Are there any favorite 4.5" non-chinese angle grinders (or something that doesn't have gears, bearings and motor windings cast out of lead)? It's not the sort of tool I use, so I have no prefences at this point other than to buy one that can be maintained and repaired.
Cydrome Leader fired this volley in news:lg03an$5un$ snipped-for-privacy@reader1.panix.com:
I'm pretty partial to the DeWalt professional version for the baby grinders. I have (actually) hundreds of hours of weld blending and bolt/rod cutting on my two with nary a failure except having to replace cords twice (one for cutting it with the wheel, and the other because it sat on the welding table and got toasted by UV until it started to crack).
For bigger ones, I like the Hitachi brand.
Lloyd
I have run most of them and the Metabo holds up the best. They all need new brushes sooner or later.
John
I've got several 4.5" angle grinders. Its nice to be able to setup to do a job and not spend half my time changing wheels. That being said, I've got a DeWalt that's over 20 years old. A Milwaukee that's probably 10 or 12 years old, a Makita that's pretty old, a couple Harbor Freight ones, and I keep a Ryobi in my service truck. Probably the Milwaukee is the best overall, but its pretty hard to argue with the 20 year old DeWalt, and I particularly despise Dewalt and Decker tools.
I have a 5" Metabo that's 25 years old and still on its original brushes but I have a spare pair just in case. My 4.5" grinder is a Bosch professional and seems to be holding up well but it's only about 10 years old. My Bosch drill is about 25 years old and has only required a new lead, it's the DIY grade but has seen quite a bit of use, it replaced a POS B&D that didn't last very long.
My brother has a Dewalt that he really likes. I have a Ryobi that I like. It did suffer a switch failure early so I went on line and ordered two switches and a couple sets of brushes. The replacement switch has way outlasted the original and the original brushes are still in the machine and are far from worn out. So I have one extra switch and two sets of brushes for the thing. And the parts weren't expensive, which is why I bought two of each. My neighbor has a Makita that he loves. My neighbor and I both are hard on the tools. They are meant to be used. I don't mean we abuse them by dropping and the like, I mean we use them to the fullest of their capabilities. Eric
Any big differences in the trigger vs side switch grip units? It appears the trigger grip ones are longer and the handle is extended away from the body. The other options is grab something from the pawn shop since they're not too costly and they were all working before they got lifted from the job site.
Cydrome Leader fired this volley in news:lg5d7d $1gt$ snipped-for-privacy@reader1.panix.com:
My two DeWalts have a paddle switch, which, for convenience and safety reasons, I don't like. I'm ALL the time laying it down on or bumping it with a piece of work scrap or a tool, and triggering it on. That's what happened to the cord on one of them... it turned on upon laying it on its own cord, and cut the cord! Yeah, it was my fault, but...
My big Hitachi has a trigger switch, and although it's eight times the weight and two times the length of the baby grinders, it's no harder to handle. And it _never_ accidentally switches on.
Lloyd
Interesting thread there.
Cydrome Leader fired this volley in news:lg5gbv $5ie$ snipped-for-privacy@reader1.panix.com:
It's good information, and true, but completely non-sequitor of what I wrote. I said I prefer a TRIGGER switch for all the above reasons, NOT a slide or toggle switch. Paddles are just as dangerous as slides in some situations. If the torque is wrong, the only way you can shut it off is to let go of the whole thing, and THAT is often just as dangerous as having it continue to run.
Lloyd
I have a Makita 4 inch grinder with the slide switch. There have been a couple times when it caused me problems. The grinder itself is nice because I can hold it in one hand. But I have nerve damage in my hands which makes it hard for me to tell how hard I'm gripping something and I have dropped it a couple times when using it. Some 4 1/2 inch grinders are also small enough in diameter that they can be held with one hand and this can really be a plus. With a paddle switch that turns off when the grinder gets away the grinder can be really user friendly in certain situations. Eric
snipped-for-privacy@whidbey.com fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Is everyone missing the point, or do I just have to repeat it?
I completely agree that a slide switch is dangerous. Paddle switches are very convenient, and turn off when you let go. They are ALSO dangerous, because they can be so easily turned on by accident.
Trigger switches are almost completely safe. The thing shuts off if you drop it or deliberately let go, but it also is completely immune to being accidentally turned on when you set it down on some protrusion.
Geesh, guys! I don't mind a discussion, but at least address what was written, instead of taking diversions that don't address it.
Lloyd
I'm not arguing anything here, but I must admit the term "paddle" switch had me confused for a bit. I've never heard of a trigger switch called that before, although it may make sense for tools you use upside down like electric screwdrivers hanging off a cable at an assembly workstation.
As for tools of danger, chainsaws all have trigger switches, not rube goldberg sliders off to the side for your thumb.
Cydrome Leader fired this volley in news:lg7jo5$dt$ snipped-for-privacy@reader1.panix.com:
I think you still miss the point. A paddle switch is not a trigger switch. A paddle switch looks like and acts like a three-or-four finger wide "paddle" on the side of the unit. When the tool is gripped and the hand/fingers closed around it, the hand naturally squeezes the paddle toward the housing, and it turns on.
A trigger switch is just like the trigger on a power drill or a gun. Pull it with ONE finger, and it turns on. It usually also has a guard around it to prevent accidental "triggering".
LLoyd
You're missing the point. You frequently miss the point:
Trigger switches have not been available as choices until fairly recently on most small angle grinders. They still aren't as common as they should be.
Paddle switch on this one:
I actually have one of those. It has an extra little ditty/flipper in the paddle to keep it from working when set down. Even after using it for a couple years I'm not so sure I like it (the safety ditty) but I haven't torn it off either :)
My old Milwaukee ~4.5 inch has a paddle switch too but is recessed into the tools body. It cost maybe 4x what the HF one did ~20 years ago... I didn't pipe up, mention it because I don't think you can get one like it anymore unless you find it used...
Ok, you've cleared that up for me. It still sounds awful unless it's for a tool you use pointing down, and without gloves.
it seems like the most logical way to fire up a tool you'd use point in front of you as an extension of a hand.
I've always found those "backwards" stapleguns completely rediculous in use.
And thanks to the ambulance chasers, most now have a separate lockout to childproof it. The result is a tool which becomes MORE dangerous to use because it takes both hands just to turn it on, leaving it dangling for that time.
I have about six. All with different wheels, and various sizes. Saves a lot of time to just switch grinders instead of going looking for the wrench.
Steve
Anything can bite you. I got a nice two inch scar on the back of my hand to prove it. And I got it by doing something stupid. Tendons and blood vessels look cool in real life. Especially when they are yours.
Each switch is different. Each has its good and bad points.
Add human, get a bag of popcorn, and back up and watch the show.
Steve
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