Decent angle grinder and finishing question

[Stevos]

Hi guys now I have my welder sorted I need to get a decent grinder 4.5" to cut panels, grind down welds, attach knot wheels and sanding pads.
My question is also am I better with a variable speed grinder for when I put on sanding pads or will they be OK going full speed.
New to this so sorry for the daft questions.

 

[123hotchef]

aldi one for £20 is hard to beat and I have 9 different grinders the bosch is my favourite for feel followed by the hitachi but the aldi one is good with the variable speed I also have a old wickes one with variable speed too and a new wicks one without the old wickes one feels better similar to the Aldi one

 

[Stevos]

Thanks mate do you think variable speed is better for finishing

 

[Chris Stevens]

No variable speed............just get a Makita 5 inch and you will be good to go. Forget about the ultra cheap ones, unless you are only going to use occasionally or dont mind replacing often.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

The cheap grinders are ok for occasional use but for production you need to spend more money and get a decent grinder. I use the Dewalt one regularly although I also have a couple of cheap and cheerful ones.

The Dewalt grinder has a slim body so it's comfortable to hold with one hand, a decent switch, toolless guard adjustment/removal and a compact gearbox so it's easier to use in a confined space.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I've never bothered with variable speed so I couldn't comment on whether it's worth buying one.

 

[Arclikeharrypotter]

Bosch anti vibration for me. Been through some serious grinding, cutting and abuse and hasn't missed a beat. Money well spent. Had lidl and aldi cheap yes, but I found the brushes wore out crazy fast, and just wasn't anywhere near as comfortable in the hand as the bosch.

 

[Chris Stevens]

I use angle grinders every day, and have tried all the name brands as well as a few cheapies (all rubbish), but the ones that last longest and are nicest to use are Makita, and I have one which has to be 10 years old and is still going strong.

 

[gordon stephenson]

I have several Makita 5"/125mm grinders, excellent value for money, Nice slim body too which makes one handed use much easier, Never bothered with variable speed,

 

[Chris Stevens]

Guess grinders in common with welders, are fine in cheap and cheerful form for occasional home use?

 

[Ton-up]

Spend a bit more and get a Makita with a paddle switch. They are so easy to use compared to a side switch.

 

[daleyd]

Knot wheels on a standard (fixed speed) grinder are a nightmare, the vibration can be horrendous and they can fling wires out all over the place - as a starting point I would say keep an eye out for a Bosch/Makita/hitachi which usually pop up on offer at Screwfix for reasonable money now and then.

Try it with your knot wheel, if you think it's ok then job done, if not then keep an eye out for the Aldi variable speed one and use this just for sanding etc. Buying both shouldn't set you back more than £45-50 quid if you hunt down the offers.

 

[Gareth0123]

One serious consideration to make is the rated speeds of the disc/wheels/pads/brushes.

I learnt about this the hard way with a 100mm dia knotted cup brush. This was rated for about 6,000rpm which is usually found on 125mm/5.0" machines and it was not rated for the 11,000rpm of 115mm/4.5" machines, and guess what: I didn't read the instructions and warnings on the packaging.

Both 115mm and 125mm angle grinders have the 22mm X M14 fitting which makes it too easy and extremely dangerous to fit the incorrectly rated attachments.

My 100mm knotted cup brush lasted about 3 minutes on a 115mm 800 watt grinder before it showered both me and the workshop with hundreds if not thousands of supersonic short and very sharp wire strands. This was a catastrophic failure, taking about 1 or 2 seconds and not a gradual disintegration over a few minutes.

 

[maz0]

Makita is my personal favourite aswell. I have a Dewalt which is higher power but personaly it can feel a bit too volatile at times compared to the Makita.

In relation to your question about dressing welds etc, I would encourage you to read tonybmw's grinding post on his masterclass thread for some good info.

http://retrorides.proboards.com/post/942606

 

[balmerchris]

Don't forget about metabo their new w9 four and a half inch is very powerful and comfortable to use.

 

[Badger1bear]

Milwaukee is my brand across the range

 

[anto]

I have a green bosch that was bought out of B&Q about ten years ago for heavyish hobby use. It mostly has a sanding pad on it and is constantly covered in sawdust and still going very well.
Also have a hitachi 4.5" which came "free" with a hitachi 9" grinder. It is nicer to use so its mostly reserved for cutting duties. Cant comment on the longevity of it but its at least 3 years old.

Edit; the 9" hitachi is used mainly for cutting concrete with a diamond blade on it. I give it a blowout with the air gun after every use as it gets seriously dusty!

 

[Stevos]

It's occasional use only I'm going for guys. Main thing I will use it on is to grind and blend welds so won't be worked too hard.

 

[anjum]

I've got the Aldi, Lidl variable speed grinders and a Hitachi fixed speed one. The switches on the aldi and lidl ones are difficult to operate with welding gloves on which I prefer to use to protect my arms and hands but the variable soft start is useful for wire brushes. The Hitachi has a slide latching switch which is very easy to use.
I treat them as disposable items so no good buying expensive ones, I've had Dewalt and makita ones in the past but haven't noticed any difference in lifespan.
Don't buy the ultracheap underpowered ones though they don't last long at all.

 

[123hotchef]

My £8 b&q special is still going too btw

In honesty the cheaper ones get more use now than my dewalt one does, but there's always the 'it cost 17p to make' aspect - if I'm going to a job and I need to rely on a grinder just working and continuing to work, I take the dewalt...

same here if I am out working away from home ill take my little bosch or big hitachi