230mm angle grinder

cdbe · 17 Oct 2019

I haven't investigated it yet but I think my trusty Hitachi grinder has had it - making a massive racket and slop on the blade so I think terminal bearing failure.

I think I'd be happy with another Hitachi (if the modern stuff is a good as my old one), unless there is better stuff out there?

scbk · 17 Oct 2019

Hitachi (now Hikoki), Makita, Dewalt are all much and such the same IMO

You can get a Hikoki twin pack (9" and 4.5") for about £90 in 230 or 110v

cdbe · 18 Oct 2019

Thanks. I went for a Bosch in the end, a bit more powerful at 2200w as I cut a lot of Accrington's and engineering bricks.

I opened up the old Hitachi and the pinion gear had started to break up:

It looked like an easy repair but unfortunately nearly £40 for the parts, plus the grease and the fact that there's iron filings all over it means it's not worth it - yet another "branded" tool that's effectively disposable.

catlad · 18 Oct 2019

I Tried to fix my 5" bosch cordless grinder a year or so ago, but it was going to cost £90 for a new motor! It was only £125 for a new one with another 3 year warranty.

Deleted member 174758 · 19 Oct 2019

cdbe said:
It looked like an easy repair but unfortunately nearly £40 for the parts, plus the grease and the fact that there's iron filings all over it means it's not worth it - yet another "branded" tool that's effectively disposable.

But how old was it and how much work had it done?

One thing I can say is that up until the 1980s it was common for manufacturers to state in the user manual that tools such a drills, angle grinders, etc should be returned to their service centre for servicing annually. That servicing would have included blowing out dust, checking (and if needs be replacing) brushes, emptying out/cleaning/repacking gearboxes with grease and so forth. I used to do my own servicing - in point of fact I still do some of it (although the correct greases can be a PIA to get hold of in small quantities). Was your tool ever serviced? Bet the answer is no. So more a case of it not being economically feasible to maintain the tool properly than the tool being "effectively" disposable, surely? I sometimes do simple repairs on colleagues tools and you'd be surprised at how few people know about cheap fixes like brush replacement, tool cleaning and repacking gearboxes

JayJay1978 · 20 Oct 2019

I wonder this the gears on that Hitachi were made from solid state stock or powdered metal?

cdbe · 20 Oct 2019

The tool was at least 10 years old, however it has only been used for DIY use at my dad's house and more recently mine. The original brushes are barely worn so I estimate it's had no more than the equivalent of a couple of months commercial use. If I recall correctly the unit was sold as being sealed for life, with no routine servicing required and the only maintenance being safety checks of the guard, cable etc and keeping the air vents clear. I have many much older tools that have done far more work (and in some cases horrendously abused - as a diyer you sometimes just have to use the tools you have, even if they're not really suitable for the job) which are still working perfectly.
I believe this part failed due to poor manufacturing, not lack of maintenance - it's broken, not worn and other than the recent addition of ground up metal the grease looks clean and fresh.

Ian H · 1 Nov 2019

Have you bought one now? I could lend you a 110v Makita for a bit.

cdbe · 2 Nov 2019

Thanks Ian, that's a very kind offer but yes I've got a new one now. Yet another early Christmas present!

Chris.

conny · 24 Nov 2019

As an armature winder/fitter it seems there has been a bit of misalignment between the drive pinion and first gear. This leads to 'backlash' or slop as it's commonly referred to.
This in turn can set up vibration in the cutting head so that instead of smoothly meshing to gether the teeth actually knock or chatter against each other. This constant 'chattering' leads to metal fatigue. As they are DIY tools there is not as much machining accuracy when being assembled on a production line as there would be on a high end professional tool. Annual servicing will help to prolong the life of the tool but accuracy must be maintained when re-assembling.

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230mm angle grinder

Deleted member 174758

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