Need a 4.5" corded one for occasional use (after the one I bought from Screwfix about 12 years ago for 2.50 GBP has finally conked out).
I have to confess to being in love with Makita since buying a cordless drill-driver a few years ago; but can I really justify 55 GBP for one of their angle grinders
Any recommended alternatives to either?
I have had long life and no trouble from the Bosch Blue ones (and the same goes for other tools in the same range).
Some expensive ten inch ones have a self-balancing gadget which reduces vibration, but I am not aware of anything similar on the normal small jobs. (OTOH you may be using the big ones almost continuously on some jobs like cutting paving slabs, most angle grinder jobs are short).
I have an ancient B&D which probably counts as mid-range, and two or three budget ones and TBH I find little difference. The vibration level depends on what you are using in it, grinding disks and wire brushes tend to be worse than sanders or cutting disks.
I've never used a top quality one though.
After a lot of discussion in a recent thread ("Perfectly serious angle grinder question" started on the 28th of April) I bought Screwfix's 4.5" Energer model at £17.49. I've never used one before and thus have no real basis for comparison, but I'm entirely happy with the Energer.
All depends on how much you use it. And for how long, some cheapies overheat in continuous use. However they are a very useful tool, you may use it more than you think.
On 08 May 2015, "Bert Coules" grunted:
Thanks for that - I was away when you started that thread and missed it. Virtually the identical question to mine so very helpful!
The blue bosch ones can be nice with a slim body that makes them easy to hold. Hitachi are ok as well.
Much depends on what you are going to do with it. Metal work tends to be less hard on them than masonry. The dust from the latter tends to kill switches and bearings etc on cheaper ones.
Sometimes its worth looking out for the bundled deals. Sometimes you can get a decent grinder including a good diamond disc for the same money as the grinder on its own - that often brings the price of the grinder down in real terms to that of a cheaper one.
On 08 May 2015, "Bert Coules" grunted:
Bert in your other thread you mentioned a Bosch at ?35, which would seem to me to hit the nail right on the head for me. Was that a blue one? Can't find one anywhere near this price anywhere - was it on a special offer? Any pointers?
Currently I can't find a blue Bosch for much less than a Makita :(
David, it was the GWS 600 Blue Professional from Screwfix. But since I wrote that post the price has gone up to just under £50:
I actually bought the Bosch but then exchanged it for the Energer. The Bosch was clearly a fine tool but the instructions were incomprehensible and as a first-time angle grinder user I wanted something a lot more basic and easy to follow.
Bert
On 10 May 2015, "Bert Coules" grunted:
Bugger it, I suspected as much! :( Might have to be the Makita then, which I've found online elsewhere for slightly less than that. But thanks anyway.
Are the features of the Energer actually any different to the Bosch or any other angle grinder though - ie basically they'll both have an on switch, a rotating disk, and a spindle lock? I'm thinking you might just have been scared off by the fact that the Bosch probably came with Proper EU Instructions rather than a pigeon English version of "Take out of box and switch on" which you tend to get with a lot of the cheapo kit!
Well, if Proper EU Instructions means childish cartoons, a refusal to identify parts and controls, and a disconcertingly vague approach to usage, then you can keep them.
The Energer instructions, while not always perfectly phrased, are written in clear, understandable English with carefully designed diagrams and comprehensive labelling. There's no comparison with the appalling Bosch offering.
Bert
I have download the bosch instructions and they are pretty clear to me. You have read the table in the English section and then looked at the diagrams? Some people need to read the instructions so they know what the symbols mean, others don't.
I did do that, yes. And the whole thing still irritated me to the point where I wanted to be rid of it.
You do know that you are the first man in history to read the instructions:-)
Ha. Well, I did always want to be a pioneer.
Bert
Ranulph Fiennes is still looking for them.
Cheers
On 10 May 2015, Lobster grunted:
Heh. Glad I waited... just received a flyer from Screwfix this morning, including the Bosch back at ?35! And free P&P over ?25: Click! Job done.
Wouldn't I have been pissed off if I'd paid ?50 three weeks ago.
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