Angle grinders are a staple of the UK tradesperson’s tool collection across a wide range of disciplines and they are extremely useful to have to cut, polish and grind a wide variety of materials. However, finding the best one for your requirements can be difficult, and we supply a great range to choose from.
Choose your ideal grinder
Paul Kitchin, National Application Manager at Fein gives 4 helpful points to consider when choosing your ideal Grinder:
1. Size and Power
Importantly, size must be matched by power and this is usually indicated by the wattage of the machine. If you’re carrying out heavy steel grinding or large cutting of slabs, then a 9“ grinder will be better to cover a large surface area quicker. For a 9” grinder I would recommend getting a machine with a 2,000 W motor as a minimum. If however, you need more precision and are working with more intricate stone or metal work then a 4.5” grinder with a minimum motor of 750 W is best.
2. Speed
The speed of an angle grinder determines the quality of the cutting or grinding action. This is measured by no-load speeds, which means ‘how fast the disc will rotate before it makes contact with the work piece’. The advice is that you look for grinders with all-metal gearboxes, advanced electronics and high quality carbon brushes to ensure maximum efficiency.
3. Safety
All manufacturers work extremely hard to update machines with the best safety features available. Some of the most beneficial include adjustable guard wheels, soft start mechanisms and reduced kickback (turns machine off if snags).
4. Comfort and ease of use
Do your research and check the vibration class, weight and balance when you pick it up and hold it with you gloves on. Try and feel what it will be like for day-to-day usage and see if the switches are easy to operate. Also check the ease of changing the discs, ensure you can deliver a tool-less disc change. Fein offers a large range of compact, quality angle grinders, known as the WSG range. See the ones we stock below:
All available in 110v & 240v “The grinders are intended for steel construction firms, who use them to cut steel girders, for fitters, mounting stairway and balcony railings, or for people working in industry, needing to grind welded seams flexibly and in tight spaces. At the same time, the cordless angle grinders are an important tool for firms specialising in interior work because they often need a cordless system to cut a wide range of materials during on-site assembly work” - Christian Weber, Grinding Product Manager at FEIN.
What users think
Feedback from one Fein end user Rob Roan, who delivers some metal fabrication work for his business gave this feedback on the new Fein angle grinders,
"We were all very impressed with the feel of the unit. When you press the start you can tell this a quality gearbox and motor in your hand".
JP has struggled for some time to find a grinder that could deliver 8-10 hours work a day.
Having not owned a grinder that has lasted me more than a week before needing repair, I expected the grinder to join the tool grave yard under my workbench before the first week was out. However, I was shocked to find that the FEIN machine lasted me through both weeks without issue, and overall I was left very impressed by the tool.
JP still uses that same grinder over 4 months on. Source: Fein Blog