4 1/2” grinder recomendations

I have the DeWalt

Mike L

I have used it to cut lots of landscaping blocks grind on a 68 Mustang after a blob weld and then cut and polished some granite for a counter top. I blow out all the dust from inside the motor cage with high pressure air, and it keeps going strong. I would buy another one if needed.

Re: I have the DeWalt

Michael van pelt

Do you like an off-on switch or a paddle switch?

Thats a nice collection *LINK*

Keith Newton

I wish I had all of those. I suppose I have a dozen different grinders for the same reason of not wanting to wast time changing. I guess my first was a Skill from about 45 years ago that is still working.

I’ve got some Makita and PC that are the best. However I’ve got a bunch of Harbor Freight ones because the price is around $20 each. They are not as quiet or pleasant to use for long periods, but pretty good for that price.

One thing to watch for when choosing is the switch placement. Some of them are on top, or opposite of the shaft. Some of the tool you’ll use on their side with the shaft on the left side, so a top switch isn’t as easy to turn off and on as if it was on the left, like PC brand.

My Makita has a long paddle switch on the underside of the motor. It has a little safety lever that has to be flipped to avoid accidentally starting, which I’m not fond of, as much as I like that brand. Although I see Global industrial has a side switch $69.

A quick look at Amazon has a PC 6 amp for $30, which I’d be all over if I were you. You might want more amps for the main task of hogging off a lot of wood, but for most I think you’ll like this.


https://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-PCEG011-AMP-ANGLE-GRINDER/dp/B07BFSDJGM/ref=lp_552812_1_9?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1551896017&sr=1-9

Re: 4 1/2” grinder recomendations

John in NM

I like the Makitas with the side switch, but that is mostly due to preferring one handed operation. Paddle switches are fine if you're using two hands since you don't need to lock the grinder on.

Angle grinders work well with the arbor nut tight enough to loosen by locking the arbor and turning the wheel. That speeds up changes immensely. I would give that a try before buying a bunch of grinders, especially the cheap ones. Last HF angle grinder I heard running was like fingers on a chalk board!

Switch

Mike L

I don’t like the paddle switch, I have the regular on off switch. I have never had a problem with shutting it off or turning it on.

I was grinding some mortar from a floor with the vacuum shield, and I think the paddle switch would have caused problems.

Re: Switch

Thomas T Dunlap

Last year needed to replace my angle grinder. When I went to my three ring binder with manuals and receipts I found that in the past 40 years this was the fourth angle grinder I'd owned. Ten years of cutting and grinding mostly metal was good duty. I can't recall how many times they'd gotten so hot I had to run them with no load to cool a bit. Two Makita and two Milwaukee. I shopped and bought #5 a Milwaukee with a paddle switch. A few weeks later I bought #6 from Harbor Freight for $10. The M has Pferd cut/grind discs and is used hard every time I do metal work. #6 has a wire cup for cleaning rust. It's awful to run. Noisy and feels like its going to through marbles out the side. But...I don't expect much from it. I'm not running my tree company anymore so I won't demand as much from my tools anymore.

Milwaukee paddle switch for the win!

Milwaukee

Re: I have a Bosch.

Hank Knight

Love Bosch tools generally, so I bought a 4 1/2" Bosch grinder 5 or 6 years ago. Don't buy one unless they have changed the switch, Mine has a side on/off switch that is TERRIBLE! Difficult to operate and almost impossible to engage the continuous run function without using two hands.