Cheap angle grinders - fit for purpose?

Interesting how our experiences vary so much, even contradicting each other.

I once bought a cheap, unbranded one and it failed with less than 1 hours use. Now I have a fairly decent brand and, although it only gets occasional use, it seems reliable and vibration free.
 
I find cheap grinders are pot luck. Some last, some don't. I was quite a way from the w/shop and needed a big one. It was cheaper to buy a rough one than go back. Lasted the job (three hours? total) then quit. next cheap one lasted for years.
Now I get Skill, as good middle range, or recently Titan. Had poor experience with Bosch, much better with old De Walt. I still have a DW in daily use after 15yrs.
Really cheap would be OK if I only needed one for odd jobs.
 
Available now at Aldi £ 19.00 I had previously brought one from them 3years ago cost then £14.00 never had any problems still going strong.
You can order from them online delivery About £4.00.
MissFitz said:
I need to buy a small angle grinder. Initially this is just to cut a load of machine screws but am assuming I'll find other uses for it in due course. The cheapest ones seem to come in at around £30. Will they be ok or is that a false economy?
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Parkside from Lidl has been excellent. In fact anything Parkside has been very good.
In 2001 I bought two unbranded for £9.55 each from Trago, one of those is still going, just. They get rough treatment.
 
I only ever buy the cheap ones normally from toolstation, I find it is the dust and grit that gets into the machine that tends to wreck them eventually. 80metres of cutting into tarmac killed the last 9'' beast i had.

Buy decent branded discs, i have had one go on me whilst cutting up steel, i was lucky, it missed me.
I also tend to use a full face shield
 
it doesnt matter who makes the discs, always treat them like they are about to burst , always point the tangent away from your face ( body also but not always poss ) and wear gloves and glasses.
 
If you're going to the Nut and Bolt Store in Portland Road to replace all these screws you're cutting, you'll find they sell excellent quality discs cheaply including 0.8mm thick cutting discs for stainless.
 
I did manage to destroy a cheap grinder by cutting bricks with a masonry disc. The vibration and slight off centre destroyed the plain bearing at the output shaft. But i bough another cheap one. no reason to believe expensive is better. ol'will
 
You could pic up an orange black and decker for about £25 a couple years ago, I’ve got 2 and had one before and for the money the they are great, I abuse mine with car bodywork, fab and fibreglass and no issues. As for cheap cutting discs they are fine I get through loads of eBay specials and no issues just use correctly and any if in any doubt snap in half and throw away
 
These tool threads always seem to divide readers into "buy cheap, buy twice" and the "cheap is best" camps. I'm firmly in the latter. This is fine for a hobbyist but, in my role as a chartered engineer, I always find that professionals use Stihl or Makita as they can't afford unreliable stuff
 
ghostlymoron said:
These tool threads always seem to divide readers into "buy cheap, buy twice" and the "cheap is best" camps. I'm firmly in the latter. This is fine for a hobbyist but, in my role as a chartered engineer, I always find that professionals use Stihl or Makita as they can't afford unreliable stuff
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I guess the real point is that the price difference between "cheap" and "expensive" is so great that you can often "buy cheap" three or even four times and still be in pocket. I think it also depends on the type of tool we are considering - I find that even expensive angle grinders have relative disappointing life expectancies - probably because of the environment within which they are used - surrounded by clouds of abrasive grit that is getting into motors and gearboxes.
 
I bought a 'reasonable price' B&Q angle grinder, at one year and two days, after not much use I finally realised it wasn't jamming every time, just the motor had no grunt and I could stop the disc with my fingers....they refused to consider a complaint. It was £40 when the cheapos were £12=£20.
If I had used it a lot I would have noticed earlier.
The Trago £9.55 ones ground off the interior bulwarks for flocoating, about 20m sq, three times, and I still have one 17 years on. Its only real fault is the spindle stop doesn't work for disc change.
 
Didn't read entire thread so apologies if this has already been said. Have a look at Wolf tools from UKHS. I have a small grinder and a small delta sander that are used on a commercial basis and they stand up to long hours of use very well They also have 'phone support!
 
you can take the spindle lock out and stick a screwdriver in when required , some tines easier than looking for / using the spanner
 
One compromise approach is to buy quality branded such as Makita at end of line on clearance. Obviously won't be a deal when you actually need to buy one. For angle grinders, go for metal gears.
 
My 1979 Black and Decker just finally fell apart ,it worked hard on restoring two MGB's and performed countless other jobs although the on/off switch failed a couple of years ago. I've replaced it with a £30 Titan from Screwfix, does the job well. I would probably buy Makita if I needed every day use, otherwise I'm sure this new one will do the job fine.
 
My Homebase cheapo bought in a hurry to finish a job around 2005 is still going strong in spite of a fair bit of abuse, although probably only used 3 - 4 times a year.

I also mroe recently acquired a Parkisde 12v portable grinder. With a thin disc in it is an ideal replacement for a hacksaw. Nowhere near enough power for heavy grinding, but its a lot better than a Dremel at many smaller jobs! I have yet to have any issues with Parkside gear. A boat builder I knew absolutely swore by his Parkside battery drill: in daily use it did everything he asked of it fair and unfair! Nicely balanced, lightweight yet powerful, and a decent reserve of power to get most jobs done.
 
I picked up a Bosch pro grinder last year in Screwfix for about £30. It must have been on special, as it appears to be very well made and looking just now they're a lot more expensive!
Lidl occasionally has cheap discs which seem to perform just as well as expensive ones for general use.
 
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