Important Things to Consider When Buying Angle Grinders

Whenever polishing or abrasive cutting has to be done, every handyman and construction worker turns to the angle grinder. Also known as a disc grinder, this is a powerful, handheld tool powered by a petrol engine, electric motor or compressed air. The motor powers a geared head at a right angle which has an abrasive disc mounted on it. These tools aren’t just used in construction – they can find use in garages, metalworking shops and basically anywhere where removing unwanted or excess material as well as making cuts or notches is needed.

If you’re unfamiliar with these power tools, know that before purchasing there are a couple of important things to consider in order to ensure you’re making the right buy. For starters, the angle grinder cutting discs size matters, as well as the motor power, speed ratings and last but not least, the comfort. The angle grinder cutting discs size and motor power have the biggest impact on the performance of the grinder. A larger and more powerful motor and disc means better performance, but in return, it means less comfort. Let’s discuss these specifications into more detail.

Disc Size

As a general rule of thumb, the bigger the cutting disc is, the more power the motor will have. The grinder disc sizes vary, with the most commonly used ones being 4.5 inches or 115 mm and 9 inches or 230 mm. In some cases, a user might instead opt for a pneumatic grinder because of their smaller disc size which makes working with it more precise and more comfortable than standard angle grinder models.

Motor Power

Wattage, amp rating and voltage all matter and differ in angle grinders. When it comes to current, buyers can choose between 110 volts AC and 230 volts AC, and the wattage can range from 500 to 2.500 watts. And lastly, the amp ratings usually range between 4 to 15. All of these numbers directly correlate to the motor power. Although lower ratings are sufficient for most household tasks, professional projects require heavy-duty grinders with more amps.

Speed Rating

As aforementioned, angle grinders are incredibly powerful tools. The disc is capable of making over 10.000 revolutions per minute, and while this can be considered a good thing for the task, it also means that they’re dangerous tools and need to be handled with caution.

Comfortable

As aforementioned, the size of the disc and the motor impacts the size of the angle grinder as a whole, so unless you intend on using the tool for heavy-duty industrial or construction jobs, maybe a smaller unit will be more suitable and therefore, more comfortable for you. Not only are smaller and more compact units easier to use for longer periods of time, but there are also models with anti-vibration handles which make operational comfort even better.