and brushes. Then there are the occasional ones that need broken housings replaced due to being dropped or accidentally runover by a truck. I think I have only had to replace a couple with gear damage. There does appear to be a complaint from users of certain large DeWalt models stating that the gear case runs unusually warm....looked into them but can't see anything obviously wrong. One thing that I have noted on these complaints is that the grinders in question do not have the side handle attached and by looking at he crud filled mounting hole....they are obviously used that way. Without the handle, I can assume a gloved hand is placed over the gear housing to control the grinder....this results in blocking off the cooling vents.

My thoughts on increasing the longevity of a grinder....replace the brushes before they need to be replaced. A worn brush can be cause for other failures beside itself. Poor brush contact leads to poor performance which leads to longer grinding cycles which leads to more heat buildup. Arcking brushes will destroy the brush holders and in my mind, is a lead-in to switch failure.

I am not a grinder expert by no means....but I have stayed in a Holiday Express a couple of times....

 

[Gary Fowler]

You are absolutely right about holding the grinder with a gloved hand, thus stopping much of the air flow thru the grinder. Another cause for failure on pipelines is that they drop them in the dirt / sand with them still turning and it sucks in all kinds of abrasive particle into the internals which cant be good on the grinders either. I suppose you could get the same particles from a dirty welding table by laying the grinder down when it is still turning> How many are guilty of that? ME for sure. DO I even know where the handles are for my two 4" grinders? MAYBE.

 

[Chilly807]

My Jobmate (Canadian Tire Chinese) died yesterday after quite a few years of use. Not a bad little tool at all for the price. I would have bought another one yesterday to replace it, but the light was fading and I had work to get done. So off to Home Hardware, and came back with a Porter Cable Chinese 4.5... So far it's ok, not as small and handy as the Jobmate, but smoother and more power. We'll see how it does as time goes on.

Sean

 

[johnk]

I have had my Craftsman abput 12 yrs and beat the snot out of it. Still running at 100%....

 

[Captain Carburetor]

I am a retired car mechanic and I have had great luck with the HARBOR FREIGHT angle grinders. They are super cheap, but they have lasted me for years (of light use). My son now has my old one and I got a new one, same deal. They are less than 20 dollars and often on sale. At that price, you can't go wrong, in my opinion.

 

[shade tree welder]

That must be why you might find two 5 inch grinders on a shelf under a 2 inch pile of dust within a 100 miles of here and even have to look just as hard for a 5 inch disk.:confused2:

All shops around here use 4.5s,7's, or 9's, with an occasional 4 thrown in.

It might be a regional thing...but I can count on 1 hand the times I have seen a 5 inch grinder in use.

4-1/2" are very common, 4's and 5's harder to find stock of but you can
always order them.

When running my welding business, Milwaukee's held up well to the contanst
use and abuse. Parts are easy to get. I have yet to burn up a Milwaukee,
fried every other make I have ever tried.