angle grinder question

[PILOON]

When I owned a small business the gov't (Can) said that I should claim 'made in Canada' and provided me with rolls of little stickers to attach to my product.
Fact was that it was all electronics and everything came from offshore with us simply adding a case and faceplate.
Markets (and some blind luck) allowed me to take a $100. (direct cost) item and market it for $2500. retail. and even give a discount to dealers.
The laws governing the claims stated that taxes, profits, packaging, shipping were all legitimate to claim the 50% content.

That's why a Chicom item becomes legitimate 'made in' item!
My understanding is the same or similar rules exist in US.
Every day I see on Chicom websites glaring examples of this and the greed of some retailers.
The nice guys take a reasonable % (like 2X) while often I see the exact same item retailed elsewhere for 3X and even 4-5X!
It is the old 'ask whatever you think the market will bear' approach.

 

[rswyan]

I guess the new "built in the USA" is in away correct ...

Lock,

Great story ... in terms of the insight it provides, if not the ultimate outcome for B & D's employees and our nation. Thanks for sharing your experience.

On a side note, that (relatively) "new" HF angle grinder I bought a month or so ago ... well, I apparently pooched it yesterday ... apparently simply by triggering it while it was still spinning, under no load ... :confused2:

Gearbox got all "crunchy" ...

Fortunately it is still under warranty ...

 

[California]

...greed of some retailers.
The nice guys take a reasonable % (like 2X) while often I see the exact same item retailed elsewhere for 3X and even 4-5X!
It is the old 'ask whatever you think the market will bear' approach.

There are similar examples on Amazon.

Products straight from Home Depot and Harbor Freight marked up 80% with the vendor's prefix on the product number to avoid comparison. I've posted reviews in the listings for a couple of them: "Why pay double when you can buy the same item at the big orange home improvement store and get a no-question return warranty?"

Angle Grinders -
I've had good luck with my HF angle grinders. While they seem underpowered compared to professional tools, none have broken in several years of occasional use making farm repairs. Since HF added the paddle-switch model with a little more power, I think its a better choice compared to their cheaper versions. But if you want a brute-force 4.5" grinder, you need something with much higher amperage draw than anything at HF. In contrast to the little grinders, their 7 and 9 inch angle grinders meet expectations.

 

[rswyan]

I tried my "crunchy" HF paddle switch grinder again today - to my surprise it ran ... with no crunching ... at least for awhile ...

I went ahead and used it (a little scary) and it would crunch intermittently ... eventually it locked up completely ...

I'll dedicate the replacement HF unit to lighter duty usage (flap disc, wire wheel, etc) and leave the heavy grinding and cut-off disc tasks to the Milwaukee.

Would I buy the paddle unit again ?

Yup ... but I'd treat it a little more gingerly.

 

[lockhaven]

just a guess but the crunchy was gear teeth breaking off, if they have a place to fall then the unit will still work as you say in light duty. I would suggest if the unit allows open up the gear case, we used to call it the "monkey head" and remove the shrapnel and re grease.

 

[California]

tried my "crunchy" HF paddle switch grinder again today ... eventually it locked up completely ...

HF will gladly exchange it if you kept the receipt. They see returns due to uneven product quality all the time.

Hopefully the next one is from a different batch and will run for years.

Random results at HF is the tradeoff for low prices - its a great model if you have the time to return products once in a while.

I just took back a set of HF's ChannelLock-type pliers. A channel bent, galled, and jammed the pliers the first time I squeezed the handles as hard as I could. I think I'll replace them with used genuine ChannelLocks from Ebay at a slightly higher price. This is a tool I need only every year or so for plumbing repairs but it has to work right - a half finished plumbing emergency repair is a disaster.

Some people recommend open any HF power tool and put in decent grease before first use. I never have; probably should.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

I had about 800 Sq.Ft. of tile to lay a couple years back and needed an angle grinder to do some trimming. I ended up with a Bosch 1810PS 4-1/2-Inch Paddle Switch Grinder with Lock-On Switch and one of their diamond blades. That thing went through porcelain tile like a hot knife through butter and I still use it out in the shop for cutting steel and grinding welds. A month ago I bought a knotted wire cup brush for it and cleaned both outside and inside of a rusty old 3'x3'x5' Knaack box prior to painting. That took several hours and the motor got a little warm, but it never even missed a beat. A year later I got hankering for a cordless version and ended up with a Makita BGA452Z 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 4-1/2-Inch Cut-Off/Angle Grinder. The thing stalls out with very little pressure on the edge of a cutting wheel and goes through a charge in about fifteen minutes. I use it when I'm away from power, but will reach for the Bosch almost every time otherwise. I'll even use the Bosch when I really should use a much heavier Makita 7" angle grinder, just because it's so light and easy to handle.