I just returned a Mikata 4" angle grinder to Home Depot. It was the first of these I had bought and it seemed like a decent buy at $49. What I didn't know was that most grinders have a 5/8" shank while the model I bought had a metric M10-1.25 shank. Of course no one, including HD, carries tool accessories for that shank size and I would have had to order things from Mikata. I checked with two industrial suppliers without luck. So I figured I would bail out and start over.

So my question is: What is the preferred grinder make and size for general auto and home work? 4" or 4.5"? Are all 5/8" shank grinders the same when it comes to accessories, or are some easier to equip? I want to use the usual accessories like brushes, grinding and cutting disks, etc. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Mike

Mike,
As I've done mods to and continue to do mods to my 6r over the last 5 yrs.Heres a list of the tools that have become my best friends.
A 4"Dewalt angle grinder.My Dremel.A pneumatic straight die grinder,for use w/carbide cutters.A pnuematic angle grinder.
I've used my Dewalt for 5yrs steady.Ya can't tell it's yellow anymore but it still gets the job done.
For a grinding,grind your welds with a flapper wheel type grinding pad.They are about 7-8 bucks a piece at welding supply places.They maybe a steep price,but they produce less heat than a hard disk,and polish out a weld nicely.
Ron

I have a $36 or so Ryobi grinder which I got from Home Despot. It's met all o0f my needs.

Fiid.

I have a black and decker professional 4.5 in angle grinder. All the standard attachments work with it. We have had it for around 5 years. Its still going stong and I use it pretty roughly. I also have a 4 in craftsman angle grinder as well. I dont like it as much. It doesnt seem to have as much cutting/grinding power. I also dont like that the on off switch is on the left side of it. My black and decker has the switch on the bottom of it which it much more comfortable when working with it for long periods of time.

John

I have the el chepo Harbor Freight 4" grinder that they always have for sale (about 15bucks I think) ... didn't expect it to last, but its been two years now and I still can't kill the thing...all the normal attachments work with it.

I actually have several of their air tools (nibbler, pneumatic angle grinder, air hammer, cut off wheel, etc) and I have not had a problem with one...course they only get mild use, but they do the job for about 1/10th the price of the good IR or Blue Point stuff...


Tony

I have a Harbor Freight 4.5" angle grinder, and know 3 other guys who have them too, and they have put a lot more use on theirs. They are dirt cheap and they work well.

Compatable with std attachments too, which you can also buy dirt cheap at HF.

I had the Harbor Freight and a Black & Decker Professional. Both 4 1/2". I used to have a Makita 4" with the metric spindle - a pain because nothing would fit it.

The Harbor Freight was lent to a friend and stolen along with a few other tools (guess which friend no longer gets to use my stuff?). When I had it, there was little difference between it and the B&D, except it was much less expensive to buy. The HF grinder I got even came with replacement motor brushes!

Harbor freight, Sears, Home Depot are all good stores to buy from. DON'T ever buy any of those .99cent grinders off ebay. i bought 2 of them and they didn't even last a day. Shit bushings plastic gears forget it.

btw I use the 15.00 Harbor Freight 4" grinder and it works very well.

The harbor freight units are so cheap that you can buy more than one.... keep a wire cup brush on one, a grinding disk on one, a straight wire wheel on the other... sure saves time from having to change attachments on and off.

I do the same thing with the Harbor Freight air die grinders... I must have 4 of those units with various attachments just sitting on them waiting to be used....

Dave,
You're right-I do the same thing. Changing the attachment is a PITA when you only need it for a minute. I bought another grinder and put a sanding disc on it.
Saves time.

Paul

By the way...

Ask Mikey Z. what happened to him when he was using a wire brush on an angle grinder and wearing floppy sweat pants....

I have one of those B&D with the switch that is a paddle on the bottom and I took the guard off. Be careful when setting it down as the weight of the grinder will turn it on.

not too safe...

Paul

I've got a makita like you mentioned- did'nt hve any problems finding what I needed for attachments. Seems to
work fine!

rezron

I have 3 angle grinders, a B&D,Makita,and a cheapo Harbor freight unit. Like mentioned before I have different things mounted on each one

Hmm, I'm gonna goto harbor freight tomorow to pick some stuff up. arg, spend more money.

My friend had a harbor freight heat gun, 2nd time he used it, it started to smell funny, then 2 seconds later, it burst into flames.

Well it's not exactly a bbq grill.

I have a Dewalt that just keeps goin, and goin, and goin... but the switch likes to come unlocked during use. Especially with a big heavy 4" wire cup brush. I bought a $15 HF unit aso so I wouldn't have to change tools so often. Both have 5/8" arbors.

The old Makita's are much better.... They had the universal shanks too... the new ones don't.

Had mine for 12 years. It has decked many, many 1.7 rocker arms..(even a set on maf914s engine:-).. hard to kill!

Don't think I haven't tried that

That must have been the high point for Makita, as the one I had was purchased 18 years ago and the bearings failed after 3 years.

Is there a preference of what size is better between a 4" and a 4-1/2"?

In my shop and at work I have used Ingersol Rand & Chicago Pneumatic angle air grinders. They usually last 5-8 years of production. The CP units have lost build quality when the company sourced their product offshore a few years ago. I also use a 14 year old Makita. No problems with it, sweet tool.