[OP]
Member
I am thinking about buying a corded grinder. Have some metal work that is too large for the Dremels.
Any recommendations about discs for the tool that are higher quality than Home Depot's stock items?
Don't want to be worrying about discs shattering while I'm trying to get the hang of the new tool.
I guess what brought this on was remembering stories about carbide tips coming off of blades on some of the Depot's saw blades.
Contributor
I buy 4-1/2" cut off wheels in 10 packs from Harbor Freight. They are just as good as the Forney ones our local hardware store sells that cost 5 times as much. Going from cutting metal with a Dremel to using an angle grinder is like changing from a chicken to an ostrich, the difference will be huge. Use both hands on the grinder(with the side handle) and just try to keep from making the cutting disc flex and you'll be fine.
Zach
Contributor
Yup, get a $20 grinder and discs from HF. My Makita is a slight bit quieter and has less vibration, but it’s not a big deal.
Contributor
get a grinder with a speed control, I go for that one almost all the time and adjust speed to what im doing. other grinders I have run at full speed, its noiser and often not needed plus you can remove stuff faster than planned, you can finese better with the speed control, less gyroscopic effect as well at lower speeds.
Contributor
I scored a new in box 4” Makita for $10 at a garage sale and use HD discs. They work just fine.
Moderator
I buy mine from the industrial welding suppliers - grinding, thin cutting, flap sanding disks, wire brushes, etc. All pro quality. Never a shatter.Originally Posted by Mike Hutchison
Most of the disks are reinforced with some type of fiber mesh and are quite strong.
I don't know what the cost of quality industrial disks are compared to the cheapies but they have never been unreasonable. And I'd rather pay extra for good quality than to work with what was likely bought in bulk from the lowest bidder. Same thing with the grinder itself. I have four or five and none were cheap (Milwaukee, Makita, Dewalt, and such) but some have had heavy use for 20 years. I know you can get very inexpensive angle grinders from the cheap tool store and they will replace them forever when they break but when I'm working the last thing I want to do is have to stop in the middle of the project and spend two hours driving to the cheap tool store for a replacement.
JKJ
Contributor
John K Jordon is on to it!
Contributor
My experience with a HF grinder was not good, it burned out in an hour or two of use, and my DeWalt which I have had for 10 years and dozens of hours is still running like new. The consumables seem just as good at HF as elsewhere, the discs are shatterproof. They can be ruined if you let the grinder wiggle while cutting, but with practice this will not happen, and the expensive ones can get cracked too.
Zach
Contributor
I have so many different kinds, and brands of disks, and in spite of good intentions, I can't remember to think about making comparisons when I'm using one. I'm sure I have all brands of 4-1/2" grinders well represented. I do know that the cheap diamond wheels don't last anything like as long as the higher priced ones.
I do buy the cheap grinders from Walmart (before there was a HF anywhere near here) for using on masonry along with a water hose. I never wanted to subject a good one to a water hose, but didn't want to breathe the dry dust. They last longer than you might expect, even with that treatment.
I will say that the smoothest running, and what seems impossible to kill 4-1/2" grinder has been a 39.95 Hitachi from Lowes. That one ran every day, all day for several weeks, and it still gets used when the wire brush on it gets the call. On a trip through Lowes, I was going to buy another one, just because, but saw that the same grinder now has the Metabo name on it. That one is still in the box, so I can't comment on it yet.
The second favorite, behind the Hitachi, is a Makita that I think cost double what the lighter green one did.
Contributor
I friend who owns a sprinkler business buys a lot of HF tools (like grinders). He says you have to replace the grease on the gears and they don't last that long but for him it makes sense. Between theft and employees being rough on tools the expensive ones didn't last any longer. That being said if I was to buy a HF grinder I would buy the most expensive one they sell. I have several DeWalt brand ones that are a couple of steps up from the lowest cost versions. Look for how many amps they draw, anything above 10 amps will allow you to do heavy grinding without letting the smoke out.
As for grinding wheels, I've tried them all and now buy them from Harbor Freight. They may wear out a little quicker but not enough to offset the price difference. I've never had one shatter and I've gone through hundreds of them over the years. The local hardware store sells Forney, Bosch, and Norton brands. They usually sell for up to $5 each for a 1/4" one. For a couple bucks more I can get a 10 pack from HF.
Member
I have a Makita that is probably 30 years old, still works fine, and a Hitachi that came from Menards on sale, both work fine, but the discs I like best are the thin cutting wheels from Harbor Freight. They will cut metal very well, especially if you use just the edge of the blade. Running the blade deep in the cut shortens the life.
Member
I'm in the HF camp for both the grinder and discs. I don't use often enough to justify anything more expensive.
Member
Bad Dog Tools. Lifetime warranty. Buy once, cry once!
Contributor
I've found that cutoff wheels rated for stainless steel to be the best for my use. I don't know if it's a different compound, or resin, but they last much longer cutting steel. No particular brand.
Contributor
For cut off wheels, I like the Lennox diamond ones from Lowes. Cost less than twenty bucks, and will outlast a stack of fiber ones. For angle grinder, (40+years) I have owned a B&D industrial, which I paid $39.99 for. Last year, cutting a bathtub into, it let the magic smoke out. Dewalt said no parts available, so they couldn't rebuild it under 1/2 cost of new program. Fast forward to this year, and my Dewalt also let out magic smoke. Looked up parts,and guess what, parts are available. Both grinders use the exact same parts, so now I will force Dewalt to make good on their warranty. Picked up a $9.99 special from HF to tide me over, but haven't used it yet. First thing I noticed on HF grinder is lower part of gear box is plastic, but for ten bucks who cares.
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