Cordless angle grinder (4.5inch): recommendations

[bill.shitner]

Hello all.

I'm thinking about buying a cordless grinder and I would appreciate recommendations.

I have an old, very cheap 7inch or 9inch corded grinder gathering dust in the garage. It's one a bought years ago, for doing one job (patio slab cutting) and I've rarely used it since. Big, cumbersome thing.

What I actually want is a grinder that will be a more versatile tool, mainly for metal cutting, cleaning, shaping etc, but also some wood work and maybe brick, tile etc.

I'm a DIYer/hobbyist, so trade-rated durability isn't hugely important. Comfort of use and effectiveness is important.

First up, are 18v units okay, or should I push the boat out and get a 36v?

Brands: Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee? On the other hand, for my purposes, will an el cheapo machine suffice? Is there a big weight/performance/ergonomics difference?

Thanks.

Bill.

[Andy Burns]

I've got a makita DGA504, which is 5" rather than 4.5" (obviously they do 4.5" as well) it's brushless, reviews said it runs a little slower than other 18V grinders, but doesn't slow down as much under load, not used it much yet, but it was OK to trim links out of a chain.

[newshound]

I picked up one of the Lidl 20 volt 115 mm ones a few weeks ago. It is certainly not as powerful as a mains machine, but it does the job. Do you really need cordless? (I have horses at a stables with no power, so I have to take a genny if I need mains tools).

Do you have other cordless tools? I wouldn't be without my Makita combi drill and impact screwdriver. Much more convenient if all your tools take the same battery and/or charger.

[bill.shitner]

show quoted text - I picked up one of the Lidl 20 volt 115 mm ones a few weeks ago. It is certainly not as powerful as a mains machine, but it does the job. Do you really need cordless? (I have horses at a stables with no power, so I have to take a genny if I need mains tools).

Do you have other cordless tools? I wouldn't be without my Makita combi drill and impact screwdriver. Much more convenient if all your tools take the same battery and/or charger

I've got a couple of 24v Bosch drills, but they're old tech, now. I take your point about having a family of tools that use the same battery/charger. I should probably give some thought to which other toys I might want to buy in the near future and make my grinder decision in the light of that.

Cheers.

Bill.

[John Rumm]

Which usually means the trade rated tools anyway - especially as the battery systems and chargers will be significantly better in many cases.

I have a 18V Makita, and find its fine for all the usual stuff I would do with a 4" grinder.

Batteries will be the main differentiator. You will pay more for the brushless versions, but for something like an AG that is probably worth it for the better battery life on what is a fairly high drain activity.