I've got an air compressor and an air grinder but most of the time that I'll be welding is at night and a 5HP compressor cycling isn't going to be kosher.

That said, I've been shopping for electric 4.5" angle grinders. What do you guys use and recommend?

 

my fav grinder is a makita 9005b or a Walter not cheep but well worth the money.

 

makita/bosch.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GTiR NX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">my fav grinder is a makita 9005b or a Walter not cheep but well worth the money. </TD></TR></TABLE>

walter grinders are really nice, the motors are smooth and they are powerful.

 

I like walter, makita, metabo, in that order. That said I mostly have makitas.

 

Thanks for bringing up Walter, I've never seen or heard of that brand.

My dad swore by Makita power tools so my first power tool purchased some 8 years ago was a Makita 14.4v cordless drill that I still have today (batteries suck though).

Are most of you running 4.5" grinders or do you prefer something bigger? Are any of you using the chop-saw adapters?

 

4.5 is the way to go...but get the more expensive ones they have smoother and quiter motors...and it will make a huge difference over time.

 

Are Walter and Metabo related?

 

I have 2 Dewalt and 2 B&D professional or whatever grinders which are fairly old and the same thing as the Dewalts, not the new cheaper ones.

They all have the paddle trigger which I like, and its great having more than one grinder with different wheels on each.

I got the B&D's from a pipe fitter who used them every day and they are still kicking.

 

I like 5" better than 4.5 disks and blades last longer and you can run any size you want with the gard still on. i think 5" is more common well at least in industrial work it is.

 

Miluakee has 4.5" grinders that are made in the USA

 

4.5" is definitely what you want unless you're doing some pretty serious industrial work.

and my dad has been using miluakee drills, sawzalls, grinders for as long as I can remember. the grinders see daily use from 2 welders.

 

I picked up a Metabo. It looks like im about ready to start welding

 

i wont buy anything but milwakee angle grinders.

 

We've used a Milwaukee unit for years, its been great.

Mostly use FlapDiscs now rather than actual griding wheels--less noise / sparks, etc.

 

We have both a Milwaukee and Bosch at work but i use my Home Depot bought $29 Ryobi at home and have had no issues with it.

 

I have the dewalt 4.5" and wouldnt mind the bigger size. Cutting disks just dont last long in that size.

But if i was to buy another one I would seriously look at the Dewalt cordless grinder with the new Lithium Ion batteries.

 

i usually buy all milwaukee, however 4.5" makita has lasted pretty well for the price. first one lasted about 5 years. i've had the second one for about 6 months with no issues.

failure on the first one was the screws that hold the bearing assembly on the grinder head started to back out and eventually pulled the threads out. probably could have been avoided with a little locktite.

 

Are you guys using grinding discs or flap wheels? I probably won't be using this unit to cut with as my air cut-off does a great job at that.

 

Only because it hasn't been mentioned yet. I have a Hitachi that has seen some usage, and still working great.