Angle grinder recommendation
 

Many of you have probably seen my thread about the bench grinder. I've had a bench grinder and it didn't get much use. You've all recommended an angle grinder for mower blade sharpening.

Any specific recommendations out of these. Milwaukee 7A, Dewalt 11A, or Makita 7.5A. All are 4.5". I figure none of them are bad. I feel like just based on the brand, Makita may be the highest quality, then Milwaukee, then Dewalt, but that's not really based on anything other than gut.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1746738889.jpg

I learned a lot on that thread, and I have three angle grinders! Who knew Tim H would have a clue:cool:

Son is home this weekend and we'll do the Annual Sharpening of the Blades as recommended.

I would go cordless with whatever logistics (batteries, make, model) with other tools that makes sense.

Eye-pro, eye-pro, eye-pro.

And what grit for mower blade sharpening, 40, 60, 80?

I do like cordless for some things, but corded for others. I'll be sharpening right next to an outlet, so will probably go with corded for superior power and longevity. I'm sure at some point in the future, I'll be thinking "dammit, Paul said get cordless..."

Mr. Hancock? WD?

I have never used one to sharpen blades...inquiring minds:cool:

I use 80 grit....works great.

I have a couple, my Dewalt right angle gear is by far the noisiest, should have returned it. It is an older model to that one. My $18 china special is actually better. Makita would be my vote.

I don't hit stuff that dings my blades .... they get sharpened 'bout as often as my trimmer line does :D

Makita is my choice for most hand tools. They just work. 80-100 grit and then test for balance.

I have worn out 3 angle grinders and am on my 4th, a Metabo. The three were used cutting apart, sometimes with precision, 13 911s as well as lot of fabrication work.

first was a 1990s Craftsman that must have been made in the USA. Great grinder. The two Dewalts, really loved them and thought they were excellent, balanced tools that performed very well.

The Metabo I thought I would like more than I do. It's not as balanced as the Dewalts which I could "safely" cut with one hand. Still can but not as comfortable.

I recently bought a Bauer trim router , my usual router is a single speed brute Craftsman router from the late 70'... the Bauer (Harbor Freight) is impressive..


I'd get a grinder from Harbor Freight

https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/grinders/angle-grinders/8-amp-4-12-in-paddle-switch-angle-grinder-57002.html

Thanks folks!

I like Bosch and have used them for a long time corded, but currently have a Milwaukee cordless. I use it once every blue moon now. All my stone guys use Makita (usually a few bucks cheaper) and they beat the hell out of them. My own guys used up many Makitas and they continue to buy them even though they use company account and could have bought a more expensive tool . If I had to choose between what you posted, Makita would be my choice.

I am astounded at how much easier it is, and how much better the product is. I used 80 grit.
But about the Annual Sharpening of the Blades ritual. Kinda sounds like fun. Dancing girls, bonfires, ritual sacrifice (old bench grinders)?

I have 2 of the Bauer 20v angle grinders, that get used all the time. Haven't pulled a corded one out in years.

I have a DeWalt battery and a Makita corded grinding wheels. I used the Dewalt 99% of the time, but for a lot of work, it takes two hands. It’s long and heavy.

I lent my buddy my Makita, and now he can’t find it. It’s a little over 30 years old and if I get a replacement, i’m hoping a new Makita will be just as good, as the old one.

A Makita for when I actually care about doing it right.

A cheap-0 Harbor Freight for when I don't and need something spinny & grindy.

No complaints.

I have a mess of abrasive wheels too. You want grinding disk and cutoff disks at a minimum. The flapper wheels are pretty versatile and a diamond wheel is good for tile / concrete / similar.

I was a DeWalt guy

Then switched to Makita, a step up, top quality and reliable too

Most of my flap discs are 60 grit but I've used 40. I have a Dewalt angle grinder. It has seen a fair amount of use over the last 15 or so years from when I used it to remove powder coating from skid loaders prior to repainting.

36 grit is the fastest especially if you need to take off quite a bit on badly worn blades. When I sharpen mine, I am not worried about having a fine polished to perfection edge like I would with a knife blade. I try and maintain the original angle, but the only thing I really care about is that the blade ends up being balanced. I have sharpened my own mower blades for over 40 years and all I do is grind the blade until it looks sharp again then I slide it onto a smooth round phillips screwdriver shank to see if it balances. I then grind a tad more off the heavy edge and re-check. Sometimes I get it right away, sometimes it takes a couple tries. It ain't rocket science. The worse part of sharpening blades is the hassle of unbolting the blades from the mower. The quick grinding is the easy part.

For many years, I simply used a cheap Harbor Freight $14.99 4 inch corded angle grinder. I also now have and mainly use a Metabo corded grinder that a friend gifted me when he scored a couple used ones left over from a big construction job.

Were I to ever need a third, I would not hesitate to buy a cordless Bauer from Harbor Freight as I now have a couple battery operated occasional use Bauer tools.

My main drill and impact drivers are Dewalt 20v brushless, but for occasional use, I love the cheaper new Bauer stuff from Harbor Freight.

Who makes Bauer?

Are they just Chinese copies of American brands?

Isn't that just about the only thing that HF sells, cheap Chinese knock-offs?

It's hard to tell who actually makes Bauer. Easier to tell who owns the brand.
For the most part, the names you see on tools are not the names of the companies that make the tools. The actual manufacturer can change depending on whose factory the corporate parent company is contracting with.


https://toolguyd.com/tool-brands-corporate-affiliations/

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For throwaway things, I'm ok with that. For something like a grinder, I want to buy a western made product, one of the reasons I bought the Metabo which is made in Germany.

Dewalt grinders were US made

My "throwaway" 20 year old $12.99 HLVP HF paint gun and my "throwaway" 15 year old $14.99 HF angle grinder and my "throwaway" 10 year old $19.99 HF buffer along with a bunch of other cheap HF chinese tools must not have got the message that they are not supposed to work. :D

I own more tools than most DIY types including a Bridgeport milling machine, Logan lathe, Snap-On tools, Mac tools, Craftsman tools, Miller tig welder, Chinese mig welder, Milwaukee power tools, Dewalt power tools, Chinese power tools etc etc...

They all have their purpose and have served me well for many years. I have no issue with folks who only like to spend money on premium tools, but I personally don't like to spend more than I need to for any tool that will do the job I need it to. :)

Yup. I have (4) HF angle grinders that I paid $13 each.
Beating them up for 30 years now and still ticking.

I would never know if a Chinese tool would last. I do my best to NOT support the Chinese Communist Government and am happy to pay more for US and German made products because, jobs. And who the **** would be proud to support commies when they don't have to, I don't know.

Very few "American" made items are comprised of 100% American made components. But whatever.... I served this country in the military so at least I have that going for me.

I buy WTF I want. You buy WTF you want. :cool:

From the bench grinder thread, you know I like old stuff.
My 35 year old BOSH still does everything I ask it to.

What's interesting (and I know that they are different) is that it seems that most Makita tools are made in China. They are not really the same as the stuff sold by HF, I suspect.

And these days, HF sells some decent stuff that's competing with the big boys for quality at least for some items.

I just do my best not to buy anything Chinese Steve. It's impossible not to but unpatriotic when there are easy to purchase quality US made alternatives.

Yep, I get it. Just thinking out-loud, below would be my order of preference from best to worst.

Made in USA by USA based company - excellent
Made in someplace like Germany or Japan by some company - excellent
Made in a developing(cheap) labor country other than China - OK
Made in China by a company based somewhere else with focus on quality - OK
Made in China by company based in China with focus on quality - mostly avoid
Made in China by a Chinese company with focus on cheap, quality be damned - ideally avoid 99% of the time

Perfect

I don't think it really matters for general home use. I have a smaller makita 4" or 3.5" I think, it has worked great for a decade or so but I dont use it much. Probably the 19$ HF is fine as well.

I would buy battery operated though assuming you already bought into a brand for batteries.

Plug is fine but that one time you want to cut off some nails in the fence, or trim some flashing on the roof, or whatever.....battery is really nice.

Makita - made in Thailand

If it helps, remember to sing "I don't see nothin wrong... with a li'l bump n grind" while you're sharpening the blades.