Which grinder?

[Mintums]

Hi folks,

I've been lurking in the shadows for a while and decided to head toward the light and ask a question. However, first can I say what a great forum this is, it's been invaluable in learning the basics and getting started with my welder.

I'm at a very early stage in my welding experience and as a first project I'm in the process of cutting up an old rotten trailer to re-purpose into a bale feeder for getting square bales into the field easily.

While cutting the thing up my grinder (a cheapy Argos one) is starting to give up the ghost and I've decided that it needs replacing. Plus I'm getting tired of using a screwdriver to lock the disc inorder to undo it (the lock button is long gone!).

Can anyone recommend a good mid price grinder? I'm thinking of getting a matched pair to avoid swapping between cutting and sanding discs. A local shop has Makita 9557's in stock for ~£45, a bosch professional GWS at £62, a dewalt for £80 and Einhell rtag115 for £44.

I'm leaning toward the makita as it seems to be a reasonable make for a good price.

Should I be looking at treating a grinder as disposable, buy cheap and replace frequently, or is it better to buy quality? Does spending more equal better longevity?

Thanks in advance....

 

[daleyd]

I've got a bosch pro and its a good little grinder. A fitter in work used to go through grinders at a rate of knots and the Bosch ones always seem to last the longest, though he was particularly heavy handed!!

Personally I find that spending a bit extra, particularly if you are going to be using it a lot and will look after it, gets you a nicer machine to use, ie switches feel well made, less vibration etc.

If its likely to be thrown around and abused then Id be inclined to go for a cheap one. Apparently the Aldi soft start ones are OK, but it depends on when they have the offers on.

Also worth keeping an eye on Screwfix, they sometimes have some decent deals on power tools. (There's an erbauer one which is on offer for £30 at the moment, has decent reviews. ( I don't have any experience of this, but I do have some other erbauer gear and thats decent enough)

 

[marlinspike]

I have had a couple of cheap ones, then bought an Aldi one - usually about £18. It is far better and has a soft start feature which I really like. If you go on a site like Offer of the Day, and search on angle grinder, it will bring up a load and you can compare prices.

 

[MoreWellie]

I guess it also depends on how you treat your tools, if you leave them lying around or out in the rain then I would buy the best of the cheaper units

As an enthusiastic amateur I have a couple of the 115mm GWS and the oldest is at least 5 years old, it is starting to sound a bit rattly but still works fine, the higher power 2 year old is still good as new although maybe not quite so clean

The three year warranty gave me some confidence that they would last reasonably

 

[Cobbler]

I bought a Clarke 'Contractors' grinder, thinking as it came with a 2 year guarantee & built for contract use it would be tough. I now think that the reason they can give a 2 year guarantee is that no one would ever use it to break it. It is horrible, not soft start so kicks like a mule & the switch surround is sharp & hurts my fingers. Cannot recommend it.

 

[Rig Pig]

I have a Makita and a Dewalt, they have both been very good, I had a Power Devil before until the brushes went, that used to vibrate so much it made my hands tinged- not good.

 

[God mode restorations]

I have had quite a few grinders over the years and I must say the Bosch pro is the best one I have had....

 

[bc30se]

Milwaukee MILWAUKEE AG 9-125 QXC, outclasses most of the stuff on the market..

 

[Gareth0123]

I am a big fan of Ryobi corded and cordless tools.

I have an 800 watt, 240V, 115 X 22 angle grinder which is 5 years old now, and is probably my most used power tool: normally 3 hours plus a week, every week, and maybe 225-250 disc and pad changes a year. I've a rewired the cord a couple of times, but that is only because it got left across just done hot welds, and it only takes 20 odd minutes to rewire. The guard is a little bashed about due to falling from the bench a few times...... but it's nothing a pair of pump pliers and a few whacks with hammer can't cope with. My Ryobi 115 angle grinder is probably the best tool buy I've ever made.

 

[blenkie1]

Metabo for me and I use it every day. Soft start on a little grinder, why? Don't like it on 9" grinders. Markita, Bosch, Dewalt are all good grinders anyone of them should be ok

 

[Turbo]

I have several grinders -
A really nice old ELU 4.5", my favourite, paddle switch, soft start & no vibration. Pity they got taken over by B&D and no longer make a decent grinder.
A blue Bosch 4.5", not as nice to use as the ELU but plenty of power.
A Parkside 5" from lidl. I wasn't expecting much from this, only bought it as a spare, but it is now my goto grinder for grinding as it has loads of power but quite nice to use. It also has variable speed which is useful for using a knotted wire brush. I set the speed just high enough to use the brush but low enough that if it catches it stalls the grinder instead of jumping towards you.
I also have a 9" version of the ELU that refuses to die despite being mostly used for cutting concrete.

I would try out the grinder in the shop before I bought it as some branded tools can be uncomfortable to use due to poor ergonomics and vibration. Soft start, a paddle switch and a rubber cable are good things to have. That makita should be good but I would avoid the Dewalt as their quality is questionable.

 

[Mintums]

Thanks for all the feedback folks, I'm a little overwhelmed by it all!

I'm still waiting on the original shop getting back to me with their best deal, but if they can't come up with anything I've now got around 40 backup plans.

Cheers all.

Rich.

 

[mfletch]

Bosch is all I've used and never had any problems

 

[Bill Edwards]

Makita
Metabo
Milwaukee
Sealey

I've always highly rated Makita, but when buying a grinder a few years ago the Sealey was on offer and having used one belonging to somebody else I decided that I could save a lot of money over a Makita. I'd recommend them.
I've given a Metabo a good amount of use before it died.
Milwaukee are good tools and I'd happily get one.

Draper - I'd suggest not.
Bosch - I'd suggest not. I destroyed a gearbox in one very quickly!
Aldi are fairly well regarded on here for the price when available on offer.

 

[Migmac]

I'm no expert but my makita has been faultless in the 20 years I've had it. Don't suppose it's been worked as hard as the majority on here have been. It has most defo been abused and survived. The worst case of abuse was when the shed roof leaked into the paint tub I kept it in, the top 2 inches of the machine and the flex were the only thing out of the water. Left it to dry out for a good few days, squirted it with oil plugged it and it went like a good un. Still working now

 

[mfletch]

One tip no matter which grinder you get take the gearbox apart and put a little more grease in it you will be amazed on how much quieter it is

 

[ukracer]

I'm no expert but my makita has been faultless in the 20 years I've had it. Don't suppose it's been worked as hard as the majority on here have been. It has most defo been abused and survived. The worst case of abuse was when the shed roof leaked into the paint tub I kept it in, the top 2 inches of the machine and the flex were the only thing out of the water. Left it to dry out for a good few days, squirted it with oil plugged it and it went like a good un. Still working now

interesting you should say that. I had a makita from new over 12 months ago. Almost from the start it vibrated when it had pressure put on it. Runs smooth otherwise but I kept forgetting to take it back...then I lost the receipt and then when I found it again it was out of warranty. It still works but I have never been happy with it and would look elsewhere next time.

Only posted as it shows how two people can have differing experiences with the same brand.

 

[steviec_lj]

Had two Erbauer grinders, they changed the design a little between them, and to be honest, neither lasted 12 months with little use, wasn't brushes either.

Ended up with a Ryobi one from B&Q for some reason, can't remember who bought it or why, but I was told to take it at the end of the day. Anyway, that was 2 years ago, and its still going.

Saying that, I picked up 4 Makita 110v grinders as spares/repairs in an auction, and they all worked.

 

[Rig Pig]

There will probably be quite a lot of used 110V tools coming up for sale as the havs regulations are slowly taken up. A lot of companies seem to have ignored them so far but a few expensive legal claims will start the ball rolling!

 

[MrFluffy]

Cool, Ill be stocking up on decent 110v stuff again then!