Another tool question - Angle Grinder

[woodlandfarms]

So..... I have a nice Makita angle grinder that works fine for light cleaning. But I know I need something bigger for the next two projects. Went and looked at a few, and I am trying to figure out what would be better, a 7" or a 9"? I can see how the 9" will quickly get the various tasks I need done, but man they are a beast. The 7" are sure lighter, but...

Just wondering what you guys would recommend.

Carl

 

[jlrsn]

It all depends on your end use. I have a 9" Milwaukee for polishing and a heavy old Industrial 7" for grinding but my favorites are my 4-1/2 Makitas with the 5/8x11 TPI Spindle. I find I can do pretty much everything that I need with them for metalworking. They are too small for polishing.
Good luck,
Jim

 

[Scooby074]

makita's 9005 is a pretty good all-arounder. Its a 5". pretty much industry standard.

Makita Canada Inc

bigger grinders are good, but a 5" is right threre. easier to use ans more versitile, unless you have some MAJOR metal to move.

 

[PILOON]

makita's 9005 = tough unit. everything about it is 'just right'

I have 2, one always has a thin disk for cutting and the second serves for mounting disks or wire cup brushes.

I gave up on acyetline torches and use disks now for all my cutting needs.
Made my own snow plow and if I recall I merely used 6-8 disks to cut the blade and framework, plus the disks make a much cleaner cut.
At $1.00 a disk I can't afford torches any more!

 

[AlanB]

5" may be standard in Canada, but the 4 1/2" grinders are much more standard here.

I have multiples of the 4.5 with different wheels on them. One of my most used shop tools.

I have a large Craftsman and large Milwaukee grinder. On most of the larger grinders I think you will find yourself mounting a 7" grinding wheel, and possibly larger sanding disks.

Make sure you want one before you buy one, they are expensive, hard to handle and can wear you out in a hurry.

A good strong 4.5 will do an awful lot of work, different brands have different hand hold configurations and power, try several, I really like my Craftsman with the extended smaller diameter rear handle, and probably use my Ryobi the most with the wrench stored in the handle.

 

[whistlepig]

We use the 4" to 5" grinders for 99% of everything in the welding department at work. We do have some 9" grinders. These are only used for for cleaning slag from the top of the metal weld tables. The welders won't use them for anything else. They are too heavy and too hard to control.

 

[dfkrug]

5" may be standard in Canada, but the 4 1/2" grinders are much more standard here.

Yes, I use three 4.5-inchers, and rarely my 7" DeWalt. The big one
works well, but is hard on the arms, due to its weight and power. I had
a 9" Hitachi that I picked up for $10 with a bad switch....never used
it...the switch is $75. My oldest 4.5 is more than 15 y.o. and it keeps
going, tho I replaced the switch and the case is cracked. It's a no-brand
Chinese unit. I also have a 4.5 Hitachi (nice), and recently bought a
Kawasaki for $30.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Wow, thanks for the insight guys.. I did not say it, but my makita is 4.5". I think I will get two more at that size and then maybe a 7" for some plate cutting. You guys saved me a ton on that 9" which would have killed me.

Carl

 

[mjncad]

My Bosch 4.5" gets used a lot, mostly with cup brushes, followed by grinding disks, then cutting wheels. I wish I had a couple more of them so I don't have to change from brushes to disks, etc..

I've never used a 7" or 9"; but I'll bet they are a handful.

 

[studor]

While I use my 4.5"s for lots of things, I find a 7" with a cup brush and a 9" with a masonary wheel very useful for things the 4.5" just won't or takes too long to do. The 9" I inherited (it is now about 35 years old)and the 7" is a cheapy but they both do a great job.

 

[crazyal]

I only have 4 1/2" grinders. I have three that I use. If you haven't bought yet look at the power ratings. Every company make several different models. The small light weight ones would get hot while using them and if pushed any further they would die. My largest one is a DeWalt that looks like a 7" grinder with the rear trigger but is 4 1/2". I use that one when I have a lot of metal I need to remove and don't feel like waiting for the grinder to cool down. If I'm not mistaken it's rated at 13 amps, some of the light weight grinders are only rated at 5 amps.

 

[Scooby074]

5" may be standard in Canada, but the 4 1/2" grinders are much more standard here.

I have multiples of the 4.5 with different wheels on them. One of my most used shop tools.

.

Oh ii got 4.5's too 2 electric and one pneumatic. But my 5" gets the vast majority of work (more power, better ergo).

if the budget is there, Walter makes a model called the "Big 6". Its a 6" in the form factor of a 4.5. Very nice unit, but $$$. Alot of pro welders run Walters, they can afford them

in industry, where i worked maintenance, and in metal fab, makita's 9005 is the best combination of durability, performance and above all reasonable price.

on top of that its made in USA:thumbsup:

 

[Scooby074]

5" may be standard in Canada, but the 4 1/2" grinders are much more standard here.

I have multiples of the 4.5 with different wheels on them. One of my most used shop tools.

.

Oh ii got 4.5's too 2 electric and one pneumatic. But my 5" gets the vast majority of work (more power, better ergo).

if the budget is there, Walter makes a model called the "Big 6". Its a 6" in the form factor of a 4.5. Very nice unit, but $$$. Alot of pro welders run Walters, they can afford them

in industry, where i worked maintenance, and in metal fab, makita's 9005 is the best combination of durability, performance and above all reasonable price. Theres always larger (and smaller) units around, but the 5" gets the most use

on top of that its made in USA:thumbsup:

 

[jayste]

I too only have and use a 4 1/2" B&D grinder. I haven't used a 9" since highschool shop class. Mainly because back then they didn't make a 4 1/2". 9" grinders in the late 70's seemed like they weighed 25 lbs!:shocked: My rule of thumb (this USUALLY applies) is if my 4 1/2" won't do it I need to look for a different way to do it!:laughing: I can't stand to grind but as we all know sometimes it can't be avoided.:thumbsup:

 

[AlbertaDan]

Here in the pipeline industry a lot of our welders use the Makita 5" but put on a 6" disc and guard. You get the best of both worlds. The speed of a larger grinder with the light weight of a smaller unit. Just make sure that the disc can handle the speed of the grinder. You don't wnat the speed of the grinder(RPM) to be faster than the disc RPM. When the grinder over speed the disc it will blow up the disc.

We use our grinder here all day long. The welders on the pipeline weld from dusk til dawn and dont usually have a probelm with their grinders.

 

[charlz]

I picked up an AEG 7" grinder a little while back at an auction for like $25. It's awesome. Will remove metal in a hurry compared to my 4.5" grinders. While the weight and power take some strength you need to actually use it waaaay less time than a 4.5"

 

[Pops15]

I have an OLD industrial duty 7" grinder. It makes quick work of grinding jobs. I use it much more than my 4 1/2" angle grinder. The 7" is heavy but I can usually do the same job in a fraction of the time as it takes with the 4 1/2". If you're grinding on a horizontal surface the added weight can be beneficial. If you're grinding overhead, well thats a different story. I had a couple of Craftsman 7" grinders before I got the industrial duty grinder. They were toys compared to the one I have now. Can't remember if it's a B&D or Skil. It was well used when I bought it in 1984.

 

[Bird]

I've only owned 4.5" electric, except for my cheap little pneumatic angle die grinder, but I repaired quite a number of bigger pneumatic angle grinders, and in the larger (i.e. 7") sizes there are plenty of good brands, but I never saw one better than the Sioux.

 

[woodlandfarms]

There is an old Souix for $40 on CL. Thing looks nice, but it has a sanding disk on it, which makes me think it may not be fast enough for an angle grinder (coming from a body shop).

 

[Bird]

There is an old Souix for $40 on CL. Thing looks nice, but it has a sanding disk on it, which makes me think it may not be fast enough for an angle grinder (coming from a body shop).

Where? I might want it, if you don't. The model I had the most experience with is the Sioux 1285. Not many of us can afford them for personal use, but a freight company with their own trailer rebuild shop had a lot of old Sioux tools; very powerful and durable.