Professional Grade Angle Grinders

[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.

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.

At one point I owned a Dewalt and a Parkside, I sold the Dewalt because I preferred the Parkside. Vibration wise, they felt the same, noise wise, they were about the same. The Dewalt had a nicer switch, that is the only difference.

 

[Eric]

With hand held 110/230V tools, I always try and find in the spec what the supply cable is too before deciding which model to buy.

I would sooner pay more for a grinder with a longer flexible lead than a short, stiff plastic lead. Maybe that's because I've only been welding for a few years, so I still spend an awful lot of quality time with my angle grinders.

 

[Hlsmith]

With hand held 110/230V tools, I always try and find in the spec what the supply cable is too before deciding which model to buy.

I would sooner pay more for a grinder with a longer flexible lead than a short, stiff plastic lead. Maybe that's because I've only been welding for a few years, so I still spend an awful lot of quality time with my angle grinders.

If you don't like the cable you can change it for pennies just a length of rubberised arctic cable and a new plug

 

[Rhyolith]

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.

Personally I am not fan of makita mainly down to their poor ergonomics. They seem to be the professional go to for most powertools for reasons I cannot fully fathom to be honest.

Parkside is not an option for me as they don’t seem to do either 110v or 115mm grinders. I seriously doubt one that cheap would hold up doing what I do anyway.

I could do with more comments on the fein grinders anyone own, tried or seen one?

 

[Rorschach]

Obviously the 110v requirement puts them out but I think you might be surprised at the longevity of their tools.

 

[shed9]

As others have pointed out, the metal fab shops nearly always use Metabo - these are the go - to grinders for continuous abuse and reliability.

If you genuinely want a German made Fein then buy it in person and check. I got stung with an impact / driver combo from them - their website, the dealer and their customer support all said it was German made but they had PRC tags all over them when they turned up. Their website still implies these are German made. I posted it on here and the FOG to which Fein contacted me directly to placate me.

That said I believe the grinders are actually German origin but my point is if this is important to you then you probably need to check.

 

[Rhyolith]

As others have pointed out, the metal fab shops nearly always use Metabo - these are the go - to grinders for continuous abuse and reliability.

If you genuinely want a German made Fein then buy it in person and check. I got stung with an impact / driver combo from them - their website, the dealer and their customer support all said it was German made but they had PRC tags all over them when they turned up. Their website still implies these are German made. I posted it on here and the FOG to which Fein contacted me directly to placate me.

That said I believe the grinders are actually German origin but my point is if this is important to you then you probably need to check.

It is increasingly seeming like Metabo is the way to go.

I am not seeing anything that makes fein worth the extra cash. I would pay it for build quality, but I am not conivnced it’s significantly better than the likes of metabo. Particularly their not making stuff in germany when they say they do, this suggests to me that all the quality reputatuion might just be there ad department talking, rather than reality.

 

[Rorschach]

Just because something is made in Germany doesn't make it better than something made in China. The only thing that matters is the quality of the manufacture and the quality control afterwards. Factories in China are some of the most advanced in the world, but if you don't pay for high quality manufacture, you won't get it.

 

[shed9]

It is increasingly seeming like Metabo is the way to go.

I am not seeing anything that makes fein worth the extra cash. I would pay it for build quality, but I am not conivnced it’s significantly better than the likes of metabo. Particularly their not making stuff in germany when they say they do, this suggests to me that all the quality reputatuion might just be there ad department talking, rather than reality.

Don't get me wrong, PRC as a source doesn't necessarily equate to poor quality. I'm not sure most people could tell the difference between well engineered Chinese tools and their European equivalent (Mind you, my Fein Impact died within two years of service). Buying German just reduces the risk to a degree.
To be fair to Fein, I just checked their website and the 'Made in Germany badge' is not as prominent as it was based on my comments up there ^. The last time I checked it certainly was but fair dues to them, this appears to have been resolved.

You're right about the ad department comment, it was Fein marketing who contacted me. They were professional, helpful and threw lots of options at me but this was a placating mission without addressing the actual issue of tools suggested as European origin but coming from PRC. I've bought Fein since the combo purchase (got a multi-tool) and I'll buy from them again if it's right at that time, I'll just be more cautious when doing it.

 

[shed9]

Just because something is made in Germany doesn't make it better than something made in China. The only thing that matters is the quality of the manufacture and the quality control afterwards. Factories in China are some of the most advanced in the world, but if you don't pay for high quality manufacture, you won't get it.

I agree but have to say, one of my reasons for buying German over Chinese is the wage paid to the people making the tools. This was and is a decider for me.

If buying decent furniture I'd like to know the people making it get paid appropriately, likewise with decent tools.

 

[Rorschach]

I agree but have to say, one of my reasons for buying German over Chinese is the wage paid to the people making the tools. This was and is a decider for me.

If buying decent furniture I'd like to know the people making it get paid appropriately, likewise with decent tools.

That's fine, nothing wrong with that. I try and buy local or UK items where possible for similar reasons.
It just gets my goat when people say Chinese stuff is rubbish. They tend to write about it on their Chinese made iPhone or iPad, which they sing the praises of :roll: :lol:

 

[shed9]

That's fine, nothing wrong with that. I try and buy local or UK items where possible for similar reasons.
It just gets my goat when people say Chinese stuff is rubbish. They tend to write about it on their Chinese made iPhone or iPad, which they sing the praises of :roll: :lol:

Yup, again I agree and you're bang on about manufacture and quality control being key. I deal with a lot of businesses that outsource to China - they main issues they face are predominantly down to the disconnect between the manufacture process and post QC. This is nearly always resolved by them having staff on site. You will also always (IMO) see issues when you geographically disconnect design teams from the manufacture process itself.

 

[Rhyolith]

I was not that clear, I do not think german made = better. My point was more if they are ‘misleading’ with where their tools are made, then they might also be ‘misleading’ in there build quality.

Theres also shed9’s point, I don’t like encouraging the borderline slave labour that allows for super cheap products out of china, not to mention the numerous reasons why its more sustainable to buy from nearer (and more regulated) places like germany.

 

[Eric]

If you don't like the cable you can change it for pennies just a length of rubberised arctic cable and a new plug

I agree with you on cost alone, though personally I don't want to go taking apart and re-crimping leads on a brand new grinder - well, at least not until I've cut through the cable with a slitting disc