Angle grinders, buy cheap buy twice?

[mantakev]

Hi all, my first post on this forum but I've been reading for a couple of years.
My post is regarding 4 and 1/2 inch angle grinders, i'm fed up with them
i used to buy cheap ones and they died, them i got fed up and went to Bosch ones at around £60 , that died too.
I went back to cheap ones , screwfix £20 jobbies, ferm ( dead after a few months) then onto another screwfix cheapo but the feeling and sound it gives of scares me
All my other kit is dewalt but someone has said the dewalt grinders don't last so i have a makita 9" which is good but doesn't get the abuse a 4 1/2 inch will get.
Any recommendations
Regards
Kev

 

[daf45]

Welcome to the forum.

Here's an old thread incase you missed it.

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=9272&highlight=angle+grinder

Hitachi all the way for me but Metabo or Makita would be in the same league - that is above the latest bosch and dewalt offerings.

 

[mantakev]

Thank's for that info, angle grinders scare me as my hobby is cars and makes me use angle grinders but i make teeth for a living so i'm always very aware of the danger.
I caught my finger between the guard and the disc grinder once never again.
Familiarity breeds content as i nipped into the garage before to grind an engine mount i had made for a mate but didn't don my glasses, only takes a split second for a disc to split to really spoil things

 

[fingers99]

I've had good service out of the last one I got from Aldi. A bit rough and ready, gearbox feels coarse, etc. but has had plenty of abuse and still (touch wood) going strong.

Cost less than a quarter of the price of the B&D one I got 30 odd years ago: nothing like as nice to use, but that one died in the end.

 

[gordon stephenson]

I can second the Aldi recommendation, Bought one a couple of years ago for £7-49 for a 5"including 2 cutting discs and a twisted wire cup brush.I usually keep all my good gear locked up in the garage and bought the Aldi grinder to leave on the bench and save getting the good Makita in and out of the steel cupboard, Anyway,virtually used only the Aldi jobbie and it is great for the money.Even comes with a spare set of carbon brushes should they be needed and a 3 YEAR WARRANTY. only fault with it is the body is a little too large for easy holding over extended periods,

 

[busastars]

I know people who buy expensive and people who buy cheap.

It is all personal choice. Me, well I carnt aford things so I buy cheap, if it breaks then I can buy 5 for the price of an expensive grinder. That works out at 5 years of grinding, but in the past 5 years im on my second grinder so thats £20 in all that time. If in 5 years I bought 2 expensive ones then thats £120. I dont know but the maths works out in my favour

 

[Arsonista]

I use Rolson grinders from the local cheapy shop. Always have 3 on the go. 1 with a grinding disc, 1 with wire cup and 1 with cutting disc. They cost about £16/£20, but by having 3 you're not always changing discs, and you even out the abuse, plus if 1 gives up, you've still got 2 more.

 

[graffian]

A make that felt totaly different was Flex Original, I have only seen them
when a mate was the machinist for a large welding shop who used them. I scrounged one of the 9" grinders from them in the 70's, it was the first plastic grinder I had, ran as smooth as a smooth thing, far quieter and better than the makita I have replaced it with. I used it a a lot for 20 years or so, till I lent it to someone and haven't seen it since;-(

 

[corey_xr4i]

I have a decent Grinder here if you would like it £28 posted,

its vertually brand new, used once and comes with a spare set of brushes (they are the things that normaly go in them.)

I can get some pics up later if your interested?

Corey

 

[Hitch]

Bosch blue, or hitachi...The only ones we have on the shelves.

I prefer the Hitachis myself, but with the blue Bosch, register it online, and you get an extra 2 years warranty, which cnat be bad.


Blue bosch being the industrial end of the marrket as opposed to green, which is forr DIY.

 

[martinez]

I can second the Aldi recommendation, Bought one a couple of years ago for £7-49 for a 5"including 2 cutting discs and a twisted wire cup brush.I usually keep all my good gear locked up in the garage and bought the Aldi grinder to leave on the bench and save getting the good Makita in and out of the steel cupboard, Anyway,virtually used only the Aldi jobbie and it is great for the money.Even comes with a spare set of carbon brushes should they be needed and a 3 YEAR WARRANTY. only fault with it is the body is a little too large for easy holding over extended periods,

I bought one of them and still have it, it broke first time I used it, motor still worked but disc didn't, took it apart and the bevel gear had snapped in two, I then bought a cheapy from B&Q which did ok till it went up in smoke, then I bought a WORX jobby, (best case I've ever had or seen) and it works great, have since bought more of their stuff and can vouch for the quality at the price, got them cheap from Argos clearance place, 1/2'' Router £20 inc bits, circ saw £25, planer £20. the grinder I originally got from Wickes for £9.
love a bargain me

 

[Welderpaul]

Don't think you can fault blue bosch grinders. Have a few 5" ones kicking about - bought a batch a few months ago. They manage to run all day long if required without missing a beat. The only downside is the switches seem a bit flimsy to me.

 

[chrisweld]

Yes, blue Bosch are what we use, seem to last about 10 years daily use.there is an `industrial` blue bosch 4 1/2 which is a bit more pricy but slimmer -and hard to find.
Also is bosch the only one to have switch on the side?-which I now prefer
Cheap ones could give you white finger if used all the time.

 

[pedrobedro]

I like the ones with a rear handle like the one Aldi has now, it doesn't take as much holding as the ones where you hold the body but it is a bit longer. I have a Stayer SA127 of the same design which is 9 years old and just about to receive it's third set of carbon brushes. It won't be getting any more as they are as dear as a replacement grinder now but I have this set left so they are going in.

 

[graffian]

I am the opposite, I like to be able to hold the grinder single handed as near to the disk as possible. So the small grinders that look like scaled down 9" grinders are a pain, you have to use two hands to start and hold the grinder while you get a good grip on it. My bosch[about 20 years old] died a few months ago and I got an elcheapo, which I hate.

 

[pedrobedro]

My grip's not as good as it used to be due to a shoulder injury so I prefer the type with a safety catch and stop on release trigger. I have a 9" Metabo as well which has done a lot of slab cutting and should get an honourable mention as a very heavy duty tool.