Angle Grinder 101

*This post is sponsored by The Home Depot and contains affiliate links.

Why would you need an angle grinder?  My thoughts exactly until I realized I should’ve been using one a long time ago.  Case in point from four years ago I was cutting an aluminum bar for the sliding barn door console with a coping saw:

What on earth?!  Although the coping saw did work it took 20x longer.  Live and learn.  And get an angle grinder.

Cutting and grinding metal are the primary uses for an angle grinder.  But there are a handful of other situations where you definitely could use an angle grinder:

– grinding concrete or masonry

– sharpening blades & removing rust from tools

– scoring & cutting tile

The Makita brushless angle grinder is a professional grade cordless tool using two 18V lithium-ion batteries for 36V power.  These same batteries can be used on other various Makita tools across the cordless tool system.  It’s got a 7″ disc and delivers 6,000 RPM all while giving you freedom from a cord.   In addition the efficient​ ​​brushless​ ​motor​ ​is​ ​electronically​ ​controlled​ ​to​ ​optimize​ ​battery​ ​energy​ ​use​ ​for​ ​up​ ​to 50%​ ​longer​ ​run​ ​time​ ​per​ ​charge.

Determine which type of disc you need for your specific application.  In the video up above I started off cutting the angled metal bar using a cutting wheel with the cut-off wheel cover then switched to a grinding wheel to clean up the scruffy metal edge.  When using the grinding wheel switch to the tool-less wheel guard.  You can purchase additional wheels and blades to match your purpose, refer to the manual for more information.

Another nice feature is the electric brake which stops the grinding or cut-off wheel in 4.5 seconds or less for maximum productivity.  This means you’re not sitting there waiting for the wheel to stop spinning after your cut before placing the tool down.  Also the electronic​ ​torque​ ​control​ ​turns​ ​the​ ​motor​ ​off​ ​if​ ​rotation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​wheel​ ​is​ ​suddenly​ ​forced​ ​to​ ​stop keeping you safe.

Fair warning this is a heavy tool.  At 13 pounds it definitely requires two hands for operation but I never felt out of control.  The side grip handle can be mounted either left or right and because I’m left-handed I mounted it on the right side.  The vibration absorbing rubberized back handle is isolated from the motor housing for reduced vibration.  There’s definitely more vibration with a grinding wheel than the cutting wheel but nothing extreme.  It has a soft start and a no lock-on rear paddle trigger switch.

The Makita 18V brushless angle grinder kit comes with everything you see above. A solid, easy to use tool for various cutting and grinding situations.

See what my fellow tool lovers are saying about this tool:

* I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in this Tool Review Program.  As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot.  All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words.  My post complies with the WOMMA Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.