Angle Grinder - Wattage, Button/Trigger, and Recommendations?

[DIYNotIan]

Hi again

Sorry to follow my other thread so quickly with another, but need to choose which one to buy over the weekend so I can get started next week.

- I'm a bit confused by wattage. Looking at the Makita range, as the wattage goes up the RPM doesn't go up accordingly. So what difference does the wattage actually make in use? And for my main intended use - cutting a chase into a stone wall for lead flashing - what kind of wattage should I be looking at?

- What are people's thoughts and experiences on sliding switches (permanently on) vs trigger types?

- Any brand or model recommendations? Hoping to get 125mm so that the chase can be 38mm deep.

- A novice user question... Are you supposed to work from left to right or vice versa? With the spin of the disc or against it?

Many thanks and I promise to shut up about angle grinders after this!

 

[scbk]

It's not going to win any awards, but this will be fine for a bit of diy use:

Parkside Angle Grinder - | Lidl UK

Parkside Angle Grinder - Angle grinder with 6 step adjustable rotation speed Robust die-cast aluminium gear housing with 3-position front handle Suitable

www.lidl.co.uk

 

[DIYNotIan]

That looks good - thank you very much!

How does Lidl work? Does that mean it is in stores for this week? Or do I have to wait for it to come round?

Generally I find Parkside seems to get good reviews, for the price point.

Thanks again

 

[flameport]

as the wattage goes up the RPM doesn't go up accordingly. So what difference does the wattage actually make in use?

Wattage is how much power it can deliver, higher = won't get bogged down as easily in tough materials.
RPM is unrelated, that is limited by the disc size. Larger disc = lower RPM.

 

[conny]

Discs have a maximum rpm on them. As @flameport, says, the bigger the disc the lower the rpm.
However, even a high rpm fitted in a low power grinder will slow down dramatically because it doesn't have enough power to 'bite' through the material.
Better going for a good medium-high power 115 or 152mm cutter size. Slide switches can be held so they don't lock on and some trigger switches can be locked on via a side button. In all cases, you should keep your finger over the button to de-activate it in an emergency.
Don't forget the gloves and goggles.

 

[DIYNotIan]

Many thanks all.

And yes, got my PPE all ready thanks.

The Parkside is in this weeks deals by the looks of things. And looking at the grinder in more detail, it ticks all of my boxes, and some boxes I didn't enough know needed ticking!!! The design features are amazing.

But will it perform? Any thoughts or experiences?

 

[Mike13]

I have the Aldi equivalent, but I got the "brushless" version, it has been fantastic, especially after the gearbox had run in, the battery life improved after the first 4 hours of actual cutting.

 

[Diver Fred]

As you are asking about removing mortar/repointing you need the correct blade to do the work safely - search 'Mortar Rake' on Screwfix and Toolstation websites. Those blades are thicker than general purpose ones so will need a little more power in the angle grinder if you have a lot of cleaning out to do.
think you have less selection of tool with your desire for a 125mm diameter grinder.

 

[Mike13]

Also, with the Ferrex/Parkside angle grinders that are 115mm you can buy a separate guard from ebay that will convert it to 125mm. the collar size for it is common, BUT it does then demand due diligence to calculate if you are exceeding safe speed for the discs that you buy for it

 

[DIYNotIan]

A little off topic from my original questions, but does anyone know what the thickest diamond disc would be for 9"/230mm angle grinder? I've not found anything thicker than 2.5mm so far.

At sensible prices, the thickest I've found for all sizes are:

- 4 1/2" 115mm = 8mm thick
- 5" / 125mm = 6.4mm
- 9" / 230mm = 2.5mm

Cheers

 

[Mike13]

according to the toolstation description, this one is 10mm thick:

Abracs General Purpose Diamond Blade

Choose this general purpose diamond cutting blade for professional building jobs. Its high quality gives a good cost per cut ratio which makes it excellent value for money. The versatile blade is 10 mm thick and great for slicing through any general construction materials, such as concrete...

www.toolstation.com

 

[DIYNotIan]

Hi @Mike13

Thanks for the link. I had this same problem (and fell into the same trap!) when looking for discs for a smaller angle grinder.... The thickness in this case refers to the thickness of the diamond segment, i.e. as you look at the diamond segment in the Toolstation photo it is 10mm thick (wide??) working towards the centre. If that makes sense?!? It seems manufacturers use the term thickness to refer to both that dimension and the thickness of the outer edge that would determine the kerf.

Looking at the same blade on Wickes, it's listed as 2.5mm thick:

Abracs GP ABDD230M Diamond Segmented Blade - 230 x 10 x 22mm | Wickes.co.uk

Abracs GP ABDD230M Diamond Segmented Blade - 230 x 10 x 22mm

www.wickes.co.uk

And you can see that on the third photo here:

Abracs ABDD230M Diamond Blade General Purpose 230mm x 10mm x 22mm

The Abracs ABDD230M is ideal for concrete, bricks, natural stone, tiles, roof tiles, soft slate and sandstone.

www.toolstop.co.uk

I appreciate you taking the time to have a look for me though. So many thanks for that.

Apparently I've been told elsewhere that a large diameter thick blade would be horrendous to use, so perhaps that's why you can't get them??

Cheers

 

[Mike13]

yes, it would drag quite a lot

 

[lostinthelight]

Also, with the Ferrex/Parkside angle grinders that are 115mm you can buy a separate guard from ebay that will convert it to 125mm. the collar size for it is common, BUT it does then demand due diligence to calculate if you are exceeding safe speed for the discs that you buy for it

The 115mm makita cordless will take a 125 mm disc within the supplied guard.

 

[Mr Chibs]

I've used the 115mm Makita cordless, its a tidy grinder, nice and light.... but has a terrible on/off switch... especially when its covered in dust!