Whats the best 4 1/2 hand grinder ?

I have smoked about 6 hf grinders this year and 2 other chink grinders this year and its kinda getting old .The price is cheap but it seems like a real waste. If im gonna spend the big bux its gonna be american made and the only one I know of is milwaukee. Will this grinder last and is it worh 120.00 bux ?

 

My makita was $60 and is bulletproof.

 

Metabo hands down, the best grinder available.

 

I had a Makita,but switched to a Dewalt. Like it much better. Milwaukee's are good too.

 

Damn Straight.

Also HILTI. Not the ones you get a home depot but the slightly bigger ones from the HILTI store.

 

I had a makita,they wear out too....my last two have been $30.00 specials from lowes...

the previous one lasted 3 years, i had to by a new one a few weeks back...

 

Have been using DeWalt's for a few years now..We are pretty rough on all of the power equipment in our shop and use em hard. The small grinders seem to all last about the same .........2 to 3 years. We have tried some of the Chinese made ones and they are not worth anything...we do keep the cords out of them for spares.
M.

 

ive got a black&decker ive been using almost daily for about a year and a half that i have no complaints about.

 

I use a Milwaukee havent had a problem with it yet. My boss uses a Dewalt he's had for a long time. Hilti's are good most of my power tools are Hilti. You can get anything in the Hilti catalog through the Home Depot rep. they are usually there from 6:00AM to 4:00PM. Just ask em to see a catalog.

 

Metabos are great just make sure you check the amerage rating before you purchase. The lower end Metabo grinders are junk imo.

I have had good luck with older style Dewalt grinders though. Mine is going on 5 years of abuse.

 

I've used my makita for 20 years,often cutting,grinding polishing jobs way beyond the rated capacity of the tool. Last week the main bearing in the right angle head wore out. $7.00 later i'm back in action and tonight I've just spent 4 hours cleaning up some jobs.
You buy Chinese you buy shit and lets see some of those other brands run for 20+ years like mine .
REMEMBER! There are TWO grades of makita.Blue for ordinary duty and Green for heavy work.
Buy a blue machine for home and hobby work and if you are pro,buy the green and try and wear it out.

My 9" grinder is a Bosche and I bought it in 1976, Apart from replacing the power cord ( the other had lost it's outer insulation) it has never once given me any problems apart from the fact it's damn heavy.
With tools you get what you pay for.

 

finally had to replace the dewalt that was 5 yrs old and it wasn't cause it burnt up. the things are bulletproof. my helper could tear up a steal ball though. my big angle grinder is 4 yrs old and it is dewalt as well.

i stick to rigid on chop saws though.

 

bosch.....had one for years and have hammered it. Used it to cut up a cast iron boiler...it got so hot you couldn't hold it and didn't loose and power....
Dewalt are brilliant, I have an 18v battery drill that I used on site (used to be a builder) for 2 years and again hammered it with only a bust switch to show. had it fixed and it's fine again Expensive yes but worth it...just as a comparison the drill was £256 here (around $500) what kind of price are they over in the colonies?

 

The best bang for the buck is a makita. I've use mine practically every day for two years now and love it. It's light weight and super easy to control. The one I had before this one lasted me nine years. I replced it just because I thought I should. The cord was wearing out and I was too lazy to take it apart and replace it. So I just bought a new one.

 

Metabo....

 

Another Metabo user here. The best!

 

My Dewalt burned up within months. Went to Harbor, and bought a cheap-o CP. That was 3 years ago now and still using it! Same with their cordless drills BTW.

 

The Dewalt with the metal head does some damage. I like it alot.

 

I find a lot of folks luck relies on how they use and maintain the tools. As a carpenter I actually PREFER the $40 Skil circular saws vs. a heavy $300 worm drive. First one lasted 18+ years until it died in metal cutting duties. Second one now has 5 years on it. Can use it on a ladder all day long cutting roafter tails with ease.

With your metal tools, take time to blow the shavings outta the internals, dont drop them and don't force the tool into work that is too heavy for them. Let the cutter,grinder or sanding wheel do the work.

 

I have a Craftsman that I've had for two years. I used it almost daily, and for long runs. No problems what-so-ever. $50. Not the cheaper $25 one.

 

I'm with T-man. I have friends who can KILL expensive tools by not using them properly. It's all in letting the tool do the work, not forcing it to go above and beyond it's expectations.

 

And another thing, a 4" grinder with a hard stone is almost useless in building a hotrod. That is where you get choppy/gouged material. Most fabricators I know use cloth backed abrasives. The best I have seen are the type with holes in them. Moves a lot of metal and you can feather things out nice.

 

My father has a Dewalt that's he's been using constantly for over six years but I have the cheapie HF one and have been using it probably daily for over a year now, but like Tman says you have to take care of you tools, a friend one mine also bought a HF one when I did and his only lasted about a month but none of his tools ever last long since he forces them and last time I was over to his house he was welding/grinding on some steel and would do some work with all his tools at his feet so all the welding slag/grinder material was falling into and on his tools below him.

 

Hey,

Unless you squat when you pee, why not get a real grinder?
A 4'' is really a toy for any serious grinding, and especally if you're
doing body work! The 6" & 9" machines remove larger areas of
material, the discs last longer and have larger bearings and motor
windings. Now, if you're going to tell me "oh, their to heavy to use"
perhaps you picked the wrong vocation/hobby.
Get ya a small air driver peanut grinder with cutoff wheel for close
cuts.
As for a 4"grinder.....Porter Cable gets my vote.

Swankey Devil C.C.

Happy Xmas!
Happy Whatever!

 

Lets put it this way. If you now have a Metabo and would rather have something else, speak up. If you've never owned a Metabo do yourself a favor.
I've owned Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt, HF, Cummins, and Craftsman... Never again

 

I have no complaints about my Dewalt. I had it for 4 years and use it hard and abuse it from time to time. I would buy another

 

...I like Dewalt and Milwaukee, but I keep a cheap one on hand in case one takes a dump; that way you're never left without one. A cheap one for a backup will last a long time if only used periodically.
...if you use your tools, they all wear out eventually.

 

I've never even heard of Metabo. Where do you buy them? I've got a cheapy Makito (red) that I've had for about 10 years or so. I also have 2 Dewalts. If you really want to put something to the test, just let some high school students use them for a while. (I teach high school auto.) They managed to break a $150 Dewalt in about a month. The other one is probably 10 years old and came from my friends sheet metal shop, used daily.

So, as has been said, if you take care of it, it will take care of you, so to speak. I also have a couple of HFs also that are still working after a couple of years in high school auto shop. I think any US made grinder is good and will last a long time if taken care of. Just my 2 cents. db

 

Black and Decker FireStorm.


Weve used it for 4 years and used it on over 350 motorcycle frames, car frames and everything else in the shop.

-Jason

 

unless you are piss broke, dont waste your hard earned money on the HF garbage. have some pride. dont count on miluakee being american made anymore they went over seas about a year ago. metabe is sweet. hilts are nice, they are both a little more expensive. there used to be a rigid grinder that was made by metabo available at home depot. ive had great results from dewalt and black and decker industrial, used to be the same as as the dewalt. i have a miluakee its ok. i think id just go for a dewalt, resonably priced and very good.