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PLEASE DO THIS! might save your angry grinders!

blakep82 - 19/3/12 at 11:17 PM

...and a few quid!
just had my 4.5" grinder fail, motor was running fine disc suddenly stopped turning. clearly a gear failure
grinder was a good few years old and less than Ł15 i think, so wasn't particularly bothered, til i looked at the price of a new one! even the cheapest is over Ł25 now.

took the cover off and found this

Description
(bigger photo here http://locostbuilders.co.uk/upload/IMAG0285.jpg )

*note, in the above photo, i'd already poked at the grease with a screwdriver to see how much was there before taking the photo, so it has moved a bit, the gears were completely dry!*

and this

Description
(bigger http://locostbuilders.co.uk/upload/IMAG0286.jpg )

the gears are completely dry of grease. you can see all the grease has been thrown away from the gears and settled away from them

opened up the 9" grinder i bought earlier this year for cutting conrete, its only had about 20 minutes running time and was the same. didn't take photos as i was covered in filth by this time and didn't want it over my phone's screen and stuff.
packed it with more grease and the 9" runs a lot quieter, so must have benefited it.

wish i'd looked at the 4.5" one sooner... could have lasted a lot longer

worth checking i reckon!

edited to add the bit between the *s

also looking for recommendations on god (and cheap!) 115mm grinders.
there's tesco value for Ł15, allegedly good for everyday tasks around the house... not sure its much good for doing the dishes, or the hoovering...
I think I prefer the ones with an automatic grip handle (ie let go and it stops) rather than a switch on the top.
silverline any good? they seem to have a 3 year guarantee on them, and only just about Ł22. can't go far wrong with that surely?

[Edited on 20/3/12 by blakep82]

Mr Whippy - 20/3/12 at 12:13 AM

sadly I did the same a couple of months ago, I ignored the casing getting very hot, broke down just as I was sorting MOT work then opened it to find the large cogs teeth totally stripped off. Bit of a waste seeing it is only held together with 4 screws

tomgregory2000 - 20/3/12 at 07:19 AM

if you want a grinder that is going to last you want one of the bosch industrial one's, they are blue in colour not green and make sure you get it in 240v as they do it in 110v as well.

they use these at the old mans work day in, day out without any issue, his company is in welding and fabrication

this is the one i am on about

cliftyhanger - 20/3/12 at 07:38 AM

I tend to buy the argos cheapies with a 3yr warranty. I have two. Always a new one in a box ready to go. Amazing how the warranty can last so well too, and they never bat an eyelid when this manky, chewed up POS turns up on the counter and I politely ask for a replacement. Last one was 4 years old before I took it back.....

MikeRJ - 20/3/12 at 08:14 AM

I tend to buy decent tools instead of Chinese crap these days. Quieter and generally much nicer to use and far less likely to let me down at an inopportune moment.

dhutch - 20/3/12 at 08:26 AM

Mines a nice makita, one of the 'buy once while i have the money' train of tools currently only with a few hours use so if i get chance I'll open that and report.

Daniel

Slimy38 - 20/3/12 at 09:06 AM

I'm interested to see that you want the auto stop ones? I can understand from a safety point of view that being able to let it go and it stop is a good idea, but when I'm going to town on some metalwork (particularly with odd curves or corners) I find having to keep my thumb on the switch as I move it around can get very difficult. My current one I just switch it on and then manipulate it as I need to without having to worry about the switch.

I remember somewhere suggesting a foot pedal operated one would give the best of both worlds, the freedom of a switched one but the safety of an auto stop one.

Irony - 20/3/12 at 09:09 AM

quote:
Originally posted by tomgregory2000
if you want a grinder that is going to last you want one of the bosch industrial one's, they are blue in colour not green and make sure you get it in 240v as they do it in 110v as well.

they use these at the old mans work day in, day out without any issue, his company is in welding and fabrication

this is the one i am on about

I agree that the cheapys are not as good as a decent one. I bought exact model above from machinemart and its going strong 3 years later. We have some cheapys at work and they just don't feel as smooth as my bosch. I can use my bosch for a lot longer with a wire bristle brush.

Peteff - 20/3/12 at 09:59 AM

I burnt two cheap ones out in a fortnight not long ago. One was Ł12.99 from Aldi and the other was Ł6.99 from Screwfix and both were years old. I have a lot of 125mm discs so wanted the same size again and decided to get a good one. I went for a Ł99.99 Metabo from an ebay seller called toolsville. It's the WE14-125 Quick, it has a quick release nut, easy adjust guard, no volt switch so you can't start it by just plugging it in and a clutch so you can't burn it out by jamming the blade. At 1400 watt it is a beast of a tool and has 3 year warranty. I had an old 9" version and when it packed up I took it to pieces and the brushes in it were like squares of Dairy Milk, not the spindly little round things in the cheap grinders I have.

A1 - 20/3/12 at 11:59 AM

I thought that id buy once by getting quality, bought a bosch cordless Li 18v drill, my second one has failed in a year, seems to be a control issue as the motor runs, just only on full speed, taken really good care not to overheat it and stuff, but failed out of the blue. shame cause its lovely to use.

mcerd1 - 20/3/12 at 12:13 PM

quote:
Originally posted by dhutch
Mines a nice makita, one of the 'buy once while i have the money' train of tools currently only with a few hours use so if i get chance I'll open that and report.

never had an issue with a makita yet - me, my brother and my dad all use them now and some of them are ~10 years old
(my brother and my dad work with them every day)

well worth the money IMHO

[Edited on 20/3/2012 by mcerd1]

[Edited on 20/3/2012 by mcerd1]

Dave Ashurst - 20/3/12 at 12:24 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
I burnt two cheap ones out in a fortnight not long ago. One was Ł12.99 from Aldi and the other was Ł6.99 from Screwfix and both were years old. I have a lot of 125mm discs so wanted the same size again and decided to get a good one. I went for a Ł99.99 Metabo from an ebay seller called toolsville. It's the WE14-125 Quick, it has a quick release nut, easy adjust guard, no volt switch so you can't start it by just plugging it in and a clutch so you can't burn it out by jamming the blade. At 1400 watt it is a beast of a tool and has 3 year warranty. I had an old 9" version and when it packed up I took it to pieces and the brushes in it were like squares of Dairy Milk, not the spindly little round things in the cheap grinders I have.

Like squares of Dairy Milk in a tough, industrial, hard-wearing way?

scootz - 20/3/12 at 12:44 PM

quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1

quote:
Originally posted by dhutch
Mines a nice makita, one of the 'buy once while i have the money' train of tools currently only with a few hours use so if i get chance I'll open that and report.

never had an issue with a makita yet - me, my brother and my dad all use them now and some of them are ~10 years old
(my brother and my dad work with them every day)

well worth the money IMHO

+1

I've broken Bosch, Dewalt and various cheapies over the years, but I've yet to kill my trusty Makita (despite abusing it on an almost daily basis!).

Confused but excited. - 20/3/12 at 03:44 PM

I am curently in the same position and having used both the cheapie Chinese crap - which is still going after 15 years - but the vibration kills your fingers and they keep feeling like they are buzzing for 15 mins after you stop grinding. I have decided to get another Makita (first one was robbed off site). You can now pick them up new for just over Ł40. Which I consider a bargain. The one first that I bought was Ł85 twenty years ago. That was in a metal case with a spare battery but still. . .
As far as I am concerened, if you do a lot of work with it, Makita, no contest. If you only want it to use now and again, then go down the Argos cheap and nasty route.

Peteff - 21/3/12 at 09:25 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Dave Ashurst
Like squares of Dairy Milk in a tough, industrial, hard-wearing way?

Like squares of Dairy Milk in size

The ones in my cheap grinder were like the diameter of a diary pencil with a biro spring to hold them in place although to be fair you did get a spare set with the grinder when you bought it.

alistairolsen - 22/3/12 at 10:01 PM

I have had a few between me and dad. For fibreglass and general abuse Ill still use the cheap ones cos they get full of crap, but for working with for a long time the makita is just nicer. Its cooler, quieter, the body is a small diameter and more comfortable to grip, its lighter......... and as said above, for 40 odd quid its hardly breaking the bank.

I also wouldnt have a trigger switch 115 tbh, half the jobs I (mis)use it for would be impossible.

spiderman - 22/3/12 at 11:51 PM

quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
I tend to buy the argos cheapies with a 3yr warranty. I have two. Always a new one in a box ready to go. Amazing how the warranty can last so well too, and they never bat an eyelid when this manky, chewed up POS turns up on the counter and I politely ask for a replacement. Last one was 4 years old before I took it back.....

Hi Clive,
Does POS mean point of sale? Do you not need a receipt to qualify for an exchange?

daviep - 22/3/12 at 11:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by spiderman

quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
I tend to buy the argos cheapies with a 3yr warranty. I have two. Always a new one in a box ready to go. Amazing how the warranty can last so well too, and they never bat an eyelid when this manky, chewed up POS turns up on the counter and I politely ask for a replacement. Last one was 4 years old before I took it back.....

Hi Clive,
Does POS mean point of sale? Do you not need a receipt to qualify for an exchange?

It's only a guess but POS might be "piece of sh1t"

Just a guess