My dad, grandfather and I have always had great luck with Grizzly.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/sear...=angle+grinder

 

Ended up getting a Milwaukee 4.5" grinder today 6148-6. 8.5 amps, 10k rpm.



I tried my friend's milwaukee and liked the way it felt. The paddle trigger is nice and the lock can be easily actuated while wearing gloves. I actually went down to the store to look at the ridgids because of the lifetime free service they provide for even typical wear items. But I didn't like the switch (it was on top) and it didn't have a top position for the handle.

I tried my other friends dewalt and didn't really like the paddle trigger it had. It took too much force and the trigger lock was hard to use with gloves on. I know earlier I said I don't care about the switch type, but I guess I do.

The only thing about the milwaukee is that it's expensive and doesn't come with a case like the dewalts.

 

good choice going with the milwaukee. the make great tools.

 

They sure do...I have their 1/2 " drill...holy cow does that have alot of power!

 

It DIDN'T come with a case? Mine never stay in the cases anyway.

 

Just a cardboard box, plus it won't even fit back in there once you put a wheel on it.

I'm thinking a tool bag will be better anyway.

 

Why has nobody said anything about Harbor Frieght?
My hf grinder is my most used tool. I have used it a ton and swap cutting/grinding disks quite often. I love it. I use it to cut/grind/wirewheel metal, plastic and wood. Plus if it ever breaks its only ~20 bucks to replace, if that!

Just look at that thing.

200#s of 1/8" diamond plate. That is what I feed it.

 

I have a $25 craftsman, its is awesome, and for the price I could buy 2 and 20 cutoff wheels, and still be less than a makita, dewalt....

 

I have a 4.5" craftsman, trigger switch with a handle on the bottom, 3 position handle top, and both sides, it was a christmas present, I didn't pick it out. But it seems to be holding up very well, it has been used a fair amount and has cut off the majority of a samurai and is still working, haha.
A buddy of mine has a black and decker, or rather has had about 5 of them, it has gotten to the point where he bought two, so that when one burns out, he mails it back, but can use the other while it is shipping, then he gets the new one back from them, etc, etc, etc. I believe he is on number 5 right now. So needless to say, skip B&D.

 

I love both my milwaulkee 9amp and my "cheepy" dewault.

both are paddle trigger (with lock on) but the milwaulkee has a paddle switch that extends almost the enter bottom side of it, so you can grab it close to the middle of the body and still effectlively turn it on and off.

I absolutly HATE the switch button thingie on the top that is common on the bottom of the barrel models.

I have found that having a 4.5" grinder is alsmost a requirement for a shop, but if you thought 1 was nice 2 is litterly better than twice as good. I leave one set up for a cutting disk and the other with a grinding disk.

if you are serious about your grinding needs bust out that 8" version. theres nothing like the power and speed of an 8" disk to really take down left over brakets on a frame or axle. Not good for delicite work, but ceratnly easyer and much quicker for the workhorse grind the brakets down ....


while you wont notice the diff for a cutt off version, put a grinding disk on a lesser model with only a hand full of amps and youll spend all day grinding what would take only a few quick min with a larger amp version as you can really bear down on the higher amp models.

 

I just wanted to pop in and say THANK YOU for the info you all gave to Steve. I'm buying a grinder this weekend so I used SEARCH , found this thread and didn't have to ask the question again.

 

I always prefer Makita, DeWalt and Milwaulkee, in that order. The brand names are always a better buy unless you only plan to use them occasionally. I have bought Ryobi, Delta and Craftsman power tools as well. They serve their purpose but don't hold up if you use them a lot.

As far as fixing them, our local hardware store stocks brushes for all the major brands and they generally only cost a few bucks. That's what I find that usually goes and they are very easy to replace, at least on my Makita stuff.

 

I have Craftsman Professional.. It's pretty nice, plenty of power, and can use a lot of attachments, i just wish the were some switch told hold the trigger down.