In Brief.

We have opted to use the Imperial method for referring to angle grinders, this being still the most commonly used term, so we will just go with the flow! For the purists they are, of course, also referred to as 100mm and 125mm angle grinders.

The angle grinder review was probably one of the hardest that we have completed to date. There is an extensive range of equipment that basically all performs a similar job in much the same way.

Overall, in the 4” category the industrial quality Milwaukee AG8-100 was particularly impressive. It scraped through a ‘nose in front’ of some of other machines, even a few that were more expensive. The important 5” category produced some interesting results & the ‘rock-solid’ Metabo WE14-125PLUS scored very highly and was hard to beat! The TradeTools Direct TTD 125AG machine has also earned a positive mention here as it compares so well amongst 5 or 6 other machines that cost up to 4 times as much!

Only one of the machines, the 4” GMC, failed to cut completely through the star picket GMC have used a particularly bulky cam arm on this their MX100MAG machine which prevented the disc from fully cutting to its maximum depth. A new disc may have solved the problem but that would not have been fair to other machines.

Constant ‘full wave electronics’ makes quite a difference to those machines that have it fitted. In general where this feature is fitted these generally smaller angle grinders seem to be substantially far more powerful in operation than their scripted specifications indicate. There is a substantial difference in price across the range, with machines in the more industrial categories obviously more commonly chosen by regular industrial users. We know of a particularly hard working machinery shop that actually buys pallet loads of expensive industrial duty grinders!

A Comment About 'Deadman' Switches.

This seemingly ‘inappropriate’ term refers to a style of switch that only stays on when pressure is applied. When the operators grip on the switch is released, the machine automatically turns itself off.

There are two schools of thought on the advantages and disadvantages of deadman switches. One argument is that this type of switch is much safer (perhaps for obvious reasons). The other argues that deadman switches increase fatigue and could lead to finger joint problems for those that use these machines for long periods.

Regardless of this, deadman switches are now legally required on many large construction sites. Australian standards require 7” and 9” angle grinders be fitted with deadman switches. However, 9” grinders are being increasingly banned from many construction sites. We are told that 5” and 7” grinders are now the biggest sellers, mainly due to this.

Variable Speed Control.

Variable speed control when fitted, allows an angle grinder to be adjusted in order to suit different grinding applications. Slower speeds are generally used when cutting aluminium or stainless steel. Variable speed control really comes into its own, however, when sanding discs are used, and some angle grinder attachments, for instance industrial wire brushes, operate more effectively at significantly slower speeds.

What We Did.

As always, we opened and examined each machine & recorded its, weight & dimensions. We then photographed each machine & recorded relevant details, paying particular attention to anything unusual or special.

We begun by making a few simple cuts with each machine. The first task we chose was to cut a slice of fencing star picket as we thought that many (if not all) of you should be familiar with this common item. Take a few seconds to compare the length of time needed to cut a standard fencing star picket using an angle grinder as opposed to attempting the task with a hacksaw? Makes you realise just how much difference machines such as this have managed to transform our industry! We have not overly concerned ourselves with individual angle grinder cutting times as there are far too many variables. Average times are interesting however. On average, 4” angle grinders took 35 seconds to complete the cutting of the star picket while the same job was done in 14 seconds using 5” machines. You can believe me when I state that we reviewed enough 4” and 5” angle grinders to make these overall averages meaningful!