buying 5" angle grinder advise

[deereman75]

Is that a 6" haywire??

Looks like a 7'' to me. 6'' are normally body grip, like 4.5'' ones.

 

[Haywire]

It's a 7" 15 amp Makita. Used it a bit last night with a grinding wheel. I like it. Gives me the willies though without a guard on that wheel. I think I'm going to get a course grit flap wheel for it.

 

[paulwestski]

I like 6" so I can use cutting disks with longer wear and higher surface speed. I use a Metabo, but any good grinder will do.

Agree on the 6"....the slicer wheels can cut deeper and last longer.
At work we buy a hundred slicer wheels at a time and get a free Metabo grinder.
I've burned up many a dewalt the metabos are a tough nut.

At Lowes the other day they had a two pack of porter cable 4-1/2" grinders on sale for 90 dollars.

When I'm welding and fabricating I like to have at least three set up if not four,
0ne with a slicer wheel, one with a wire brush, one with a 6" hard grinding wheel, and one with a 50 grit soft disk.

 

[Haywire]

one with a wire brush,

On that subject, when do you use a cup vs a wheel. I've got a twisted wire wheel for my 4.5", but no cup.

 

[deereman75]

Agree on the 6"....the slicer wheels can cut deeper and last longer.

I dont agree. I find the best way to cut (other then a porta-band) is a 7'' grinder with a walter zipcut. Another inch of wheel, and much more power.

 

[Bird]

It's a 7" 15 amp Makita. Used it a bit last night with a grinding wheel. I like it. Gives me the willies though without a guard on that wheel. I think I'm going to get a course grit flap wheel for it.

The best angle grinder I've seen is the 7" Sioux 1285. And when I was repairing them, one of my customers send me two because employees had removed the guards and threw them away. Then OSHA visited.:laughing: Those danged guards cost $130 each.

 

[paulwestski]

On that subject, when do you use a cup vs a wheel. I've got a twisted wire wheel for my 4.5", but no cup.

I mainly use the twisted wire wheel for slag removal....the cup for flat surfaces, rust/paint removal

 

[Brushhill dave]

Agree on the 6"....the slicer wheels can cut deeper and last longer.
At work we buy a hundred slicer wheels at a time and get a free Metabo grinder.
I've burned up many a dewalt the metabos are a tough nut.

At Lowes the other day they had a two pack of porter cable 4-1/2" grinders on sale for 90 dollars.

When I'm welding and fabricating I like to have at least three set up if not four,
0ne with a slicer wheel, one with a wire brush, one with a 6" hard grinding wheel, and one with a 50 grit soft disk.

What exactly is a slicer wheel??? Never heard of that before. Is it a zip cut??

 

[LD1]

What exactly is a slicer wheel??? Never heard of that before. Is it a zip cut??

Not sure what a zip cut is, but a slicer wheel is just a cut-off wheel. Like on a air die grinder, only bigger.

In other words, pretty much just a thin, flat grinding disc. Made for cutting things off.

 

[deereman75]

Not sure what a zip cut is, but a slicer wheel is just a cut-off wheel. Like on a air die grinder, only bigger.

In other words, pretty much just a thin, flat grinding disc. Made for cutting things off.

Up north here, we always call then a zip cut. Zip cut is the walter line of cutting wheels, but that name has been applied to all cut off wheels.

 

[Haywire]

Looks like this deal is getting worse all the time. I don't have the inner flange and matching outer locknut to run typical 7/8 arbor cutoff wheels. That's another $15.

I should have just bought the grinder new.

Ian

 

[deereman75]

Looks like this deal is getting worse all the time. I don't have the inner flange and matching outer locknut to run typical 7/8 arbor cutoff wheels. That's another $15.

I should have just bought the grinder new.

Ian

Ouch. I find used makitas normally go for way too much. At the pawn shop I get some of my used tools at, they had a beat up makita 7 inch with no guard, for $60. They also had a black&decker pro 7 inch with everything but the wrench, for $45. (I got the B&D)The B&D would probably last longer as well. If I was getting another 7 inch, it would be either a black and decker wildcat, or a skil all metal 7 inch.

 

[LD1]

Up north here, we always call then a zip cut. Zip cut is the walter line of cutting wheels, but that name has been applied to all cut off wheels.

So kinda like crescent wrenches, channel locks, vise grips, etc.

 

[Haywire]

Kleenex...

 

[deereman75]

So kinda like crescent wrenches, channel locks, vise grips, etc.

Kleenex...

exactly.

 

[marrt]

Metabo has a variable speed model with "AutoBalancer" technology. This should be the ultimate grinder.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RR-lhiXigE]Metabo angle grinders with and without AUTOBALANCER feature - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Brushhill dave]

exactly.

Pampers..... Is the first thing that come to mind following suit, I have a 7 month old ... Similax is another