New angle grinder recommendation

fixerupper

Well-known Member
The smoke came out of my 5" Makita angle grinder so I'm shopping for a new one. What do you guys recommend? The old Makita lasted ten tough years but I am hesitant to buy another Makita for fear the new ones are cheapened up like most consumer products.

I do want a heavy duty grinder and I'm willing to pay the price. I'm looking for not only toughness but also how it feels in your hands, location of trigger, how well the shield contains the Sparks, the ability to easily rotate the shield to another position, etc. I want a 5", I have other sizes but the 5" gets by far the most use. Thanks
 
I really liked my Mikita although it was only a 4.5". It lasted longer than I expected it to. I have a Dewalt now and it is very awkward to handle compared to the Mikita, can't wait for it to burn out and get something different.
 
I have a Makita with the paddle switch
that they sell at home depot...8+years
old and was used alot when I did
construction with no complaints...only
other one I'd consider is a Metabo
..check the local welding shop for
them.
 
In my 40 years in the welding business,I have owned at least one of every grinder made I
think. Some lasted a year, some 6 months and some not even 30 days. I buy 100 grinding
wheels at a time, so grinders get used a lot in my shop. Milwaukee or Makita either one
used to be a decent grinder,but the last ones I got were junk.The only one on the market
today that will hold up to my use is Metabo. Not cheap at $150.00 but I haven't killed one
yet.
 
If you want a good one, don't go to a big box home improvement store. They may have grinders in the big name brands but they are the bottom-end consumer grade lines from those brands.

Strangely enough the best one I've owned is a Harbor Freight. It's an orange one with a slide switch. Can't kill the thing. I've reefed and romped on it until it was too hot to hold, and it keeps coming back for more. Must be going on 10 years now.

Of course they don't sell that one anymore.

I also have a Delta that I got as a clearance item from Tractor Supply, one of those Christmas gift packages. That's a nice feeling grinder, paddle switch, but I've already seen signs it isn't going to hold up. All the while that old orange HF keeps humming along.
 
I have an industrial Dewalt grinder that I have had for close to twenty years. Now I have had to replace the brushes a couple of time and the power cord, but it is still working. My new one is a mentioned before a Metabo and it is a good grinder also.
 
I have a Sears from like 1989. It is still doing the grinding I need. Have a Dewalt paddle that I picked up at a flea market. Lastly, my dad bought a Metabo back around 1980 or 81 and that one is still going. Had to take her apart and clean the switch but got it going again.
 
Thanks for the replies. I looked up Metabo 5" grinders and I found one that pulls 12 amps and weighs 5.2 LBS. Makita has five choices for 5". Four of those choices pull 10.2 amps and weigh 5.8 LBS. One pulls 9 amps and weighs 6.6 LBS. THE Metabo is $50 higher than the Makita. Just facts, but I am now leaning toward the Metabo.
 
I was in a welding supply store a few years back and they had a (for me a prohibitly expensive) grinder on display. I can't
remember the exact price, but it seems like $200. It was a Fein, I think. The sales rep said "Yep, there spendy but, they ARE top
of the line". Of course I never bought one and have never heard of the brand name since. bjr
 
I have an old Milwaukee with a paddle switch that I use for grinding and cutting. Auction tool. The guys on here recommended a Metabo so I got one. Has an on off switch I used it once for cutting and when the wheel caught, I couldn't turn it off fast enough. Luckily no damage. Now it is used only for removing rust with a wire wheel. MAKE SURE YOU GET A PADDLE SWITCH.
 
Another requirement, I know, I'm picky. Because Arthur is creeping into my hands I need a rear handle and a handle sticking out of the side of the head. Most 5' grinders do have those features but not all of them. I have trouble with a grinder that requires me to hold it by the body. It's getting hard for me to grip with my thumbs. I don't do near the welding and torching and grinding I used to do but I still wont scrimp on power tools.
 
Jim, I have a Metabo, and like it. If the disk catches, the Metabo has a safety clutch built in to let you get it shut down without serious consequences.
 
Don't have one, but some of the guys have said that they use the HF cheapy grinders and find them as good as the common name brand. When the grinder dies, they just get another one when they are on sale. I have a Makita that is nearly 30 years old. It doesn't have 2 hours of running time yet; it will go to a grand-nephew along with all my other tools when I am gone.
 
I've been told that Makita does (or did) make a heavier duty version of angle grinders. I was told to look for a "B" prefix in the model number. I have two 4 1/2" Makita grinders with this prefix. Both are nearing twenty years of age and have had extreme duty service and are still going strong. I think I replaced the switch on one and needed a grinder so I bought another just like it. I have one for grinding and one with a cup brush on it to eliminate changing. I would buy another if needed, but so far haven't needed to. Mike
 
For handyman use, I didn't want to spend the kind of money for a Metabo. They are great tools. I bought a Dewalt 4.5" and am very happy with it. It's my "go-to" tool for cutting, grinding, paint prep, etc. Don't use my sawzall much anymore or my belt sanders.
 
fixerupper,
I prefer Dewalt but the name is only one thing I look at. Dewalt makes more than one model. I buy the one that uses the most amps, 10a. It has a paddle switch and all the power I want to hang on to. I watch Rural King ads and buy them when they are on sale for around $100. I hate changing from a cutting wheel, to a grinding wheel, to a wire brush, so I have 3 grinders plus a 18v cordless which is slower and safer to use on small and more delicate cuts. My 110v grinders are a little dangerous. If you aren't careful they can remove some skin before you know it.
geo
 
The spindle lock on this Makita I let the smoke out of, has been broken for quite awhile from using a wire brush. Once in awhile the wire brush will grab and the torque from the motor tightens the spindle threads so tight in the nut in the brush the spindle lock can't hold the force it takes to loosen the brush. Is there a way to prevent that from happening? I don't use a wire brush much anymore because of that.
 
The old Milwaukee are great, the new ones are made in China.
I've had three of the new ones, they lasted 10 minutes or less.
Got a Metabo and never looked back.

Larry
 
(quoted from post at 21:54:00 09/21/16) I've been told that Makita does (or did) make a heavier duty version of angle grinders. I was told to look for a "B" prefix in the model number. I have two 4 1/2" Makita grinders with this prefix. Both are nearing twenty years of age and have had extreme duty service and are still going strong. I think I replaced the switch on one and needed a grinder so I bought another just like it. I have one for grinding and one with a cup brush on it to eliminate changing. I would buy another if needed, but so far haven't needed to. Mike

I have several with a B in the model # they are junk. I have one with a P (PB) in the model # with a metal head its held up well other then the spindle lock broke. I will admit I got too mean with the lock :cry: I should have stopped and out a wrench on the shaft to hold it.

Good
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...63-cgX-sbYVp1hI41ZM6z7MDDWPMSsH_EwBoChNnw_wcB

Junk

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/152222691006?rmvSB=true
 
Dale, and the rest of you Metabo owners what is your model #? On the Metabo website I came up with three basic model numbers, ranging from 10.2 amps to 12 amps to 13.2 amps in the 5" size and body shape I like. They have so darned many variations of each model number it makes my head spin.
 
Many angle grinders have flats on the shaft right at where it comes out of the gear housing. Sometimes you can get a conventional wrench onto the shaft there, but often the top of the nut or spacer on the shaft doesn't leave room for a wrench. In that case, if the grinder came with a flat, black dedicated wrench, or if you've got one from some other tool, you're still okay. If you don't have one of those, you might decide it's worthwhile to grind an open end wrench thin enough to work (lots of us have collected many more wrenches than we'll ever use, so sacrificing one is no big deal). If the shaft has no flats for the purpose, sometimes there's enough of it accessible to get channel locks, or even vise grips, on it---but usually not. The problem there is that the blade guard often limits access---laterally if not vertically---but you can't remove it without first removing the disc or wire wheel you're trying to remove. I wonder whether lubricating the threads before installing the wire wheel would make a difference.

I recently worked on that particular problem for the best part of an hour on a Harbor Freight orange colored grinder (one of the old, reasonably good quality ones). I ended up throwing it away, but now I can't remember if I got the wire wheel off but destroyed the grinder in the process, wasn't able to get it off, got it off but something else failed when I tried to use it, or some other reason entirely. I guess that makes it pointless to even mention it. If you get information on an effective way to deal with that problem, please post it. I have little doubt that it will come up again.
 
I got this one tight wire brush off through careful surgery with the blue wrench. I cut a little burst with the torch, then cooled it with water. It took awhile and there is a little torch nick in the spindle threads left as a reminder.
 
I might get pounded for this but I have
been very impressed with a $18 tool
shop angle grinder from Menards. I
don't use it much but did use it for
about 4 hours straight a couple weeks
ago and it performed impresaively well.
Just my 2 cents worth.
 
I went uptown to my building and looked, but can't remember for sure..............
W 6- 115 quick......or something like that. It is a 4 1/2" I believe.
 
Harbor Freight $9 special. I've used it, abused it and it keeps on ticking. Noisy,poor quality yes but I can buy 4 or 5 for what a
name brand costs.
 
I'm not going to belittle anyone for the brand of tool they own. We all have our various needs. I don't have a Harbor freight anywhere near me though I know they have a website. Many years ago I tried the cheap hardware store power tools and they didn't last for me the way I use them. Again, we all have different needs.

I got a price quote of $189.00 on the 12 amp 5" Metabo grinder. It runs at 9000 RPM's no load. The 13.2 amp grinder is variable from 3500-11000 RPM's. I couldn't find a price on it but I'll betcha it's more than even I want to pay. I couldn't come up with a price on the 12 amp, 11000 RPM grinder either.

Makitas run in the $125 range for the top end grinder which I believe is a 12 point something amp 11000 RPM. My old Makita was good, I just don't know if the new ones are as good as the old. Makita is a good brand too. My neighbor swears by Makita.
 
Put some Never-Seize on your spindle. I use the Copper type, and no matter how tight I tighten the Cup-Brush, I can always spin it off by
hand.

:>)
 
I've got several DeWalt grinders that are 20 years old and used hard. I like them because they have the
easiest to use switch. I also have a 9" Makita that is mostly too ueavy to use but gets pulled out on
the really big jobs.
 
I want to support American jobs as much as anyone, but I have to comment on the "Made in China" thing being a disqualifier these days.

Guys, making an angle grinder is NOT rocket surgery. It doesn't require a factory that looks like NASA and it doesn't need to be built by engineers with PHDs. I totally get if you want to buy USA made based on principle, but the idea that anything with Made in China on it is automatically junk is just wrong.

A lot of guys won't believe this, but once upon a time "Made in Japan" had the exactly same stigma. It meant "cheap junk". If you said in 1978 that you had a "Japanese car", people would say, oh that's too bad, maybe you can make it last another year until you can get a decent one. All that changed really fast in the 1980s such that that's hard to believe now, but they figured it out and in China they're doing the same thing.

I've got Milwaukee and I've got Harbor Freight. They're both made in China and their both good tools that are over 5 years old. On the power side, I think the Milwaukee has more power, but for 4.5 inchers they are both plenty good.

I just don't think there's any automatic quality downside that can be assumed these days with something that's made in China.

Grouse
 
Metabo has one of the best warranties,if it can t be repaired you get a big discount on the next new one. The factories we sell to are getting 5 years out of them,and they are abused everyday.
 
My problem I have done work for Menards. Therefore, I will step foot into one of their stores. Also have heard trying to do a warranty claim is a nightmare.
 
Have had a Porter-Cable since 2009, used it to cut hundreds of pieces of flagstone, brick, and steel plate. Still going strong.
 
My former employer got a new Makita when I had a
large welding project. Came in a hard case with
several wheels, side handle, and larger shield. I
really liked the paddle switch and it had good
power.

Save the booklet that comes with it. Makita's parts
department is much easier to work with than
DeWalt's, and you get your parts faster.

Took two tries to get the flange nut for a 7 inch DeWalt grinder, and 3 weeks. The brushes for a 1 inch Makita electric impact took one try and 4 days.
 

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