New grinder for weld prep and MISC. ???

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What is a good or best 4 1/2" grinder for  the shop. Been looking at Milwaukee, makita ,Bosch,Ryobi,Rigid.......  i prefer the Milwaukee or bosch, but the cheap ole ryobi 4"er I have now has been great and its been ABUSED.   I want something nice and  never have to replace ( in a perfect world). Milwaukee is the most expensive $99.00 and probably the best looking as far as durable and features, but..... all but my milwaukee hole hawgs and super sawzalls have failed miserably. The jack hammer, impact gun, drills,and big industrial hammer drill have been to the milwaukee repair center 1-2 times per year since day 1.  So I am a little leary about their grinder.  Love bosch 72.00, and the ryobi is only 29.00 ( seems a little too cheap to be true).  Just would like to know what the pros use and abuse everyday and are happy with.  TIA               I know this is an easy one but I have no colleagues to get info from concerning this500 AMP AIRCO TIG LINCOLN PT185 100% DC @ 128 AMP-WTFSPEED GLASS 9002X MILLER THUNDERBOLT 225HOBBIEST TURNED WELDING JUNKIE8 2ND FIRECAT - SNOWMOBILE RACE CHASSIS FABRICATORPRIDE IS WHAT MAKES YOUR WORK SO GOOD
Reply:DeWalt 4 1/2" 13amp angle grinder
Reply:I've beat the crap out of my Makita for 6 Years straight now..I really have nothing else to compare it with.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:i have used the bosch, makita, dewalt, milwauke, b&d and even "no namers" the 13 amp dewalt seems pretty good under a flap wheel on aluminum. it dont get as hot as the others but it has alot of vibrations. the metabo is my over all choice. light, fast, slip clutch, low vibrations, but pretty high when you consider dollars. the 12 amp mil. would be my next and then the dewalt.
Reply:I would say if you are are using it as a professional and putting good use on it then buy high quality.I had a brand new black & decker.  It broke after two months of abuse at the shipyard.  Granted those 2 months at the shipyard are equivalent to 10+ years of hobby tinkering.  I got that grinder too hot to touch on a daily basis.Since I owned my dewalt I haven't had any problems.  It is solid.  Even the 7 and 10 amp versions are a great buy.
Reply:The boss owns a collection of Makitas, some in pieces, tape on the cords, no side handles, abuse with a capitol ABUSE! I have a pair of DeWalt's, still in their cases, side handles there and working, used hard and taken care of. DeWalts have 2 different trigger styles, I have one of each, the "safety paddle" and the "locking slide thumb switch".Either brand gets the work done, either brand can fail. I use a lot more than just mini grinders for metal prep, the die grinders are fantastic, more bits available than you can shake a fist at!!City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:And here is something to consider.  All grinders can fail at any time.There are guys I work with who abuse the hell out of their black and decker, ryobi and other cheapo grinders.  They have had them for months, even years with no problems.There is also a specific example of a high quality grinder failing prematurely.  A co-worker of mine bought a brand new dewalt.  He was smart and bought the extended warranty.  Good thing he did because it failed in ONE WEEK.  A $170 grinder crapped out in a week.  He brought it back and got a brand new one no questions asked.I personally love the power of a 13amp DeWalt grinder.  But the paddle trigger is a real pain in the boot when trying to weasel it behind a plethora of pipes with one hand.  That is where the little 7amp versions with the locking trigger are king.  They don't have the torque and you can't put the weight onto them but that doesn't matter when you are grinding with one hand with your arm extended into a hole.So think about what you are using on.  If it is on easily accessible material that needs a lot of grinding done on a regular basis, get a high amp, paddle trigger grinder.  If you think you may be grinding in very tight situations it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a locking trigger grinder.  Or like me, get both.  Expect to go broke.
Reply:at work we have Walter, great tools  but expensive
Reply:Thanks, I have a metabo in the book here from Industrial tool supply, will have to check $$.  Makita does make SOME great tools but like milwaukee its SOME not all. I have a nice makita buffer and 12"compound miter saw but they seem a little old school on the ergos and weight.  Sounds like a makita($69.00) dewalt race ( $79.00), unfortunately   I have 3 boxes of broken dewalt tools, thank god most were promo and freebees from suppliers. All were less than 18 months old most were less than a year and most were cordless. I was told by repair shop its just a B&D painted yellow.  But you guys use them like I use my solder and flux.  Anyo9ne prefer a particular switch?  The big paddle on the milwaukee seemed to get crampy for long grinds.  been havin to "liten" up a few steel parts on the asphalt sled. Instead of the pipe stretcher I was using the grinder as a  pipe thinner-er.     Nice burr Tangle, I've got a few myself for the snap -on pencil grinders for porting the 2-strokes, got to get into REAL tight places.I would like to have "PROFESSIONALLY recomended GRADE"  thus no need for me to have to buy a new one in the next 10 or MORE years. Its not like those darn cordless tools where they up and change the battery style-shape and chargers every 2 years.  Making you have to go spend another thousand or 2 on updated (currently available) stuff. Atleast Makita waited 7 years before obsoleting my charger and batteries. Unlike milwakee 5 1/2 years and 4 different batteries. Of course I got my last kit on sale 2 months before the latest 24v litium ion came out. I want my son's son to say "grandpas had this grinder since my dad was a boy."  Wait, I'm day dreaming.........500 AMP AIRCO TIG LINCOLN PT185 100% DC @ 128 AMP-WTFSPEED GLASS 9002X MILLER THUNDERBOLT 225HOBBIEST TURNED WELDING JUNKIE8 2ND FIRECAT - SNOWMOBILE RACE CHASSIS FABRICATORPRIDE IS WHAT MAKES YOUR WORK SO GOOD
Reply:Originally Posted by PLUMMERand most were cordless.I was told by repair shop its just a B&D painted yellow.
Reply:Originally Posted by WelderBoyAnd no, a DeWalt is NOT a B&D painted yellow.  I don't know what idiot told you that but if you want to see for yourself then take a B&D and a DeWalt grinder apart and look at the quality of the internal components. They charge what they charge because of the internals and the quality of the parts they use to build them.  They are Cadillac/BMW whereas the B&D is a Kia/Saturn.
Reply:there is a big difference between the "homeowner" line and the pro/ comercial line of tools. especially in power tools. if you are looking at home depot or another "box store" you're going to find the homeowner line.an old man i used to work with said it best "when you fail to realize quality, you only purchase a busted knuckle and a heartache". i have used metabo grinders for a lot of years, i have not had very many b/c they last a great deal of time. support your local economy, and go to the welding supply store, and they will carry the industrial line of power tools. dewalt, mil. metabo, bosch, asking which is better and you'll get a different opinion from each member of this forum. buy an industrial machine locally and you'll also get the local support that only a local can give. as i said earlier, i have used them all,  i have an opinion on them all as well. pick one up in the store, feel the weight and ergonomics and see which one feels best to you...nothing fancy, just a few hot glue guns for metalwww.sicfabrications.com
Reply:Well, to give you an example.  When my B&D broke I took it into the repair shop and the guy who does the maintainance and repair at my work told me to throw it out.  I asked him why and he said the part costs more than the grinder.  Then he said if it was a quality tool he would order the part and fix it but it isn't worth fixing the cheapo grinders every couple of months, they break too much.
Reply:Milwaukee's 5 year warranty requires proper maintenance..."After 6 months to one year, depending on use, return your tool to the nearest Milwaukee service facility for the following":lubricationbrush inspection and replacementmechanical inspection and cleaningelectrical inspection testing to assure proper operationIf you fail to send it in, you might forfeit the warranty.I got the $99 HomeDepot version, catalog #6148.  Lots more power than my Craftsman.  I like the Milwaukee's trigger.WeldingWeb forum--now more sophomoric banter than anything else!
Reply:The only Milwaukee grinder I've ever seen failed did so because it was dropped, the gearcase was broken.  Actually, the thing still ran and worked but I tossed it overboard because I thought it was dangerous.
Reply:For a tool as heavily used a a grinder I like Metabo.  A buddy of mine sales tools for a living (about $100-150,000/mo in sales).  His company also does service on many, many brands.  He sales to shops, construction sites, factories, etc.  He swears by Metabo grinders.  I am just an average hobbist but when it comes to tools I buy the best.  Metabo for grinders!  Very expensive but they last.
Reply:Metabo all the way, we have 3 at the shop and they are awesome.  Locking paddle switch, light and lots of balls.  Also they dont get hot over extended periods of time like ive had dewalts do. (Yours might not, but all of mine have.  To the point where I have to wear thick mig gloves just to hold them)Whatever you get, avoid getting it at homedepo.  They sell different models to those chain stores which are of slightly lower quality.  Fastenal sells the real deal, along with other small stores.That being said, I bought a $10 4 1/2 HF grinder and abused it for over a year and never had it fail once.  Then I lost it.  I would get a HF grinder or 2 and a better quality one, and use the HF one for real crap work.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:I too wanted to buy a good one to last a long time,also i wanted to buy American which shamefully is impossible  Anyway i settled on the makita which seems to be working fine  though i borrowed a HF at work the other day and could not tell the difference!Victor SuperRanger O/A                                         Solar migLincoln Powermig 140Southbend 9in lathe350# kohlswa anvilMiller Maxstar 150 stl etc....
Reply:Originally Posted by WelderBoyIAnd no, a DeWalt is NOT a B&D painted yellow.
Reply:Oh ya, about the grinder, I vote for the DeWalt 4-1/2" they just don't die, and have a comfortable trigger.Me!
Reply:Lots of good first hand expirienced info here, looks like the Dewalt,Makita,Metabo will all be plenty fine for me.  That milwaukee warranty is concerning to me. My Milwaukee hammer and core drills were similar with the service part, unfortunately all 4 never made it a year, but milwaukee did replace them all for free and gave me the latest versions of each. I know Butki tool and saw like me for a reason, but I hate having to go there for service and repair that much, especially with all the plumbing tools I have.  Ok , so we all like having excuses to go to the tool store.   I never buy power tools from Homeowner Depot , I don't have proof on the power tools but when it comes to PLUMBING and ELECTRICAL  fixtures ...I DO. What you buy at  your local wholesale house IS NOT the same as what you buy at Homeowner Depot. I have proven this to customers hundreds of times by taking apart a faucet from Nu-Way's  and one they supplied from HD both having identical model # other than the HD # code. I have been told by a repair shop and MANY tool reps that I see weekly , that HD says hey we will buy 300K units  at $X.XX, of course the tool manufactureer stumbles knowing if even built in Mexico they couldn't doit for that price. Then HD says well we know that; thats why we suggest using these sub par components and you'll save bundles and keeping you well within our required 7% profits for suppliers, plus you'll be able to afford to pay for our (HD's)  advertising of your product and you be able to keep our shelves stocked with your product we are buying. Pay attention some companies  WONT do buidness wit HD for this particular reason, they want their products to be available to liscensed proffesionals only, like hercules brand plumbing products.  There is a reason you can goto HD and buy an American Standard whirlpool for cheaper than I can at my supplier. Funny thing is your motor wont be the same as mine,nor the jets, the 2 most expensive pieces on the tub.  So we can only imagine what is in the power tools. I have been shown repaired items and there was 1 case where the replacement motor wasn't the same as the original. Visiual inspection was only slightly different but the copper wire guage and the weight of the motor was clearly different. Also the bearings.  Maybe it was the updated version maybe not, but the big chain store circular saw's original motor didnt match the local repair shops floor model either.All in all HD is a great place and is now affordable to those who couldn't before, but its product is just good enuff to patch you up and sell the house.Thanks everyone for the 1st hand info, I will be seeing Butki Monday, the real tool stores have all of the good brands. Metabo is priced right in the middle from what I see so far, Milwaukee's 12 amp  variable speed unit being the most expensive by far. 230.00.  Thing is now I see amp ranges from 5.5-12.0 in 4 1/2" grinders.  Metabos gear housing and ryobis are identical.....Hmmm........ but thats it.500 AMP AIRCO TIG LINCOLN PT185 100% DC @ 128 AMP-WTFSPEED GLASS 9002X MILLER THUNDERBOLT 225HOBBIEST TURNED WELDING JUNKIE8 2ND FIRECAT - SNOWMOBILE RACE CHASSIS FABRICATORPRIDE IS WHAT MAKES YOUR WORK SO GOOD
Reply:I use a 4 1/2" DeWalt like it is a 9" grinder and it is still ticking.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:I've found that w/ some people no matter how good a tool they have, remind me of the old saw about " He can break a steel ball w/ a rubber hammer".                           MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:Originally Posted by mla2ofusI've found that w/ some people no matter how good a tool they have, remind me of the old saw about " He can break a steel ball w/ a rubber hammer".                           Mike
Reply:The best 4.5" grinder i have used in a while is the Bosch.  I have pretty much strictly gone to bosch grinders all together.  On the B&D/Dewalt thing....Dewalt owns B&D now and has pretty much made B&D into the homeowner line.  The popular 4.5" Dewalt grinder with the paddle switch  Actually started as B&D not a dewalt.  They started as a "Automotive" B&D then "industrial" B&D  I have three of the B&D ones and they are part for part Identical with the dewalts.  As is alot of older B&D tools......I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......