Look at the amp draw of the grinder , the more amps the better the grinder . Metabo , was my go to at work . At home the Dewalt . 7 amp is king .
bought a Milwaukee 24 years ago and the brushes finally went out. haven't fixed it yet and needed to grind something so I bought a Porter Cable. they are much cheaper than Milwaukee and seem to be good quality so I bought another, one for grinding wheels and one for cutters. bought a DeWalt .. no dead man switch! don't like that at all. wore it out after a couple years. built elevators for a few years. all the trades used Milwaukee for corded and DeWalt for cordless. one thing I found out about the DeWalt cordless, if you drop them 6 floors down an elevator shaft they will not work when you get the pieces back.
I had a Sears for like 25 yrs but it's replacement is a 11 amp Milwaukee, very powerful, paddle switch and 5 yr warranty
Very interesting cut off wheel theory. Well over 30 years ago I bought my first small grinder, a Craftsman made in Mexico, when the gear head on my old and heavy big Montgomery Ward cracked around the spindle lock. About 25 years ago at work used small Milwaukees but the switches never seemed to hold up to different co workers using them for locomotive and freight car repair work. I just started using cut off wheels a lot more the last few years at home and the old Craftsman (with a thumb switch I never really got used to) finally gave up a couple years ago with that "electrical smell". I had cleaned and lubed the gearhead a couple of times over the years. I replaced it after comparing several brands with a Porter Cable with trigger switch because it felt the most balanced, right, and handiest to me. Thinking now I will put on a dust mask and goggles once in a while and give the Porter Cable an air gun clean out along with keeping an eye on the gear lube. Time will tell how it all works out in the long run. Ed
I have 9 grinders from Harbor Freight on the low end to Metabo on the high end. The handle on the HF exploded when stored in an unheated garage, just like the dead blow hammer, plastic air lines on the planishing hammer, and blast cabinet gloves, all inferior HF products. The Milwaukee, Bosch, Makita, and Metabo *** seem to perform well. My newest acquisition is a cordless Dewalt, which has quickly become my favorite.
I've been having good luck with Harbor Freight in the last year.. I tape them up before they brake and it seems to be working..
I use tools for a living everyday. If it doesn't last a year, I won`t buy it again. Harbor Frieght has failed me many times on the few things I have bought there. The couple this that do work are the surgical gloves and chip brushes. My tire filler broke the first time I used it. O`Riely Auto parts falls into the same category. I use a DE Walt reconditioned I bought off a toolsale from a back of a no brand tool truck. Now 15 years old.
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