Subject: Re: Electric die grinder recommendations?

From: [email-masked] (Jens)
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 16:42:40 GMT

Doug:
I have no experience on electric die grinders since I use air units
but as far as my general experience goes, I have yet to see any
short-commings on my inexpensive die grinder. Yes, the commercial
units costing three times as much will have better bearings (actually
I don't know if my grinder has bearings or if they are bushings) and
the vanes or what not is supposed to be steel for longer life vs
aluminum, but I find that if you look at the tool as a throw-away you
probably get much the same life out of three cheap die grinders than
one expensive unit. Oh yes, you also get two more occasions of ripping
into a new box :)
As far as electric tools are concerned, I use a DeWallt 4 1/2" angle
grinder I got on sale at Canadian Tire for about $80 Canadian - cheap
cheap .... but it works well (and I have used it pretty extensively).
Again, I don't expect it to last forever but as long as it does the
job well for a reasonable time (and most brand-name stuff will) then
it's ok with me.
Please note that this general principle only holds for comodity
merchandise where mass production makes prices so inexpensive that the
loss in quality is acceptable.

> I apologize if this
>   is an unusual line of questioning here. :-)

Say what ?????  What's so unusual ?????

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From: [email-masked] (Doug Dawson)
Date: 26 Jan 1996 21:18:57 GMT

I was wondering if anyone had any solid recommendations for 
   electric die grinders.  ( It's been pointed out to me that
   the air-powered units are nice, but getting a compressor big
   enough to power one is impractical for me, both financially and
   otherwise... )  Much to my surprise, in searching thru the
   rcm archives, this question has never really been asked before
   except peripherally!  Idyllic, or what! :-)

   To get more specific, in the roughly $200-250 range, are there
   any units that stand out in terms of value or perceived quality?
   Relative to the others in that price range.  Or are they all
   pretty much a commodity?

   One unit that looks kind of interesting is the Makita GEO, which
   for ~$100 has a nice price - but practically speaking, at what
   point would you start to really notice the failings of this unit
   as compared to the more costly units?

   Intended applications, at least as far as my own purposes are
   concerned, would be cleaning up bronze castings, cutting stuff
   like tool steel and largish steel plate/sheet, and general
   freehand metal shaping.

   Thanks for any help you might offer, and I apologize if this
   is an unusual line of questioning here. :-)

   Doug Dawson
   [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Insect God)
Date: 27 Jan 1996 20:39:39 -0500

>   Relative to the others in that price range.  Or are they all

I haven't sampled around, but I've had for four years a Milwaukee
"heavy-duty" model, 4.5 amp, 21,000 RPM, which cost about $200, and I'm very
happy with it.  It's pretty big, particularly if you're used to air tools,
but that also helps keep it steady; it's long enough to hold against my arm.

>   like tool steel and largish steel plate/sheet, and general

I use mine almost exclusively for cleaning castings, with stones and carbide
burrs, and it seems to be the right tool for that.  I sometimes wish it were
variable-speed - there are some finishes which you get only with a slow burr
- but it is a good grinder with lots o torque.

-Sheba                 http://cgim.pratt.edu/faculty/bathsheba/sheba.htm

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 19:30:31 GMT

>   enough to power one is impractical for me, both financially and

I run a business where the guys in the shop use Dumore grinders day in
and day out.  We have had very good luck with them.  Some of them are
set up with collet chucks, and others are set up with Jacobs chucks.
While I personally prefer the collets, there is room for friendly
debate on this issue.  The series 10 units are about $250 or so.

J. M. Stuart

Engineer / Inventor / Patentee