Best Grinder

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BDSeff1fitty

1987 Toyota 4Runner
Joined
Nov 12, 2008
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1,975
Location
Gulf Shores, Alabama
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.
 
shouldn't you get an air one, now that you are all aired up...? :)
 
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....
 
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.
 
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 ?
 
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.
 
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.
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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.
 
If I said that in the Chain Saw thread, I would get flamed. :D
:cheers:

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?
 
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....
 
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.
 
...
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.:hillbilly:

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!:hillbilly:
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