[BDSeff1fitty]

whats the best grinder for the money?

wanna keep it reasonably priced. mine broke last night, had only used it for maybe a total of 3 or 4 hours. it was a ryobi, biggest POS.

[e9999]

shouldn't you get an air one, now that you are all aired up...?

[BDSeff1fitty]

Originally Posted by e9999

shouldn't you get an air one, now that you are all aired up...?

thats an option. im in love with the new air compressor. its amazing. sandblasting is somewhat fun now. lol.

[BDSeff1fitty]

pneumatic grinders are EXPENSIVE!!!

how about this one?

DeWALT at Lowe's: 4 -1/2" 7 Amp Heavy Duty Small Angle Grinder

wanna keep the price below $70-$80

[e9999]

well, my $15 (on sale) HF orange 4.5" electric one has kept going strong for a couple of years now, although with infrequent use admittedly. I read here of some folks having 5 of those, each with a different disks, so they don't need to bother changing the disks... those cheap lazy bums....
I just cut some angled steel yesterday. I was amazed. Just like butta....

[D'Animal]

I have a Dewalt 4 1/2" and have used the same one for about 5 or 6 years. They are cheap enough that when the bearing wear out, I plan on throwing it away and buy another one.

I really cannot justify a Metabo.

[jbs11]

Sign up for Tyler Tools mail list. They have weekly specials with some good discounts on their already good prices. I picked up that DeWalt a couple months ago for 29.99 (may have been refurb'd). I like my Milwaukee (also from Tyler) much better though. Better power (maybe not a fair comparison b/c I'm not sure they are the same class/cost range), better guard, easier wheel changes, better trigger mechanism/location.

[BDSeff1fitty]

i guess i will be using the grinder when i replace body panels correct? i wont be using it to much except to clean up axles with a wire wheel. so it might be worth spending a little more money. i just can't believe the ryobi crapped out after a few hours. im gonna run by lowes and sears after class and see what kind of sales they have going on.

what are the pro's of a pneumatic over a electric ?

[Joe_E]

I've had a Makita 4" that came in a big blister pack for 5 or 6 years now with no problems. Though I don't use it daily. When it blows, i'll most likely get a Dewalt.

[D'Animal]

Your Ryobi should have a warranty. Take it back.


Phnuematics are loud and they freeze up when the temperature is cool. They don't lock up, they just too cold to hang onto. The temp was 42 degrees when this happened.

[fj40charles]

I'd get a Metabo or Milwaukee for a 4.5" grinder. I've had good luck with my Makita grinder too.

Best option is to own about 4-6 grinders so you're never down and don't have to waste your time switching out grinding wheels/flap wheels.

I like the paddle switches better than the regular ones.

cheap tools = short life, no reliability, sh!tty performance.

[D'Animal]

If I said that in the Chain Saw thread, I would get flamed.

Originally Posted by fj40charles

Best option is to own about 4-6 so you're never down and don't have to waste your time switching out dull chains.

[fj40charles]

Originally Posted by D'Animal

If I said that in the Chain Saw thread, I would get flamed.

You'd say something like, "you really need to own 10 chain saws. Buy 2 of each model. Use 5 of them for cutting wood. The other 5 as house decoration. All wives should understand the need to own multiple tools."
"Besides, you can never have too many tools or chainsaws." ;-)

How many guys complain about wives having too many purses?

[CMD82]

I like my Porter Cable 4.5" from Lowes's that was on sale for 30 or 40 bucks. Same power as the Dewault just a bit cheaper. Although it didn't come with a cool storage box like the Dewault....

[sseaman]

I haven't had any problems with my Bosch

[Cruiserdrew]

I have used the crap out of my Milwaukee 4.5 inch grinder and it works as new. The 4.5 inch Harbor Freight grinders do not last. I also have a 4 inch Makita that's been fine but isn't real powerful.

There are two Dewalt grinders in the 4.5 inch size. The more expensive one is good.

[Michael Hanson]

Porter Cable random 5 inch.2 cents Mike

[D'Animal]

Here is a list with some specs.

Fresno Oxygen / Barnes Welding Supply

[BDSeff1fitty]

Originally Posted by D'Animal

Your Ryobi should have a warranty. Take it back.

.

we bought it about 5 years ago, we just never used it til now. dont remember where i even got it

[Tools R Us]

Originally Posted by BDSeff1fitty

...
what are the pro's of a pneumatic over a electric ?

If quality class is the same a pneumatic is more compact, delivers more even speed over the torque range, will run much longer between tune-up/repair, etc. The required maintenance is oiling and if gear driven grease.

Electrics are less expensive, especially in the "4 inch size class" they are pretty much disposable priced. For a home or small shop use they are probably the best option. They also require maintenance, the biggest is blowing debris out after each use, the gears require grease.

Electrics get hot with extended use, pneumatics get cooler. Excessive cooling/freezing up is from moisture in the air, dry air has little cooling effect, moist much more. Pick your poison, here most prefer something in the work area being cool.

My customers that still use electrics have all moved to the DeWalt DW402 or DW802 for the best cost/power/reliability/parts availability ratio. I can't think of anything that I would buy from the "new Milwaukee" the walmartization of that company hasn't gone well.

For hand held material removal it's hard to beat one of these, a bunch of my customers have spent a small fortune trying, but most small shops don't have an extra 60+ cfm to run it!

[justweldit]

the millwakee elect grinder is the only one ill use ! the 4.5 comes in 3 different amp ratings make sure you at least get the 8 amp the 13 is nice but most guys cant make it draw the amps so ??? if you spend that money on a tool ,make shure its comfy ! any grinder you have to hold on with your thumb sucks!!!!! i love the trigger on millwakee your whole hand covers trigger and its glove friendly!

[cruisernerd]

any shop i ever worked in only ever used makita. they are pricey, but they will run all day every day for years. and the handle is way more comfortable then most.
plus makita supports their product with replacement parts. having a couple is good too, as someone mentioned, not changing discs. the welders at the shop where i work are issued three grinders.

[LC_Hamma]

Makita is my #1 choice. I haven't tried Milwaukee cuz I didn't like the flip tab on the base - looks like it'll get broken off the way I throw my grinders around. I recently bought a DeWalt which'll be the last one of those I'll buy. I was suprised how hot it became after only fabbing up a few small brackets. I woulda used one of my Makitas but after many years of hard use, the bearings are about shot.
Stick w/ Makita drills also. I have one & also a Milwaukee. The Milwaukee gets hot way before the Makita.

[justweldit]

about 2 years ago we came across a deal on the milwakke grinders for 50 . we bought them all . once you get used to the flip tab they are amazingly comfortable . we melted the armature in one but it took us 3 years to do it .... i weld and grind every day for me it is the only grinder .. i mean why wast your money .... just buy one that works

[Cruiserdrew]

Originally Posted by justweldit

about 2 years ago we came across a deal on the milwakke grinders for 50 . we bought them all . once you get used to the flip tab they are amazingly comfortable . we melted the armature in one but it took us 3 years to do it .... i weld and grind every day for me it is the only grinder .. i mean why wast your money .... just buy one that works

I got 2 of these as well. Very good deal.

[mwalls54]

i have been using the cheaper 4 1/2" dewalt grinder with out case for about 6 years and its been a trooper. I only use dewalt power tools.

[justweldit]

just dont like holding the button on

[MOfj40]

x2. those paddles switches suck if they don't have a lock-on button. Metabo is awesome. Bosch, Makita, Dewalt, and Milwaukee are all good- just find a price you like.

[ih8seals]

Originally Posted by e9999

well, my $15 (on sale) HF orange 4.5" electric one has kept going strong for a couple of years now, although with infrequent use admittedly. I read here of some folks having 5 of those, each with a different disks, so they don't need to bother changing the disks... those cheap lazy bums....
I just cut some angled steel yesterday. I was amazed. Just like butta....

HF, $11 on sale plus 20% coupon, i took 3 of them home. The first one I bought is 3 years old now, still going strong, only down side is the noise, but ear plugs are dirt cheap.

one of each with:
cut off disk,
grinding disk,
wire brush
heavy twisted wire wheel

There's a thread on pirate titled "HF tools which don't suck" (something like that), tons of good reviews on that cheapo 4-1/2" grinder.

the difference between a grinder and a saw/drill is saw and drill need big powerful motor to generate torque to drive the teeth on the blade/drill bit to bite in. a grinder mainly needs the speed on the disk to generate heat. that's why mechanical saw can cut steel at very low speed or high speed, but cut off wheel small or big can't cut crap at low speed, only on high.

go cheap on the grinder and save the money on quality drill and saw.

[fj40charles]

Originally Posted by ih8seals

go cheap on the grinder and save the money on quality drill and saw.

What is wrong with buying quality grinders, drills, and saws? The options are not mutually exclusive.