Cutting steel- was Re: [TheForge] Re: A recipe for EmperorWilson...

[robi5515 at bellsouth.net]

A pretty good indicator of the grinders quality and utility is the motor 
amps. Usually the lower the amps the quicker it will stall, and he less work 
it will do for me.
I have (2) 4 1/2" Makita's that have all ready crapped out after 2 years. My 
industrial 4 black and Decker/ Dewalts are still going strong after 10-20 
years use and changing electrical cords, brushes when necessary, and lubing 
the gear boxes every 2 years.
My BDI chop saw is still working 25 years,
My Dewalt multicut locked up after 2 years of work.
Dewalt rebuilt it for free. Said it was a design flaw.
Seems to me like a lot of the new tools have a designed life of about 6 
months after the warranty runs out.
My philosophy about tools, for what it's worth is:
Tool is critical to your work and used often, buy the best you can afford.
Tool seldom used, no critical tolerances, buy Harbor Freight and toss it 
when it craps out.
Chuck
.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Keporter at aol.com>
To: <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 12:10 PM
Subject: Re: Cutting steel- was Re: [TheForge] Re: A recipe for 
EmperorWilson...


>
>
> Makita, who invented them, makes the very best small angle grinders. If
> someone is serious about doing cut work with an angle grinder, Makitas 4 
> 1/2"  and
> the original 5" are up to the job. However, I gave away ALL my Makitas 
> when
> I found out that I could buy a Chicago Brand 4 1/2" angle grinder for less
> money than it costs to fix the trigger assembly (they where out 
> surprisingly
> fast on Makitas). It is cold comfort to know that your grinder has the 
> finest
> motor and bearings available, when it quits because of a bad trigger or a
> cracked brush. Sometimes, the whole idea of quality turns into something 
> of a
> farce.
>
> The Chicago will last about as long as the brushes or trigger assembly on 
> a
> Makita. Who cares why the grinder stops? You only care about getting it
> running  as cheaply and as painlessly as possible, right? If you are 
> really
> determined to get your money's worth, than buy the right kind of grease, 
> and
> lubricate the gear drive once in a while. The Chicago brand comes with 
> extra brushes
> by the way, something that hasn't occurred to the swank  brands to do.
> Mike P.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Manage membership or unsubscribe at:
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> theforge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.photoaccess.com
> Login:  blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> password:  anvil
> ___________
>
>
>