i've had a dremel for a few years, never really been impressed with it. takes ages to grind anything away, a bit under powered, you hear the motor slow down a lot. its not had that much use either, but the bearings are pretty noisy.
not impressed for the £50 with the accessories i paid...

i've got a big compressor, 150litre tank, 3hp blah blah blah.
whats the thoughts on this?
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cat98-air-die-grinder-kit/path/air-files-grinders-riveters

will use it mostly for grinding a 10mm stainless plate for my exhaust, for matching the ports to the pipes.

What HP your compressor is , is not important - it's the CFM that matters . Tools like a die grinder are very air-hungry , and will shift 10 to 15 CFM , so you need at least 25 CFM (in my experience) to use one continually .
I have `used' many of those cheap grinders over the years (10 to 15 quid at kitcar shows) , I have a heavy duty Bergen one I picked up at a show for £20 and its lasted four years so far

ah yes, mine is 14cfm displacement (can't remember the free air figure)
this one in fact
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/se16c150-air-compressor/path/professionalindustrial-air-compressors-elect

do you reckon it would still be better than a dremel though?

Unfortunately you get what you pay for, the set of grinding stones are not much use for heavy duty metal removal, you're far better with a couple of tungsten carbide burrs.

Have a look at Ingersol Rand or CP for quality air tools.

mine must have an inbuilt compressor cos you just plug it into a 110v socket and away you go! or maybe its electric...
most air tools are really only suitable if you have a busy workshop with a big hydrovane running constantly, otherwise they are a bit inificient leccy usage-wise. 2or 3 KW to run a tiny little die grinder is silly really.

i don't have a 110v socket! lol. i also don't want to spend a small fortune on some type of grinder.
any recommendations then? about £30 if possible. aside from the work on the exhaust, it probably won't get much use afterwards

that will be fine for hobby use mate and your compressor should cope ok,if it dont then just wait for it to fill up again,thats what i do

Hi

I've used those die grinders for years and in my opinion they are fine, ensure you oil them before and after each period of use and they will last for years. As stated above it is far more important to get yourself some good quality burrs. Point to note - these grinders come with either 1/4" or 6mm collets - ensure you buy matching burrs.

Regards Mick

Bought mine from Bills Tool store in the Barrows complete with tungston carbide cutter for less than that. Had it for a few years with no probs.

Uses loads of air but the cutter removes so much metal you only want to use it in short bursts anyhow and that gives the compressor time to catch up.

It's not a precision tool and the results are rough and ready as it is essentially like hand carving in wood but with the power of the compressor behind you.

£40 off eBay (240v)

Paul G
Image deleted by owner

I've got a Sparky 240v one in my own workshop at home & there's a Bergen air one at work.
The electric is 700w, has more power & the obvious benifits of electric being instantly available but it's relativly clumsy & can snatch badly (I broke a bit shank due to this).
The Bergen air tool was a cheapy that looks the same as Clarke, Sealey etc from a tool stall at a show, having got the electric one at home I badgered the boss about it so he got it to try at about £20. We use it every day at some point but I would'nt say it's use is heavy & after about 4 years it's knackered but for the money I think its been fantastic. It's compact, just about enough power & very forgiving compared to the electric in power delivery. Being an air tool it can get very cold to use over a long period though.

HI
I work in the heavy plant industry
we use those and more expensive ones
as has been said before
oiling is 1000000% essential an auto oiler will prolong the life of any air tool
they are all air hungry but for diy ..stop and go is the norm
but the real deal is the qualty of the grinding burrs....
we pay as much as £30 a burr
use a good quality moly cutting oil and the burrs will last and cut like you wont believe
cheers les g

cheers everyone, i eventually went to glasgow and bought an air powered one. its brillint need to find some cutting fluid. machine mart only had a litre bottle, which i wouldn't need.
gave it a quick try the other night, and its brillint