Electric die grinder recommendations

Christopher Tidy · 2006-09-06T19:12:33+00:00

Hi all,I'm considering getting a die grinder. It needs to be electric (240 V) as I don't have a compressor. It also needs to be the kind that has a long nose for reaching into tight spots. Mostly I would use it for grinding on fabrications where an angle grinder is too clumsy, and for removing fasteners in tight spots. It needs to be suitable for fairly precise work. I was hoping I'd get one for under £100, but most of the grinders in this price range look a bit crappy, so I might stretch my budget to £130 ish.Here are a few I'm considering:Makita GD0800C: GD0810C: GP2: GE700: few questions: Am I better off with a low speed grinder (< 7000 rpm) or with a high speed grinder (7000 - 28000 rpm)? Am I better off getting a variable speed grinder, or a quality fixed speed grinder like the Hitachi? Does anyone have any particularly good or bad experiences with these products?My gut reaction is to go with one of the Makita variable speed grinders, mainly because I have a Makita angle grinder and like it, and also because I think the variable speed will be useful.Also, has anyone in the UK ordered from Powertool Direct before? If so, were they okay?Opinions would be appreciated.Best wishes,Chris

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Robin S. 20 years ago

That's right. Carbide burrs come in a number of different shapes, and at least two tooth pitches - one for steel (smaller teeth) and one for aluminium (larger teeth). You have to buy the shape you need, and once it's dull, that's pretty much it. I think you can have the resharpened, however.

Yup, should be exactly what you need. Naturally glasses are *always* worn with the shield, of course. Remember to wear the gloves when you're dressing your mounted points. The grinder tends to run off the side of the dressing stone (onto your fingers/thumb). Not really painful, but a bit of a surprise.

I was once trying to agressively dress the end of a point off as it had gotten too small. I was pressing too hard without enough concern for where the grinder would end up when the end finall broke off (2:30am). I ended up jaming the very sharp stone into my left thumb, hitting the bone, and will have a crescent-shaped scare for a very long time. Blood all over the die.

Regards,

Robin

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Gunner 20 years ago

Why not use a simple transformer? Wont take a huge one

Gunner

"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."

- Proverbs 22:3

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Richard Ferguson 20 years ago

I also use this Makita, and like it. The long neck is nice, easy to hold. I used to have a small compressor, so advantageous to use an electric, the pneumatic die grinders use a lot of air.

I am a small scale sculptor also.

I love die grinders, I use them a lot. I would note that the right angle die grinders are not available in an electric form, although you can get small (2 inch or 5 cm) long neck angle grinders to get into some tight spaces. I use right angle die grinders with a 2 inch diameter Roloc system, can change sanding disks in seconds. My sculptures are too small to use a standard angle grinder. I even have a tiny right angle die grinder, I set it up for 1" Roloc disks.

As others have mentioned, carbide burrs are nice but spit out sharp shards of metal. A face shield plus goggles or safety glasses would be wise.

Lots of good advice on this thread, I have not read it all, but what I read is very sound.

Richard

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Bruce L. Bergman 20 years ago

There's a big difference - compressors have tanks, power lines don't. Get a good oil-lubricated slow speed (belt drive) pump, add a big receiver tank, and let the little compressor chug away constantly in the background. while you do other things.

If your power supply is really dodgy or undersized, get a compressor that has a constant-run unloader system, and then you only have one start surge in the morning.

The air tools take that constant slow build of air and give you big bursts of momentary power that you can't get straight from the mains.

And they fit in tight spots that electric tools can only dream of.

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Ignoramus4143 19 years ago

Some plastic cases are actually quite strong.

Try attending industrial liquidations, basically every factory that is liquidated here has a bunch of cheap used die grinders, air and electric, and very strong ones at that, I would think that it is the same in the UK.

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Christopher Tidy 19 years ago

After some thought I've decided not to get an electric die grinder for the moment. I think the Irwin "Bolt Grip" sockets should do the job I need for a good bit less money.

I looked at the cheaper electric die grinders and many of them looked like junk. Even the £150 models have a plastic motor case. The Makita

906H with the all-aluminium case sadly isn't available in the UK, although it is made in a 220 V version for the South American market. I called Makita customer service but the wouldn't get me one. I don't get that: all they have to do is to call the appropriate international Makita company and get one sent. Stupid big company inflexible policy! I also don't get why, on their fairly expensive power tools, they don't always use all-aluminium cases. I would be prepared to pay a reasonable premium for an all-aluminium case.

So the result isn't that I buy their plastic die grinder, but that I'm going to wait a while and buy a die grinder when I get a compressor. Hopefully a good decision all round!

Thanks for the advice.

Best wishes,

Chris

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Ignoramus4143 19 years ago

Some plastics are not easy to crack.

Yes, they are quite intimidating! I recently resold a I-R impact wrench that required 70 cfm.

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Ecnerwal 19 years ago

I would guess that either your government (more likely for you in the UK) or your legal system (more likely in the US) has caused them to decide that an insulated casing is preferable to a conductive casing in your market. Insulation wears out over time, stupid users cut off the ground, or plug into sockets with an improper ground, suddenly it's supposed to be Makita's fault for the deceased user being stupid. Thus, the big company decides that selling a metal case is OK in South America, where they have not had or do not expect large costs associated with that, and not OK in your market, where they do.

In any case, air seems to be preferable, and even many horribly cheap air tools have all-metal housings. Some are so cheesy that a good plastic one would be an improvement, of course, but...

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Christopher Tidy 19 years ago

Hmmm. Maybe. In my opinion, they still suck compared to metal for a lot of reasons. Some get attacked by UV, they get more scratched, and they're defnitely harder to repair successfully if they do get damaged.

I don't see many advertised here. You live in Chicago, which is going to have a lot more industry than the semi-rural area where I live. Much of the heavy industry here died with the British coal industry, and what's left is fairly secure.

I did see an Ingersoll-Rand die grinder advertised which I liked. It needs 43 cfm for continuous operation. Sounds like a beast!

Best wishes,

Chris

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Ignoramus4143 19 years ago

That would be quite inconvenient to me to use a engine driven compressor... sorry to hear about your electricity...

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Christopher Tidy 19 years ago

No, but crack them and they're always going to be harder to repair. Also, they collect scratches and dirt in an ugly way.

Our electricity supply sucks. I think I might have to get a towed compressor instead of an electric compressor. I have seen some in fair condition for a similar cost to a decent used 3 hp electric compressor. That way I wouldn't be short of air. Still got some saving to do for that, though...

Best wishes,

Chris

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Christopher Tidy 19 years ago

True. But it would be less of a problem here. We have 4 acres of land and our nearest neighbours are more than 100 yards away.

Chris

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Christopher Tidy 19 years ago

By the way, here's the 43 cfm die grinder I mentioned:

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And a link to an eBay auction with better specs:

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I'd say whoever got that for $138 got a pretty good deal. But I doubt many people have compressors capable of running it. I bet it can shift some metal!

What's your die grinder like?

Best wishes,

Chris

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Ignoramus11682 19 years ago

Looks very nice!

You know, with a more regular 12 HP compressor with a decent tank, this grinder can be run at a 25% duty cycle, which could be enough.

Well, are you asking about a die grinder or the monster impact?

I have two die grinders.

A small cheap Harbor Freight air die grinder
A midsize 1/4" electrical Sears Industrial (IIRC) die grinder. It is about 2 lbs in weight, I think.

If you are asking me about the impact wrench (which was bought from me on eBay by a member of Rec.Crafts.Metalworking who won the bid), its video is here

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Ignoramus20860 19 years ago

Christopher, I was kind of impressed with this grinder a lot, and found someone who agreed to sell it to me for $100 plus shipping. According to the seller, he used it for himself and needs to sell for financial reasons (could be all true). I will report on it. I hope that this grinder is usable with my compressor, at reduced duty cycle.

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