Makita angle grinders

[fixerupper]

I have killed so many 4 inch grinders in my life ....of all makes ......The a 9 inch is the only man for me for cutting .or grinding . I now only use a 4 inch for very gentle fetteling or wire brushing .....jeff....

 

[normspanners]

With a proper 9" you get kick when it starts ps I hate these new soft starts, I could throw a meter across one of my 110v and then a 240 if you want, should get some idea re the difference, if the motor sounds ok it should be fine. the other way is for me to run my 240v at 110 and measure the speed, I have a hold on smiths shaft tacco.
Thinking about it I ended up with a second hand 5 " once and somebody had put the wrong plug on it, it was supposed to be 240 but had been used for polishing and was very 'soft' I put 240 up it and it still runs now!

 

[AndyStobbs]

With a proper 9" you get kick when it starts ps I hate these new soft starts, I could throw a meter across one of my 110v and then a 240 if you want, should get some idea re the difference, if the motor sounds ok it should be fine. the other way is for me to run my 240v at 110 and measure the speed, I have a hold on smiths shaft tacco.
Thinking about it I ended up with a second hand 5 " once and somebody had put the wrong plug on it, it was supposed to be 240 but had been used for polishing and was very 'soft' I put 240 up it and it still runs now!

If you could get me a resistance that would be ace Norm. I'm going to borrow one of those plug in ammeters and see what kind of current its drawing. Supposed to be a 2kw motor, so I'm expecting 18amps ish. They did do a 9069s which had soft start so it could be that one. The 110 plug even says Makita on it, but its just hopeless. Feels more like a 4 1/2" than a 9", absolutely no gyro effect from it either.

 

[PTvor]

Thanks guys. Think I will swerve these compact gearbox jobbies. Almost seems like they're trying to get rid of them at the price they are. Will go for either a Bosch, Hitachi or normal Makita one. Will go and see my local tool people. In truth the grinder will hardly get used, but I'm not one for buying cheap gear just because it won't get much use.

I think the Makita 9554 is the old model.

I've got two of them and they're certainly not rubbish. They have ball bearings in the gear box where a lot of others just have bushes. There and again I take the view that you let the grinder do the work and you don't try to stop the wheel.

The replacement is 720W and slightly different.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Pow...DK+115mm+Angle+Grinder+240V/d40/sd3149/p52935

That's the smallest and least powerful Makita 4.5" grinder. They also do 800W, 1100W and 1400W angle grinders rated for industrial use and with prices up to £150.

If you want the 1100W or 1400W ones, you have to seek them out rather than wander into Screwfix and pick one up.

You often get two grinder deals whch are pretty good such as from Hitachi. Bosch have also recently changed the Blue Bosch grinder range and a while back there were lots of the old ones around at a bit of a discount.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

My 9" Makita is a beast. Seems more powerful than my old Stihl saw or other make of
9" angle grinder

Paul h

 

[normspanners]

Makita 9" 2000W grinders resistance measurement at the plug with the switch operated, but mine have VERY long leads 25 ft ish of 2.5 arctic which may make a slight diff.

110V 1.7 ohms
240V 3.7 ohms
Which sounds about right I think.

 

[AndyStobbs]

I think the Makita 9554 is the old model.

I've got two of them and they're certainly not rubbish. They have ball bearings in the gear box where a lot of others just have bushes. There and again I take the view that you let the grinder do the work and you don't try to stop the wheel.

The replacement is 720W and slightly different.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Pow...DK+115mm+Angle+Grinder+240V/d40/sd3149/p52935

That's the smallest and least powerful Makita 4.5" grinder. They also do 800W, 1100W and 1400W angle grinders rated for industrial use and with prices up to £150.

If you want the 1100W or 1400W ones, you have to seek them out rather than wander into Screwfix and pick one up.

You often get two grinder deals whch are pretty good such as from Hitachi. Bosch have also recently changed the Blue Bosch grinder range and a while back there were lots of the old ones around at a bit of a discount.

Never knew there were so many options. Just checked the 4 1/2" I've bought and its the 720W. Will have to keep that for light duty

 

[BuiltnotBought]

haha hmm sounds like my kind of testing!

Oh really that's interesting. was that a 110 or 240? and do you know what its spec is?! might have a route around for the actual price in that case because the boss told me it was around £100 but that seems a tad more than the £48 + the dreaded!!

 

[AndyStobbs]

Makita 9" 2000W grinders resistance measurement at the plug with the switch operated, but mine have VERY long leads 25 ft ish of 2.5 arctic which may make a slight diff.

110V 1.7 ohms
240V 3.7 ohms
Which sounds about right I think.

Thanks Norm will investigate tomorrow.


Built not bought: the 4 1/2" I bought was 110v.

 

[julianthegypsy]

I have the B and D one, cant say its definitely the ka902 but its a beast of a tool. I have given it such a hard time over the years we have had it and its still going strong. Managed to break the roller out of the end of the finger a while ago but it was only a few quid for a new arm. Brilliant bit of kit and would definitely buy another one when it packs in.

Most of the ones I'm seeing on ebay are the ka900 which is cheaper and lower powered. The best price I've seen for the 902 is £53. I'm now wondering whether they're both newer cheaper versions....

 

[AndyStobbs]

Makita 9" 2000W grinders resistance measurement at the plug with the switch operated, but mine have VERY long leads 25 ft ish of 2.5 arctic which may make a slight diff.

110V 1.7 ohms
240V 3.7 ohms
Which sounds about right I think.

Got 2.7 ohm on mine with 6ft of lead. Could well be a 240v machine then.

 

[Burdekin]

I mainly do automotive work and kill off cheapo grinders quite quickly but my nice Bosch 4.5" has lasted ages. Not sure of the power rating but it's considerably smaller that my heavy duty 4.5" grinder and hence much nicer to use and can get into tighter spacers with it, working overhead is easier etc. Bigger and more powerful isn't always better.

Another example is I have a few cheap B&Q battery drills which I use as battery screw drivers when doing things like plasterboard as they are so light compared to my good Dewalt battery drill.

I really like Makita power tools, well built trade quality tools in my opinion but I don't have any any more apart from my cut off saw as I use Dewalt now.

 

[gulf]

DeWalt for me,cant fault them,replaced the brushes after daily use for over a year and a half ,got stung on a fleabay "genuine" dewalt part,plain unbranded package,lasted afew hours use..went direct to a known agent and their brushes(with branded packaging!) are doing great,find a grinder that can cope with a 4inch twist knot cup wheel and youve found a good grinder,I have sealey too and theyre pretty poor beside the dewalt,as for a 9" , Makita should be good,not sure whats up with yours,for anyone else contemplating buying a 9",search for one with a slow start,these build up speed not on/off like these,which are quite dangerous.I can also recommend for those on a budget and want something for medium duty use the 9 inch Silverline grinders. These are orange in colour,orange is pro quality range stuff,the blue ones are terrible sub diy and I wouldnt recommend that to anyone lol.

 

[Mr shiney]

I have one Bosch and two Makita 115m. The Makita is a way nicer grinder, quiet and well balanced.

I went through loads of £15 ebay cheapies before I leant buy cheap buy twice really does apply to tools!!

 

[PTvor]

I went through loads of £15 ebay cheapies before I leant buy cheap buy twice really does apply to tools!!

I know someone in France who's bought about 4 of those 500W generic Chinese grinders. They look the same as the £15 B&Q ones but are 10 Euros. They used to be 8 Euros.

They last for about a cutting disc before they give up the ghost, the switch breaks or they start belching smoke. They're supposed to have a 2 year guarantee, but the receipt has probably been lost and it's a lot of trouble to take them back anyway.

He isn't a big user of angle grinders, they're handy occasionally.

3 years ago he launched the boat and bought a 550W Skil for 22 Euros, not a top end grinder at all and decidedly underpowered, but a cut above the ultra cheapies. It's still going strong.

Of course, he could always have spent the 60 Euros on a Blue Bosch/Makita/Hitachi in the first place.

 

[AndyStobbs]

Just to pick up on this thread, basically I put a 240v plug on the 9" makita I have (which felt under-powered) and now it feels like a real 9" grinder. Much happier with it - annoying as the whole point of buying a 110v was to own a 110v, but lesson learnt.

 

[normspanners]

Just to pick up on this thread, basically I put a 240v plug on the 9" makita I have (which felt under-powered) and now it feels like a real 9" grinder. Much happier with it - annoying as the whole point of buying a 110v was to own a 110v, but lesson learnt.

Well at least it works properly, good news in that much at least.
Ps did you struggle striping the wires back ??? since it was october when you started to fit the plug,
you dont work for the council do you?

 

[AndyStobbs]

Haha, I see where you are coming from Norm. Just haven't needed the grinder since then. Too many cars to repair and not enough hours left to indulge in my own projects.