The Black and Decker "Professional" 240v 115mm angle grinder just died
Question is, are the 18v cordless up to snuff?
I'm thinking Bosch as I have other 18v Bosch equipment with which I am happy, with the exception of their 18v vacuum which isn't worth a tinker's curse. Really and truly Bosch should be deeply ashamed to have put their name on such a piece of rubbish.
Anyway are the 18v cordless angle grinders any good? I only use an angle grinder very occasionally.
No, get a mains one. Double the power at half the price. Have a look at the 2000W Mac Allister one from B & Q if you need one that will do serious work. If you want something smaller there's the Makita 720W one. When you look up cordless ones they don't like to tell you the wattage because it's pathetic.
Bill
Is it *really* dead, or can it be fixed? Have you checked the brushes (assuming it's not brushless)?
I have a 115mm 18V Makita brushless, and its pretty good IME. I have not had occasion to use it on a long job as yet, but for cutting, grinding, flap disc, paint stripping disc its fine. Plenty of torque, but lower maximum rotation speed.
Will it be fully charged when you need it? Will it be powerful enough? Will it run for long enough?
I'd stick with mains.
SteveW
With Li batteries - probably.
Quite likely
How many batts have you got.
Have both and then you are covered ;-)
Last Autumn I borrowed a Makita 18V angle grinder and it worked exceptionally well albeit not on a long job. The corner of one paving slab was cut to fit it around a gate post and large sections of stainless steel were removed from a scrap kitchen sink. For the occasional DIY it was more than adequate but I'm not sure that the price could be justified for limited usage.
Generally I?d saw go for a mains beast.
While rechargeable batteries have improved dramatically, unless you use the tools regularly and keep them charged etc, chances are ( at best) you will find it is discharged when you need it or you end up killing it. Plus, replacement batteries seem to be silly money- I had a drill with a duff battery and it was almost the same price for a replacement drill with battery as just a battery.
Cordless tools do have their uses of course but if mains is available use it.
I have a Bosch ordinary cyclonic vacuum, and although it works its filters always need cleaning and recently part of the back plate plastic moulding cracked and I had to mend it using a couple of screws as the catch itself was part of the moulding. Rubbish idea making a spring from plastic. Brian
It would be interesting to find out the failure in the b/D one, they usually do good motors on their stuff. Brian
As an aside on this one, I have often noticed neighbours with angle grinders, and they normally make one hell of a racket. People have said that although most wear goggles to stop sparks getting in the eyes, how many actually use ear defenders? It seems not many do, at least around my neck of the woods. I do really think these people are storing up trouble for themselves as they age. Even I have noticed that the couple of times I was almost struck by Lightning has given me tinnitus in one ear which was not there before. Brian
I think, for DIY use, B&D are generally fine. I've still got my first basis B&D drill (single speed etc) which I use for some things. I bought a more robust one with hammer action one (I think from Wickes) which must be 30+ years old and is still going.
One of their sanders recently failed- not the motor, a plastic gear dubrey shattered after 30+ years. I confess I didn't even bother stripping it down- I'm looking for a replacement. Likewise, the blade holder on a jigsaw (maybe 25 years old) recently failed. I think I can probably drill it out and retap the hole. The metal seems to be very soft.
TOP TIP Don't grind steel when wearing the new jumper you got for Christmas.
Bill
Or set fire to your nylon overalls!
Worth choosing the 125mm version if available. The extra 5mm of cut depth/wear life is worth having.
Or wear a fleece?
Richard
Or grind near a sheep
Bill
I think if you have already "bought into" a cordless platform, then the tools become quite affordable if all you need is the body only tool, and can reuse batts and charger that you already have.
I noticed that and wondered whether the softer metal grips the blade better?
I have the Lidl one. It is less than half the power of a proper mains one, but nevertheless very useful for lighter jobs where you don't have mains power. Also, it has variable speed and at low speed you can be nearly as delicate as with a Dremel, with the advantage of a reasonably large disk.
I don't know how the expensive heavyweight jobs compare. I still have a working B&D mains one from the early 1970's (on its second or third set of brushes). But I have two or three cheaper mains ones to save having to change disks. IMHO you want mains for serious wood sanding/shaping, or for weld preparation etc.
I took it apart. The brushes are barely worn and the lead checked out ok. If it was the switch, as the machine is 25-30 years old, I didn't fancy my chanced of getting a replacement
As it is something I rarely use and then rarely far from a power source I bought a 240v Bosch. It will probably see me out
Thanks to all for their contributions
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