Learn me: angle grinders

So in the last 2 weeks I've killed 3 angle grinders. All cheap name brand and harbor freight.

I would like to buy at least 2 new ones (one for a grind disc and the other with a steel brush)

Anyone have any reommendation of brands, makes, or models to avoid or pursue?

I swear by Porter Cable. They do burn up, but seem the best price/quality balance to me. I have had 20 or so grinders of all denominations (weldor). I suggest the longer handle that has a trigger for your index and naughty finger rather than the safety style that is hinged toward the coil end, and must have the little bit fiddled with before the larger paddle can be depressed to fire it up. Those fatigue my hand worse. You might as well burn $ as buy Harbor Freight.

I have had my Makita for about 25 years. It's seen a lot of use and has never failed.

I'll second the 25 year old Makita. Mine is just now showing signs of retiring after countless welds ground down. When it dies, I'm also looking for a decent replacement. The contractor that worked on our bathroom used mostly Porter Cable stuff.

My fav out of the 5 I own in a GMC brand from Lowes. Not only was it cheap $30 range it is variable speed, well balanced and best part is it seems to run cooler then the others. 2nd best is a 20+ year old HF unit black body with orange switch. I poped the gearbox cover off a long time ago and added some (few drops) Lucas save the baby gear goop and it runs quieter now but still shakes. This is my go to for weld prep / rust removal tool. 3rd is my Dewalt. Only bought it cause I needed one down at my parents one weekend and it was all the store had. Works great, nice balance but cant get myself to use it much as it was in the $75 range... 4 an 5 are cheaper tool show units ones green the other yellow. they are loaners that if they don't come back I will not miss...

I have a corded dewalt that has been through hell on my boat.. completely covered inside and out in resin dust, and still keeps going. This sunday I am using it to help drop the ballast off of the keel so I can do a repair

My Milwaukee has done great and I got it used and previously abused.

The HF ones actually last pretty well if you don't put big loads on them for long periods of time. Take it slow and lots of rest periods.

That being said, I hate having my tools dictate the pace of work so I bought a Hitachi during my last rattlecan motorcycle resto and it has served me well in the 2-3 years since. Think I paid $40-50 at Lowes. I ran it hard all day yesterday cutting the floor pans out of my XJ and it never skipped a beat. Good compromise in price/quality IMO.

In my SAE Formula Hybrid team (think FSAE with 250cc IC engine plus electric drivetrain) days in college, we had a DeWalt that I really like from an ergonomical perspective- big paddle trigger, easy and comfortable to grip. The gearbox was mincemeat in under two years, though I will say that was under admittedly heavy use/abuse.

I have used and abused my hitachi for many years. Gets my vote. I would like one with a variable speed next if this one ever bites the dust.

I'll second the Hitachi. I have one in my shop and one on my work truck.

Small, light, powerful, bullet proof.

I have a HF unit. Seems to be strong and take a licking, but it has a rather annoying/scary amount of runout.

I'll be getting a nicer one this winter as i prep the MX6 for seam welding.

Get a Dewalt, just recently redesigned a year or so ago and very robust, the best is a Bosch (German Government funded company gets an edge) then Dewalt then Makita

The rest are probably going to die like what you have been using.

During marketing studies the cost of 4 harbor freight units is near a new heavy duty DeWalt/Bosch/Makita. So is it better for you to buy and dispose or keep what you have? Up to your situation.

I have a rule against buying anything electrical powered from Harbor Freight. Much of their stuff is a great deal for the price, but their electrical tools suck big time. I used my Bosch grinder until the brushes wore out, and since then I've used DeWalt grinders and drills without any problems. You get what you pay for definitely applies to electrical tools.

Porter Cable and Milwaukee both have given me good service in shops

ncjay wrote: I have a rule against buying anything electrical powered from Harbor Freight. Much of their stuff is a great deal for the price, but their electrical tools suck big time. I used my Bosch grinder until the brushes wore out, and since then I've used DeWalt grinders and drills without any problems. You get what you pay for definitely applies to electrical tools.

I went through 2 Chicago (HF Brand) side grinders and then got a third. The third is going strong. (Other two replaced under warranty.)

I think it is what you get and how you use it. The quality control isn't there and it is a crap shoot.

To back that up my wife can go through a Dewalt DA in a weekend working on fiberglass. So...

I once went through 5 grinders in 9 months.....

Then I bought a dewalt. It's been six years since I had to think about buying an angle grinder.

In reply to Jumper K. Balls:

We have piles of dead DeWalts at work. They switched to Makita and haven't looked back. But we use them heavily day in and day out for cutting and grinding stone so brushes tend to go rather quickly.

I'd say my Hitachi is more powerful than the Dewalt and the Makita. I also have an Hitachi drill because it spins a couple hundred more RPMs than any of the others that I looked at for polishing some things.

I was looking at the Hitachis... i have a Hitachi corded drill i use that's ridiculously (at least to me) strong and has been holding up like a boss.

However, i also use Ridgid cordless power tools and have been considering buying that brand for the rest of my power stuff, because matching and OCD.

I love my Makita but had a hard time finding discs that fit it 15 years ago so I bought a ton and haven't bought any since. Milwaukee corded tools also have a 5 year warranty iirc, so if the price is similar that might be a factor.

How quickly can I cut myself is usually the litmus test I use when choosing a new angle grinder. The availability of finding quality grinding wheels in a common size is were I would look. Then buy a machine to fit that wheel.

based on what i see at work, i would say that Dewalt is the best one you are going to get right now.. the one guy that does the blending on some big parts that we do has burnt up multiple HF cheapies, Milwaukees, and Makitas- sometimes more than one in a single shift- but he hasn't killed a Dewalt for several weeks now.. i personally like them from an ergonomic perspective, too, because they just fit me better and are pretty much perfectly balanced..

I have 2 Dewalts' and a Bosch. Dewalts were about $45 and the Bosch was about 65. All 3 have been in service 10+ years with no complaints.

Rog

Rigid

One of the problem with recommending an [insert brand] grinder that has lasted for 25 years is the fact that the [insert brand] company has been bought and sold 6 times since then and now they might be junk.

I have three; an older Makita that is bulletproof, an older Porter Cable that is bulletproof, and a newer Dewalt that so far has been bulletproof. As a former warranty repair guy for nearly all of them, I can say this:

Porter Cable has been bought and put under the same umbrella as B&D, Dewalt, Ridgid, etc. They still operate as separate engineering/design/production, but many are being consolidated. Fortunately, many of the corded tools are still distinct designs. Since the companies got in bed together about 5 years ago, Dewalt has benefited, Ridgid seems to have not changed much, and Porter Cable has gone a cheaper route. The net result is that (from warranty repair views) they all seem to make fine tools, but none of them are as good as what they were. I think a 20-year old Black and Decker is better than a brand new Makita.

At work we have a Bosch that is probably 6 years old. It gets used daily, dropped daily, abused daily. I've lost track of how many times we have had to replace the cord. They are rock solid, thick-cast aluminum gear gase (that has actual steel gears instead of pot metal like many others)

So putting it all together, I usually buy Bosch or Ridgid. Bosch is a better tool but usually has a 2-year warranty. Ridgid is a slightly cheaper tool but has a lifetime warranty. Play your cards right and you'll never ever have to buy another grinder; either because you bought a Ridgid and registered the warranty, or because you bought a Bosch and it will likely never fail.

Bosh. Light. Compact. Powerful.Long lasting (20 years so far).

The other thing I like is that the noise is less obnoxious than any of the three offshore versions that I have.