Thread: Die Grinders (Electric, Corded)

I've got my fair share of cordless gear, but I have found (as have others) that the occasionally used tools are those that probably shouldn't be hampered by batteries which can go flat, obsolete, or lose capacity.

I've got a nice metabo BE75-16 75Nm high torque corded drill which I am quite fond of. I've found the metabo gear to be quite good.

Well I'm obviously the odd man out here, I have very few corded tools, I use cordless for just about everything: circular saw, drills x4, grinders x 3, rotary tool x 2, reciprocating saw, jigsaw, screwdrivers x 3, work light, blower, I find them much easier to use and I'm not tied to a powerpoint or extension cord.

I have both Milwaukee M18 and M12 plus Ozito 12 and 18 volt. I have a shelf specifically for the cordless tools with 4-5 chargers. Rather than follow Ryobi's recipe of one battery and 10 tools, I have one battery for every tool plus one spare. If I'm using a tool a lot the two batteries don't last long, easily fixed just put the flats on the charger and take a battery or two from another tool or two.

I have always thought of cordless tools as toys and will very rarely use them, 240v power tools you can depend on without them letting you down. I am also a big fan of pneumatic tools.

Modern cordless tools are pretty impressive these days, and it's really horses for courses. For many quick tasks, with a low duty cycle, a cordless drill or grinder is ideal - you grab it, no cord to worry about, and get it done. However, if it's a high duty cycle task - drilling a heap of concrete, prolonged grinding or cutting work, you want plenty of ongoing power, and that's where it's worth the extra time to plug in a corded tool.

For die grinding? I don't do a lot, so having a reasonably cheap and reasonably powerful corded tool that runs a carbide burr more or less as well as the air die grinder I had before, seems a good option. A battery version is unlikely to have the same power, but if I needed to use it a lot, I can see the value in having a cordless unit close to hand,

Originally Posted by Com_VC

I have always thought of cordless tools as toys and will very rarely use them, 240v power tools you can depend on without them letting you down. I am also a big fan of pneumatic tools.

No longer toys. Friend showed me a stripped thread on a 1 inch HT bolt using a 3/4 18V Milwaukee impact driver. Impressive.

When they can come up with a 4"/5" angle grinder that doesn't go into overload when you apply some pressure and isn't bulky so that it limits the areas that it can be used in then I may make the switch.

I was trialing a Hilti brushless a few years back and couldn't wait to get rid of it. Sure they have there place but not for heavy duty metal fabrication type work.

I've used some hilti gear, Nice stuff, but not really a brand dedicated to metalwork IMO. Construction is their playing field.

I'm a Metabo fan. Would buy the lot if I could. Saw a nice tapping drill the other day- has a pressure sensor on the tap chuck that reverses it back out once it bottoms or passes thru. On my automotive repair projects, the battery gear is second to none. But for my fab work, I prefer something corded.

Originally Posted by Com_VC

I have always thought of cordless tools as toys and will very rarely use them, 240v power tools you can depend on without them letting you down. I am also a big fan of pneumatic tools.

Building a nature playground from logs a few years ago and amongst the myriad of fixings being used were ~120 , 300 and 400 x 20 mm coach bolts.

I had a corded drill and genset for the holes but only a 1/2" socket spanner to drive the bolts with but after doing up a couple I realized my wrists and arms were not going to survive so I called the boss and asked fit he had a power driver I could use. He turned up an hour later with a new 3/4" drive cordless Makita driver, a selection of batteries, and some super tough sockets that he already had for servicing his trucks. I snapped a couple of coach bolt heads off before I got the torque settings right.

I found two 5A batteries lasted just long enough for each days use and was able to recharge them ON so they were both ready by the morning.

I've heard good things about those cordless impacts and they would be a handy thing to have around.

Originally Posted by Com_VC

I've heard good things about those cordless impacts and they would be a handy thing to have around.

Apart from the noise they make, they're a brilliant invention. I have a set of square-drive adaptors so I can use it with sockets - speeds up running nuts on and off immensely.

Originally Posted by RustyArc

Apart from the noise they make, they're a brilliant invention. I have a set of square-drive adaptors so I can use it with sockets - speeds up running nuts on and off immensely.

Same. I was out on the boat the other day taking off the capping plates on the keel - a bunch of M6 bolts in a place where it's hard to get more than one hand. I broke them loose with a spanner then ran them all out (those I could get the impact driver on) with the Makita. Saved a lot of time and stress on my arm.

I recently bought a 1/2" square drive Makita impact wrench - time will tell how it goes. Probably not real great with the 3/4" socket set I just got to help pull the Drott apart, I expect. But I didn't buy it with heavy stuff in mind.

PDW

Get yourself a 1/2"-3/4" adaptor, about $17.00 https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ratchet-...cAAOSw0e9Uws4f
Kryn

I bought myself a set similar to this awhile back, they have proved to be quite useful at times. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/8pc-Impa...frcectupt=true

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

Get yourself a 1/2"-3/4" adaptor, about $17.00 https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ratchet-...cAAOSw0e9Uws4f
Kryn

Originally Posted by PDW

Same. I was out on the boat the other day taking off the capping plates on the keel - a bunch of M6 bolts in a place where it's hard to get more than one hand. I broke them loose with a spanner then ran them all out (those I could get the impact driver on) with the Makita. Saved a lot of time and stress on my arm.

I recently bought a 1/2" square drive Makita impact wrench - time will tell how it goes. Probably not real great with the 3/4" socket set I just got to help pull the Drott apart, I expect. But I didn't buy it with heavy stuff in mind.

PDW

Unsure what model you bought, if it's the Makita DTW1002Z then you'll have no problems - these things are simply awesome.