DeWalt 4 1/2 Grinder

[medic15al]

Well, I just killed my second Black & Decker 5.5 amp grinder at work in 3 weeks.:realmad: So I went to home depot and purchased an DeWalt 10 amp 4 1/2 grinder for $89. Should it hold up better with an 10 amp motor?:confused:

[WHughes]

I have this grinder and it is currently getting warranty work done. I don't think I did this but the repairman said that it is common to accicdently cover the air vents while grinding. Especially if you are wearing welding gloves. They are located near the end of the unit.
I have dropped it several times and it does take a beating. All in all I like it alot.

Bill

[littlefuzz]

I've went through probably 5 of these, one only lasted 2 weeks. I got a reg 4 1/2 Hitachi and I liked it much better than dewalt. It lasted over a year, keep in mind this is production work.

[medic15al]

Production is what I do in a Fab shop. Weld and prep, all day long.

[DHill]

I have a DeWalt 4.5" and an 8". Both are durable and beasty. I used another 4.5" when I was landscaping and it took everything... sand, water, mud, whatever (so did a DeWalt drill). I was impressed enough that most of my power tools are DeWalt.

[383bigblock]

I've got the 4 1/2 in as well from Dewalt and the only complaint I have is that the head gets hotter than hell after about 5 minutes of continuous grinding. It's never froze up on me or destroyed the bearings but it sure gets hotter than I like. Not sure if they all do that.

[WHughes]

Thats how mine died, first smoke then nothing. I also have a dewalt drill thats 15 years old and has been to hell and back but works great.

[JBFab]

yea you will like your new grinder, Im on my second one and it has been 7 or 8 years in fab work. The first one is not really fried, the aluminum head is cracked due to a coworker tightening the wheel too tight.:angry: when I tried to loosen it the part of the casting that holds the stop pin in place broke, so technically I could still use it.

[Diverbill45]

I have 2 of these DeWalts and the only concern I have is the same one that 383 bigblock was talking about, the head heating up more than normal. Since both of mine are fairly new, I haven't checked to see how much grease was put in the head, from the factory. I've always checked my other grinders, every so often, as to the amount of grease that was on those angle gears. I guess it's just part of PM. Other than that they're great grinders.:)

I was in the LWS store and Milwakee now has a 4-1/2" out that has a 12 amp rating.:eek: Haven't talked to anyone yet who owns one, but I'm sure they're a real powerhouse, but the price, for all those amps, is right up there with the big boys. $$$$$

Bill (WHughes) mentioned the location of the vents. The people that I've talked to said that the vents were located that way in order, for the grinder, to help keep the insides cleaned out of any dust, dirt or foreign material that gets in during any grinding. I know all grinders are vented for this purpose, but it might be an engineering flaw, as to the location, of the vents.:confused: I don't have a problem with covering the vents up when grinding, but then again, I seldom ever use any of those big bulky welding gloves anymore, just use tig gloves most all the time.

Just my $.02's

[Diverbill45]

Medic15al, ............. You mentioned that the grinder, that burnt up, was rated at 5.5 amps. Through experience, over the years, I've found that most grinders that are rated below 7 amps don't have a long life in a production fab shop. Even the ones with a 7 amp or higher rating lead a rough life in a shop. It's because of human nature. Lets say you have something that needs to be ground and you have 2 grinders laying there, one is a 9 in. and the other is a 4-1/2 in. Granted, if the job is extreme, only the 9 in. would do. I'm just talking about what most of us usually consider normal, in some cases extreme is normal to some people, but I'm sure you get the idea. My question is, which grinder are you more than likely going to pick up? I'm almost willing to bet, because I'm as guilty as most of us, that you're going to pick up the 4-1/2 in grinder, nine times out of ten. Was I right? NOW, come on and be truthful. I bet you do. :) What you've just done is ask a machine with half the power rating to do the job. Don't feel bad because most of us do the same thing all the time, because who in the H**L wants to hang off the back end of a 9 in. super wildcat for any length of time. A new guy to the trade would probably use the big one, but even give him some experience and it won't be long before you'll see him using the smaller grinder more often.. I've seen it happen too many times.:)

Go into any fab shop and look at the big grinders and, more than likely, none of them will be rated at less than 10 amps. I own an 11 amp 9 in. B&D Super Wildcat, but I still grab my trusty 4-1/2 in 10 amp DeWalt to do most all of my grinding. None of the small grinders today were designed to do what their big brothers do, but the ones with the higher amps do seem to have a longer life span, considering what most of us put them through. The only small grinder I use that has a low amp rating is a 4-1/2 in. rated at 5.5 amps and it is only used for wire brushing. It's never seen a grinding wheel.

All the major manufactors knew all this when they started producing the smaller grinders years ago and sales of the smaller grinders have proven the fact that HUMAN NATURE DOES PREVAIL. That's also why they can charge the prices they do, because given the choice of buying a 11 amp 9 in. or a 10 amp 4-1/2 in. with a few dollars difference in price, which one would the majority of us choose?

So when purchasing any new small grinder, I'd suggest, go ahead and pay the bigger amp model price because in the long run you won't be replacing them as often and they can do the tougher jobs easier.:)

It's worked for me for quite awhile.

[Diverbill45]

JBFab, ........... I know alot of people think that you have to really reef those grinding wheels on real tight in order to keep them from coming off, but that's really not true. The new 4-1/2" DeWalts have a rubber o-ring on them that helps keep the wheel on. I've never had any trouble with wheels flying off and I don't tighten them down to the extreme that people do.

One little trick I've used on the 9 in grinders for years and have never had any problems with the grinding wheels flying off is, before you put the wheel on place a flat washer that just fits on the shaft, then put the wheel on and tighten it down by hand snugly, but don't really reef on it. When it comes time to change the wheel again, you can lock the shaft with the stop button and take the wheel off with one hand, most of the time.:)

Just a suggestion that might help.

[rloaircool]

IMO DeWalts are good for at home. If you are using it all day, check out a Bosch, or even better, a Metabo. I have the 4 1/2" Metabo with the 12 amp motor, it's real strong.
http://www.allprotools.com/store/page305.html

[medic15al]

WOW! Thanks for all the replies, guys! It is really helpfull and my next purchase in the future is an Metabo 12 amp ome!

[ttyR2]

Some folks also aren't strong enough to handle large grinders used in fab shops. I can use one, but my arms tire out quickly. Not to mention, they are dangerous as hell if you could anything with them like a leg or something. I'd suggest getting something that YOU can comfortably use.

I have a 14 year old B&W Industrial 4.5" grinder and it's still kicking. Picked up a larger Makita grinder last year and it's just the right size for serious use but not so large it's unruly

http://images.ttyr2.com/albums/Tools/grinders2.jpg

[Rojodiablo]

I have had very good luck with my dewalt grinders. I have been surprised that of all the grinders I have killed, my Makita 4-1/2 has been dead twice. I always like their tools, and I still use them a lot. But for whatever reason, two motors for 2 different 4-1/2 grinders in 2 years. But my little Makita grinder is 6-8 yrs old, and bulletproof. Oh yeah, I cut lots of concrete and stone with them, as well as steel. So my grinders are beat. But the Dewalts are good tools.

[Sandy]

Medic15al, ............. You mentioned that the grinder, that burnt up, was rated at 5.5 amps. Through experience, over the years, I've found that most grinders that are rated below 7 amps don't have a long life in a production fab shop.

Ditto. I think the 5.5's make sweet little grinders for touch up and clean up, but it's not often we let them live out a full life without bearing down hard on them instead going for the right tool for the job.

I don't keep one around just because I can't trust myself.

[Roy Hodges]

that Black&Decker shown above is no longer available-under the B&D name. It is the DEWALT, now. I have a B&d ,same as shown above .it's great . I have been using discarded 7&9"wheels (worn down) on it for years . I don't press too hard. For heavy grinding I also have a 9"Black&Decker wildcat , it gets with the program. I don't use it much.

[Diverbill45]

Roy, ............. That's why B&D named them "Wildcats." Ever seen what damage they can do when they happen to get away from you? :realmad:

Anything that has the name "Wildcat" needs to always be kept on a very short and controlled leash. :eek: :D

[Diverbill45]

Just a quick note, .......... I was in the local welding supply store the other day and see that Milwakee has just come out with a 4-1/2" grinder that is rated at 12 amps. Oh yea, the price is ........ $$$$$$.

Didn't try it out, but with a 12 amp rating, it should get the job done fast. :D

[Roy Hodges]

If...it really draws 12 amps during regular use, then it's a working monster for it's size. However , i suspect that it will only draw 12 amps clamped in a vice ,not turning , (a dead short) even a RUNNING 6 amps is strong on a .........4 &1/2" grinder, never the less , it has to be an awsome grinder .

[ZRx61]

I always blow mine out with a airline when I'm done using em for the day...you'd be surprised at the amount of crap that comes out..

[TozziWelding]

I always blow mine out with a airline when I'm done using em for the day...you'd be surprised at the amount of crap that comes out..
Ditto that, I thought my old DeWalt 402 crapped out on me. I blew a years worth od grinding dust out and good as new. It is a shame though, I really wanted to go out and buy a new grinder:D

[Vince321]

ive been useing my dewalt for almost a year now this is my second one tha first one lasted about 2 years and only broke cause i got frustrated with a certain project... i work in a production shop aswell and i weld an prep all day long as well .... i probably wouldnt buy any other grinder!
for tha money itz awsome

[TIGBOY]

Ive Got A Dewalt Model 400 Its The Basic Angle Grinder.ive Had It For About 3 Years Now Never Had A Problem.also Got A H/f 9'' For Cutting Expanded Mesh-just Alot Faster.

[fun4now.]

i agree with the others, get the extra amps. i have several dewalt tools and would not hesitate to get there grinder.that said i dont have any as i got a great deal on a few porta cable 4.5" grinders when i got tired of returning my B&D's to wally world.
the good thing about the B&D's is wally world will swop them out for a new one when it dies. lost my recept last time so i bought a new one returned the old and ended up with 2 new ones. however after i got my first porta cable7.6amp(i think) i tryed it out and went right back in the house and bid on another on i liked it that much. so now my 2 portacables get most of the work and all the big stuff that dose not require the 9", its hanging on the back wall without a blade it get used so little. the porta's do such a nice job even on the tuff stuff they end up getting beaten up prity hard and seem to love it.:D i got about 3 years on both of them. the B&D's are getting old now too but mostly due to shelf time and realy light use.
i never over tighten the grinders, they spin in the direction that tightens them so ne need to get caried away, lately i have been using walter flap disks witch are plastic thats threded so i just had tighten them on and all has been good. so if plastic threds will hold, no point in torqueing the steel ones right.;)
some day i'll get that dewalt 4.5...just have to wait for thease to die first....maybee i should work on the B&D's cuz the portacables dont look like they want to let me get a dewalt.:p
the wife is real good about letting me replace tools that break, and understands getting a good one is expensive but werth it ya cant ask for much more than that. :rolleyes: well ya can but she already has a great rack.:p