Professional Grade Angle Grinders

[Rhyolith]

I am after an standard 4” 110v angle grinder for work, which will be at least doing:
Heavy grinding
Cutting
A lot of Powerbrushing

So I want something well built and powerful, ideally maintainable too. What are the good makes? I know makita and bosch are the go to, but want to if there are any other good options. I am looking secondhand mianly, though will consider new if theres something really worth thr money.

I have had a stanly fatmax 240v one for years, which i like bar its lack of maintainability. It has a guard that is removed/adjusted via a lever opposed too a screw, i like this (its sooo much better in every regard) so be good to have it, but never seen it on a professional grinder weildly.

 

[Trevanion]

I think the Dewalt ones have a similar guard design to what you mentioned, I've never really paid much attention to that bit . I wouldn't want to use the Dewalt if I was doing a lot of hours of grinding though, it's a little chunky in the hand in my opinion.

I've got a Makita 4 1/2 grinder that's pretty comfortable to use for long stints because of the more slender motor housing and seems pretty bomb proof. I think some of the newer ones also have that style of guard you like.

Any real work though I tend to pull out the Bosch 9" grinder for the because it's just more comfortable to use for lengths of time, IE: wire brushing

Not sure why you'd want to buy secondhand though, They're not a mega-money item and I would definitely want a warranty if I was using it a lot.

 

[Beau]

Having burnt out my previous Dewalt I am giving a Metabo a go. It's got the quickly adjusted guard and plenty of power. Time will tell on the longevity.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I would have guessed that second-hand 110V ones will be much more likely than 240V to be either (almost) knackered or pinched. For me, an angle grinder is a disposable item - I get a bottom-of-the-range bosch/makita/hitachi and use it until it fails and then get another. Cheers, W2S

 

[Hlsmith]

Without a doubt metabo are the king when it comes to grinders
Easily the smoothest lowest vibrations and most power of any I have used they are a joy to use and are well built
Not particularly expensive reat especially considering there life time in comparison to other brands

 

[TFrench]

We just have whatever is cheapest on offer at work for our 110v ones. Currently got a hitachi, a metabo and an ancient bosch that refuses to die. I did buy a nice dewalt recently (the one with the metal gearbox housing, not plastic) and its been excellent.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My 1987 Bosch refuses to die. Not that that is remotely relevant, of course.

 

[Brtone]

Have a look at Fein, German company, German made, they are a true industrial machine, I have 3 grinders, an old Elu, which is still a beaut, but a bit small for some of the work I was doing, I also have a Milwaukee, cheap and you get what you pay for, enough said on that one, the Fein is phenomenal.
Hope that helps

 

[deema]

+1 Fein. Soft start, braked and detects blade jams which on the higher rated motors is a wrist saver.

 

[Mark A]

If I had to choose one, it would be a variable speed grinder as they're much more versatile - with the speed turned down they can be used for sanding and polishing, and the finish from flap discs is much nicer.

I have two 125mm 110v variable speed grinders, a Makita GA5040C (1400w) and a Metabo WEV 15-125 (1550w). Quality-wise there's not much between the two, though the Metabo's clever tooless guard adjustment is an improvement over Makita's lever.

Personally, I'd look out for an industrial-rated grinder from Fein, Metabo, Makita, and possibly Bosch.

Mark

 

[Rhyolith]

Thankyou all, thats all very helpful. Didn’t know fein made a angle grinder.

 

[t8hants]

I worked in a fab shop since 1990 and we only used Metabo, they were used almost all day and abused to the point of cruelty, but the kept going. If one did pack up we kept the remains and rebuilt one from the next to die. The company closed five years ago, and I still have three, still going still being abused.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

That's a good point of course for anyone who really hammers them or uses several. We used make good ones out of dead Henrys.

 

[Rhyolith]

Seems to me like its between Metabo and Fein.

Does anyone own a fein angle grinder? They seem like the best bet to get something truly better in terms of build quality, but Its hard to get information on them and for £100+ I want to know they are actaully very well made.

 

[Rorschach]

I'd be interested to see how much longer a £100 grinder lasts than my £20 parkside variable speed.
Would it last 5x longer I wonder?

I often think about things like this. A recent example, microwaves. We just replaced our 5 year old microwave, the paint was peeling inside from rusting. The microwave cost just over £50, as did it's replacement. So approx £10 per year.
Talking to my mother she said buy a stainless interior microwave like she has. Her microwave cost close to £200, not a spot of rust in it I conceded, but she needs to replace it because the buttons are dodgy and don't always work properly.
How long did her £200 microwave last? About 8 years, so almost £25 per year.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

With power tools the risk of damage and theft enters the fray as well. A friend a few years ago told me he and many of the people he worked with used Power Devil stuff, as within a week of its purchase it was either dropped from a scaffold, abused to destruction or stolen : if he got more than the week's use, a bonus; if he didn't it was priced into the job.

 

[lurker]

I'd be interested to see how much longer a £100 grinder lasts than my £20 parkside variable speed.
Would it last 5x longer I wonder?

I often think about things like this. A recent example, microwaves. We just replaced our 5 year old microwave, the paint was peeling inside from rusting. The microwave cost just over £50, as did it's replacement. So approx £10 per year.
Talking to my mother she said buy a stainless interior microwave like she has. Her microwave cost close to £200, not a spot of rust in it I conceded, but she needs to replace it because the buttons are dodgy and don't always work properly.
How long did her £200 microwave last? About 8 years, so almost £25 per year.

I agree with your reasoning and have two "park side quality"ones so I can keep a wire cup brush fitted on one.
I see no difference between them and more expensive makes
HOWEVER, the OP wants one for work so he will need 110v as 240v is rarely (if ever) acceptable.

 

[Rhyolith]

This is why I research these things a lot before buying anything.

I massively prefer to buy tools ‘for life’ or as close to it as it realistic. Theres a lot fo reasons for this, but not least its better for the environment (less waste). Generally the sort of tools that last a long time are more carefully built and more pleasant to use too.

My Festool Combi drill is an example of this. I got it some 6-7 years ago now and its been used a lot, still going strong. I doubt (touch wood!) it will stop anytime soon. It cost £400 roughly, so assuming it keeps going (which very likely) for another year thats £50 per year. Its been a pleasure to use for all of those years too.

If festool made a angle grinder i would certainly consider it.

 

[Hlsmith]

I'd be interested to see how much longer a £100 grinder lasts than my £20 parkside variable speed.
Would it last 5x longer I wonder?

I often think about things like this. A recent example, microwaves. We just replaced our 5 year old microwave, the paint was peeling inside from rusting. The microwave cost just over £50, as did it's replacement. So approx £10 per year.
Talking to my mother she said buy a stainless interior microwave like she has. Her microwave cost close to £200, not a spot of rust in it I conceded, but she needs to replace it because the buttons are dodgy and don't always work properly.
How long did her £200 microwave last? About 8 years, so almost £25 per year.

Check the vibration levels of the parkside versus the £100 machine
The parkside will only be safe to use for a fraction of the time per day that the £100 one is
Fine if you are going to use it once in a blue moon but useless if you use it on a regular basis.

 

[lurker]

Park side is made in Germany and the Germans do not just pay lip service to standards ( although there is the Volkswagen Emission fiasco to blow my argument out of the water :roll: ).
I used to teach vibration Awareness and did practicals with test meters vs feel. I used to take in my own angle grinders so we had plenty of types to play with. Lidl & Aldi were up there with out of box Matika. We also had a silverside that would loosen fillings, so the lads could feel for themselves the good bad and ugly.