Angle Grinders - Switch or Paddle?

I find myself in need of an angle grinder for two tasks:

1. I need to cut out some rusty nastiness of the winter beater.

2. I found a diamond wheel that'll actually remove the nasty deck restore from my deck and allow me to do some edge work when I refinish my floors.

There will be some hobbyist metal work in the future.

Which do you guys prefer?

I am on team paddle. 

I had an incident where my index finger was pulled between the guard and blade. It was a switch style and my involuntary letting go of the grinder didn't turn it off , it also didn't fall to the ground as the rotation of the disc was self feeding it into my hand. 

It ground into the bone pretty well and took the better part of a year for the feeling to return to that finger

So yeah. Paddles and guards. But as I learned a guard doesn't do all that much when your 4½" cutoff wheel had worn down to 3" or so.

Paddle/trigger. Guard.

One time I dropped/placed a 7" angle grinder on (into) my leg.  Thankfully I had let go so it was beginning to spool down, but the results were still pretty not-fun.  If it had been a switch it would have been a lot less fun.  If it had a guard on it, it may have been a non-incident.

Switch is a giant pain in the ass.  Plus, they are generally on a 4" grinder, which is less capable.  The trigger are generally 4 1/2", which will accept a 5 " disc, which will last quite a bit longer.

Paddle. If it has a switch it goes right in the trans at home and at work. 

I prefer switch for the grinder i will be doing long tedious jobs with like wire wheeling a rusty trailer or flappy wheeling a mile of weld 

Paddle it is given the stories.

Any recommendations? I was looking at these

I'd really like one of those Hitachi brushless grinders but they're like $180 dollars. I can't really justify that after spending a ton of cash on a bunch of on sale Milwaukee M12 tools.

I have used both styles.  The first one I used was one I purchased and it was a paddle and that's what I prefer.

I'm a welder by trade. DeWalt paddles. Last about 2 years under heavy daily abuse, can be fixed if broken, and are cheap. 

here's the bigger feature you should look for, a rotating handle.

it's such a life changing feature, being able to send sparks in the direction you want or not having to twist your wrists like a pretzel to get it in the right position.

thats what i'd look for

Paddle for safety reasons.

I only have one angle grinder and it's a cheapo HF version that I bought about 15 years ago. It does what I need it to do, but I don't use it all that frequently. Having a paddle instead of a switch seems like a great idea for safety. Next time I buy one, I'll go for a paddle. Either way, they are a tool not to be taken lightly.

My favorite is my old craftsman that has a trigger (with lock).  They don't appear to have been made in the past in the 10-15 years, though, so my second favorite is my DeWalt with a paddle (with lock).  I wouldn't buy anything that has an actual switch. 

I've got 5 4.5"grinders, all switched. Never had any issues even doing things well on the wrong side of safety. 

I don't think I've ever even used the other kind.

T.J. said:

I only have one angle grinder and it's a cheapo HF version that I bought about 15 years ago. It does what I need it to do, but I don't use it all that frequently. Having a paddle instead of a switch seems like a great idea for safety. Next time I buy one, I'll go for a paddle. Either way, they are a tool not to be taken lightly.

This mirrors my experience/sentiments.  I seem to recall putting new brushes in it once, so I would say perhaps I've used my HF Cheapo more than you have. 

In fact, it's getting to the point where I marvel that it still works every time I use it.  Perhaps I should start shopping for its replacement before it disintegrates into dozens of sharp metal pieces whirling about at marginally subsonic velocities.

I'm usually running them one handed in all kinds of positions, so switch for me. Small body Hitachi or Milwaukee by preference. The lighter the better.

I do have one with the trigger, but it only gets used for heavy grinding and wire wheeling. 

There is a reason switches and locking paddles are called dead man switches. 

I disable switch locks on everything I can.  I also disable the "lock off" feature on air die grinders, because it makes me take my focus off what I'm trying to do while I'm fumbling with a "safety" feature.

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

It took me a minute to figure out what the "lock" option on the grinder meant. I was thinking it was a "lock-out" (ie: Won't start unless a separate button was pushed and paddle held down. Then the paddle acts as the dead-man.)

Turns out it's a "keep on" feature. Which seems a mite dangerous.

I guess everyone else knew this. I've always just used small saws, shears, die grinders, and sanders when I did patch metal work or composite work on aircraft. Angle grinders always seemed like kind of a crude dangerous tool comparatively. But when you need one, you need one it seems.

All the die grinders I've ever used were air powered which means I also don't get the extra safety switch, beyond the paddle dead-man, that electric grinders seem to have. The last thing I want to be doing is futzing around looking for a hidden switch when I'm holding something that can tear my face off.

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

Hey, I think I've replaced the brushes as well.

Switch only for me. I hate paddles.

By the time you let go of a paddle the damage is done anyhow, Imo.

I use Metabo grinders and the switch is 'lightly' locked on if that makes sense and it also has a clutch for when it gets really bound up.

i.e. a cutoff wheel gets stuck or you wrap your shirt up in it. :)

I have both.  Someone gave me a switched one after I had my paddle DeWalt for years.  

paddle for all the reasons listed. Easier on and off, no extra effort to use that I can tell and it shuts off when you let go when it smacks you in the face.    

Angle grinders are the only tool, the ONLY tool I've used that give me the willies. There's a reason it's called the death wheel. 

I have the nicer HF one(greeen/blue) with the paddle. I've been absolutley stoked on it. I put new/more grease in it when I bought it and put a longer cord on it. It's cut a few cars to pieces with no issues. Still on the original brushes.

For big grinders, my 7" is a Milwaukee that is a hoss and I love it. Sees a lot of use/abuse at work. Think it's 10+ years old.

Paddle.

Whoever put a switch on an angle grinder has never used an angle grinder.