Today I had one of those days that make you realise that working for a living (so you can pay someone to do PITA jobs) isn't that bad.....

A while back I put a StickyBoot on my tintop to scrape through MOT. Of course the boot fell apart shortly afterwards leaving me with a clacking CV joint.... Not being particularly enthusiastic about the possibility of a CVJ collapsing at speed I got a replacement CVJ (and boot kit!!)....

Only trouble was the suspension is now 11 years old and hasn't seen a spanner for the last 9 of those!! So all the nuts were rusted to buggery and back. Out came the angry grinder..... It was bad... And I've booked some intensive psychotherapy to try and forget just how siezed solid the brake disc was onto the hub.... Suffice to say that initial plan of gently tapping it with a rubber mallet quickly gave way to large tw@ts with the not-so-subtle persuader....

I was using the angry grinder that much that it became uncomfortable to hold, and blowing air into the vents with my air blower just produced copious amounts of smoke Ray Mears stylee... Shortly afterwards it started making funny noises then stopped working. I thought I'd sussed it when I saw the contacts had burnt out but replacing them just made a big spark come from the electromagnets and then it was all silent....

So it's angle grinder #3 in less than 12 months for me

ps Getting the old CVJ off the driveshaft BTW was a severe PITA. Never again!! Next time my Micra goes wonky I'll throw some money at the local garage (or give the car to the local scrappy )!!

I broke the button you hold to undo the disk after 1 month but my JCB one has lasted my 6 months and counting

I had a Makita for 15 years a bosch for 5 years and i am currently using 2 Aldi ones that i got for £7.99 3 years ago and are still going strong. When my mate was building his stock car we used 6 in 3 months

I've killed one B&Q one, and working hard at killing the second. Funny how the original B&Q one seemed to last 1 year and 1 day

Cheers

Mike

Have yet to kill the cheap(ish) Erbauer I got from Screwfix a couple of years back.

Guess I mustn't be pressing hard enough

one word got it new years ago and the word is

DEWALT

Bought a bosch one about 10 years ago. Built two cars with it, still going strong!

bosch industrial (blue) going just fine.

regular use tools are best paid for.

Just totalled two erbauer drills at work and finally proved to my boss that buying decent kit is worthwhile, now we have 2 makitas finally!

I had four replacements for a cheapo grinder from Focus (in the space of two months).
Eventually took a full refund and bought a decent Makita.
Only good thing with the ones from Focus was that I got a set of 5 grinding discs with each replacement

Bosch and no probs 10 years on.

Steve

Had a Black & Decker Proline for about 20 years (god that makes me feel old)

Its still going strong considering the abuse its had over the years
Just goes to show you get what you pay for!

Dave...

Just killed my Bosch one at work. Lasted about two years, but they are worked hard.

Got a B&D drill cos of the fire, needed in a hurry and it lasted less than an hour!!!

ATB

Simon

I have 2 Hitachi angle grinders , both are in everyday use and a least 15 years old.

I've got a B&D been great 6 years old, but only home use. I did kill a cheap one in 3 months, but I was chasing walls with it when renovating my cottage, cement dust kills em quick

quote:

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Originally posted by thunderace
one word got it new years ago and the word is

DEWALT

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Weve got a Wolf grinderete which lasted for about 30 years but died last year and cant get spares for. Almost makes me want to put in a warranty claim but apparently they went out of business in 1980 something.

I think we do about 2 per year of cheap ones, although the current aldi or liddle speacial has lasted a year of abuse.

15 year old Bosch is still going strong despite lots of hard use.

It even survived full chat to zero in a millisecond when the clay pipe
I was cutting dropped and grabbed the diamond blade. My wrist
came off much worse, sprained and a kin big bruise where the grinder
body twatted it.
Bent the blade but it didn't explode like a conventional one would of.

Had to use water pump pliers to undo the nuts as I couldn't hold the push
button in enough.

I have a cheap Chinese one that I bought twelve yers ago. It's still going strong and it has been severely abused.
Downside; my hands vibrate for half an hour after I stop using it.
Must buy a Makita.

Just killed my 20year old ,£70 when I bought, it Black and Decker proline cutting through 10mm plate steel for a manifold I made. My second proline is still going. the side handle broke of my Macro one after 2 days nearly castrating me in the process, I made it a steel handle and the button for the disk lock promptly broke off. It still goes round and is used for a wire brush. I still have 2 other cheapies one Aldi which is excellent 125mm disk and one lidl 115 disk, both still OK after about 1 year. Having several with different disks o seems to work for me, none get serious abuse this way

Caber

i got a clark life time garantee one in june
11 time its been replaced

but i have a wolf one which must be 20+ years old still going strong?

[Edited on 30/1/08 by martin1973]

quote:

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Originally posted by speedyxjs
...but my JCB one has lasted my 6 months and counting

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quote:

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Originally posted by Alan B

quote:

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Originally posted by thunderace
one word got it new years ago and the word is

DEWALT

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Ditto...must have had mine at least 10 years....still works flawlessly

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Old Makita getting a bit hit and miss now, Machine mart cheapo went on fire first time we used it - they sent it back to be examined before giving a refund, can't be too carefult hese days!

have and Aldi cheapo which is heavy but functional and we try and leave cutting and grinding discs on seperate machines.

I bought a Dewalt which is good and still going strong but the Dewalt drill purchased from B and Q (and hardly used) has packed up in about 14 months which has put me off their stuff and confirms that they have gone down the no QC route -if they are made by Black and Decker that reduces my confidence further as we had one of their mid range cordless drills strip the gears while putting a few screws in.

B & Q have an offer on about £35 1 year G/tee and 50 free disk's (that right 50 disks... or buy any from argos and take 3 year optional cover , only down side is SOD'S Law (It will break at the most inconvenient time!)

there are two approaches to this.

first by cheapie grinders: screwfix/aldi/netto/argos for a fiver and treat them as consumables. you'll probalby go through one every couple of months.

or buy a mega expensive one that last longer .... but how mcuh longer?

... and which way is cheaper?

I have a b&d profession grinder bought over 20 yrs ago; not abused but still going strong.

I keep meaning to take it apart to service (oil bearing etc) but never get round to it shomehow.

I have never know the grinder to get hot.

Are you like realy pressing hard? Just hold it gently against the workpiece mincer style and let the stone to the work.

all our grinders are makita, all used everyday, just about all day for shaping tube etc, and they all have lasted 3 + years on the same brushes, then brushes cost £3-50 a set, i have had some makita ones that have had lighter use that have lasted 10 years , each grinder cost me £38 - £54 , i have had the £20 jobs and they have lasted a week / two weeks in our enviroment

cheers

marc

quote:

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Originally posted by 02GF74
there are two approaches to this.

first by cheapie grinders: screwfix/aldi/netto/argos for a fiver and treat them as consumables. you'll probalby go through one every couple of months.

or buy a mega expensive one that last longer .... but how mcuh longer?

... and which way is cheaper?

I have a b&d profession grinder bought over 20 yrs ago; not abused but still going strong.

I keep meaning to take it apart to service (oil bearing etc) but never get round to it shomehow.

I have never know the grinder to get hot.

Are you like realy pressing hard? Just hold it gently against the workpiece mincer style and let the stone to the work.

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Go for a Makita, last for years..

I have 4 or 5 relatively cheapies under the bench, with cutting/grinding/finishing discs/the tool on them respectivly. Saves time changing blades, plus you can rotate then into whatever is getting the most use.

Haven't burnt one out yet, but have dropped a few, braking the case on one and bending the shaft on another. Isn't it a bugger whn you trip over the cord and pull them off something?

Cheers

Fred W B

My 9" DeWalt is still going strong after a few years. 4.5" DeWalt is fine too but doesnt see as much work.

quote:

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Originally posted by trextr7monkey
Old Makita getting a bit hit and miss now, Machine mart cheapo went on fire first time we used it - they sent it back to be examined before giving a refund, can't be too carefult hese days!

have and Aldi cheapo which is heavy but functional and we try and leave cutting and grinding discs on seperate machines.

I bought a Dewalt which is good and still going strong but the Dewalt drill purchased from B and Q (and hardly used) has packed up in about 14 months which has put me off their stuff and confirms that they have gone down the no QC route -if they are made by Black and Decker that reduces my confidence further as we had one of their mid range cordless drills strip the gears while putting a few screws in.

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