2nd hand Metabo or new unknown Chinese grinder ?

[SV1BDO]

I currently have a Makita 125mm angle grinder, but I need a 2nd one just to save time on changing tools during jobs. I visited a local Authorized Makita Reseller & service center and asked them for the cheaper Maktec grinders, but instead they suggested me to buy a well made & robust made-in-China (don't remember the brand) with variable speed, for 41 EUR (VAT incuded). They insist that have spare parts for that model.

2 hours later, while chating with a friend who is a Metabo-fan, i found an e-tool store here in Greece that sells also used tools, mainly older series of Metabo angle grinders, at reasonable prices (from 35 - 60 EUR, depending the model). The housings have signs of heavy use.

If we can agree that Metabo is like "Mercedes" in grinders, the question is simple: Buy a 2nd hand heavily used "Mercedes", or a brand-new no-name-made-in-china grinder?

My budget for this tool is within 40-60 EUR. I was also seriously thinking to buy a brand new Bosch angle grinder from ScrewFix, but have heard from many (dissapointed) Bosch pro users that current line of tools have reduced quality & reliability, compared to the older series.

 

[Shedendman]

Makita all the way young or old

 

[chunkolini]

Check the warranty then abuse the chinese option and see if it dies.
Not all chinese products are garbage.
Chances are Makita are made in china these days. Really you pay for quality wherever it comes from.
Eg most cameras are made in china, buy a decent make buy a decent camera and pay for it.

 

[gordon stephenson]

The Makita will probably have a slim body and be more comfortable to use, I have three of them, The variable speed grinders tend to be larger.

 

[SV1BDO]

My Makita grinder is made in Romania, not in China. I will check tmrw about warranties for both products (new & 2nd hand).

My main concern is about availability of spare parts after warranty period. The well known brands (Makita, Bosch, Metabo, B&D, DeWalt etc) have an extended network of service centers and full documentation on spare parts, while chinese brands (not chinese factories that produce OEM products for the well-known brands) maybe will have not spare parts for their models just 5 years old (best scenario) or simply do not exist after 10 years (worst case scenario)

 

[MattF]

I was also seriously thinking to buy a brand new Bosch angle grinder from ScrewFix, but have heard from many (dissapointed) Bosch pro users that current line of tools have reduced quality & reliability, compared to the older series.

Heard from people you know, or just from reviews you've read online? Unless it's from people you know in person or on a forum like this, I always tend to take any other negative online comments with a pinch of salt, for one simple reason:

Happy users rarely post their sentiment/opinion. Unhappy users regularly post their sentiment/opinion.

You can have 1000 people merrily using something without problem and saying nowt, but one user gets an iffy unit, and they'll kick up a stink and let the world know. Proper opinion from people with genuine experience, and/or trusting your own instinct, is far better than trusting online reviews.

Bosch Pro gear has a 3 year warranty, (and Bosch have a phone app which makes registering your equipment a simple process), so you have 3 years piece of mind with it.

Bosch's green, domestic equipment is exactly what it is. Decent kit, but not aimed at industrial use. Their old kit was built like tanks. I've used some of their older green kit and it served me faultlessly. (Our lass got me a Bosch green hammer drill when we first married. That thing took no end & years of use before it eventually became intermittent and was retired, for a green SDS which is still in perfect working order, and currently in my dad's possession. I still have the first drill knocking about in the shed somewhere too, awaiting the day I check it over. I think it may just require new brushes). The last thing I bought in green, however, was a jigsaw, which functioned perfectly well bar the little blower switch which was next to useless. The blue Pro kit, however, still appears to be good quality, judging from my currently limited collection, mainly 12V stuff.

I could note problems with my Makita gear, (namely the fact that the battery area & batteries appear to display symptoms akin to having overheated somewhat, looking at the plastic on some of the units and batteries), for example, so for every brand you can find negative comments & opinions. There was also the occasion where the SDS drill was smoking, when the so-called protection circuitry should have prevented that occuring, as another example. I have also seen comments on another forum suggesting that Metabo kit is not what it once was. The list goes on.

I'd just go with your gut feeling, but one thing I wouldn't do is get second-hand kit which shows signs of hard & heavy usage. That's just asking for problems, IMHO, regardless of initial quality. End of the day, even if you go with unknown brand import gear, for what most stuff now costs, (hand tool wise), it is technically a consumable. If you only get a couple of years out of it, you've easily had your moneys worth out of it. It's not like it once was where a tool might cost a week or mores wage.