Any angle grinders I should avoid? Are discs between different types interchangeable, if not are there any manufacturers whose discs cost alot more than others? What size of disc is best for general chassis work and random box section stuff?

Clarke, Bosch, DeWalt, prices ranging from £20 to over £300 some of them!

What do you guys use? I'm probably going to get mine from machine mart as I'm getting a load of stuff from there anyway, they have a large range there and not really sure what is best for me lol. I'm sure I can't go much wrong though..

Edited 12 September, 201115 yr by CWA

discs are all the same fitment as such.

We used to buy cheap ones and throw them away at work, then they had bosch ones on offer, and we're still using them.

most of them are 4.5" diameter, which is perfect for bits of fabrication

As with anything, buy cheap buy twice.

I'm using these one nearly 2 years and no fault at all, its really cheap and you got 2 yeras warranty

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?acti...=angle_grinders

...... XTREME!

I'm using these one nearly 2 years and no fault at all, its really cheap and you got 2 yeras warranty

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?acti...=angle_grinders

I have one of these and cant fault it

Avoid Einhell we sell them in my diy shop and they constantly get returned faulty.

Other than that Skill are pretty good and are owned by bosch.

wickes tool are made by draper so are ok, and come with guarantees

I use a blue (professional range) Bosch. The bearings got a bit noisy after the first year. 6 years on though, it's still going.

I've never used anything other than just the cheapo B&Q 115mm ones. Discs are all the same, the only difference is size.

My last B&Q one lasted years (I forget exactly how many) and only failed when I was trying to cut a mk2 golf subframe in half too quickly (to take it to the skip) and burnt the motor out. Replaced it with another cheapo B&Q job and that one is still going strong.

...... XTREME!

It was worth paying the extra £3 just for the xtreme branding.

cant fault my B&Q "performance power" its been brilliant, cut through alot of stuff and haven't even replaced the blade yet?! i should but I've cut a clamp, ally post in a garden, exhaust brackets, manifold, quite heavy usage, sounds good still have had it about 6 months but i mean it was cheap enough and powerful enough for me!!!

Depends on your application. People say buy cheap, buy twice. But if you don't use that tool every day, is there any need to buy an expensive piece of kit? My guess is your going to use it for the occasional job. If so, buy a cheap one would be my advice. Its likely to last long enough for you. I have a black and decker, and thyss going after years (although there's a connection problem at the flexi). I also have a halfords one, which does the job just fine. Used it all saturday cutting 8mm steel with no probs. Got a little hot mind.

Saying that, when I used to work installing jetties, we'd always use makita. In the 3 years I was there, we never replaced a drill and they were used hard everyday and used to come swimming with us too! Expensive, but worth it as they got a lot of use

So I'd say buy cheap if it's occasional use, middle of the road if it's few times every few weeks and expensive if it's every day

The smaller the better, so you can hold it in one hand and detail. A big heavy thing just pisses you off when you're trying to work on a car/part.

Usually i'd go for quality brands, almost always as much power as i can justify, and yeah crack on if you're using it to chop RSJ's. But if it's for the car i suggest you look instead for one that's light and comfortable in hand, and has a good switch that's easy to operate in hand - you want it to stay locked when you want, and yet trip off easily.

I was ashamed to say i found such a device in Tesco for under twenty quid. But it's done me well for several years, all the work i've done on my Polo, several custom exhausts for other cars, it's been sweet. Not so ashamed of it now.

Fair point. The switch on mine is gay. Main trigger is in the right place, but the 'dead man switch' is on the side. Fine if your a righty, but lame if your a lefty loser!

We usually just buy the cheap ones and we use it most days and it gets abused, cutting thick metal, stone, etc. If it breaks we just get another one, they last long enough just justify it.

But as said unless you're going to be using all day everyday there's no point in spending hundreds on one.

Aldi are good for the money and come with a 3 year garauntee as standard

The smaller the better, so you can hold it in one hand and detail. A big heavy thing just pisses you off when you're trying to work on a car/part.

Agreed. If you want to cut paving stones in half then a big one is great but for pretty much anything you'll want to do involving a car, smaller is better. I use my angle grinder for all sorts, I love it.

Angle grinders are THE most useful tool ever.

I bet they could even solve world poverty!

I've had my bosch hobby type thing for about 8 years and its still works perfectly

Must say makita aswell can't fault them got drills and angle grinder. Been through 2 dewalt one they just over heat and burn themselves out ..

nothing worse than a fidely switch

Make sure you wear EYE PROTECTION . I had a terrible experience and got a bit of molten metal in my eyeball .. Was only grinding for a min or so a quick job thaught ffft .

Had to go hospital to have it picked out with needles whilst awake and in pain ..

a few folk on here will vouch for that as got taken by em form tthe old unit .

Thankfully my eyesight wasnt damaged .

Make sure you wear EYE PROTECTION . I had a terrible experience and got a bit of molten metal in my eyeball .. Was only grinding for a min or so a quick job thaught ffft .

Had to go hospital to have it picked out with needles whilst awake and in pain ..

a few folk on here will vouch for that as got taken by em form tthe old unit .

Thankfully my eyesight wasnt damaged .

Same here mate, except I WAS wearing the fully closed goggles! Fuck knows how the spark got through but I ended up scraping the shard off the surface of my eyeball with my fingernail Had heard so many horror stories about people needing scalpels etc to scrape the metal out in hospital, so I thought fuck that I'll do it myself!

Make sure you wear EYE PROTECTION . I had a terrible experience and got a bit of molten metal in my eyeball .. Was only grinding for a min or so a quick job thaught ffft .

Had to go hospital to have it picked out with needles whilst awake and in pain ..

a few folk on here will vouch for that as got taken by em form tthe old unit .

Thankfully my eyesight wasnt damaged .

Same here mate, except I WAS wearing the fully closed goggles! Fuck knows how the spark got through but I ended up scraping the shard off the surface of my eyeball with my fingernail Had heard so many horror stories about people needing scalpels etc to scrape the metal out in hospital, so I thought fuck that I'll do it myself!

Mate it really wasnt a plesant experience at all .

Worst thing was

"Does it hurt to look at light Steven?"

"Yes Doctor it is extreemly painful"

"I'm just going to clamp your head into this head vice and shine this white light into your face please try and stay still"

The picking it out with needles wasnt the painful bit it was the light in my face . The shard of metal burnt into my eyeball .

Got a mark on my eyeball to this day .

bloody hell that sounds painful.

glad i always have used eye protection now!!

I got some metal in my eye the night before reading. Spent the first 4 hours of the festival up at the eye clinic. I had needles in my eye, digging around for about 10minutes. They eventually got two bits out, buy since it had been in all night I had 2 small rust rings in there too. The doctor tried to dig these out too using a needle. I could feel my eye being pulled about and focus blurring. Then she kept telling me to stay still. Right love, you've got a bloody needle in my eye. I'm not squeamish, but I was nearly sick at that point!

Had to go back up to hospital the following tuesday since the still hadnt gotten it all out. I ALWAYS where goggles now!