Angle grinders (briefly - angle grinders) are necessary not only for professionals in the field of construction and repair, often home craftsmen may also have a question about how to choose a grinder for the home. Let's define what should be the optimal tool.

Basic requirements for angle grinders - do expectations match reality?

To begin with, it would be useful to define the terms and the principle of operation of the tool. So, why "Bulgarian"? The fact is that the first angle grinders were imported to Russia from Bulgaria, and that is why the people received a consonant name. An angle grinder consists of a housing with an electric motor, a rotor, a shaft with a thread for nozzles, a protective cover and a handle - this is a short list of the main components, of which, of course, there are many more. There are wired and battery angle grinders, professional with high power, medium and small for small needs.. Actually, just the power of the grinder, its dimensions and the diameter of the casing determine the selection criteria. Although there are other factors, which we will discuss separately below.

The main quality that every craftsman expects from a tool is reliability. This concept includes both wear resistance, and undemanding maintenance of angle grinders, and resistance to high loads. As a rule, it was believed that mainly grinders of well-known foreign brands had such properties, a high rating confirms the fact that they are often counterfeited in China. However, recently the domestic industry has begun to increase momentum, and the production of power tools has reached a new qualitative level. Now Russian stamps have also begun to be counterfeited.

The advantage of domestic angle grinders over foreign ones is undoubted, provided that the quality is approximately equal. Firstly, large Russian manufacturers place their brand stores in many cities, creating service centers along the way. Secondly, it is easier to protest the acquisition if a marriage is found at a domestic enterprise, rather than looking for a way out to a foreign company. And thirdly, all parts for repairing and upgrading tools can be purchased much cheaper if they do not cross borders, but are produced within your region.

We choose a domestic manufacturer - the most popular brands

Perhaps many have seen in angle grinder stores that have an inscription on the case Baikal. Tools under this brand are produced not somewhere abroad, but in Russia, they leave the conveyors of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant. And the name is written in Latin letters for the reason that this trademark has passed international registration. Initially, it was a weapons factory, which eventually mastered the production of medical equipment, and later - various devices and, finally, electric professional and household tools, whose rating on the market is quite high.

The second largest manufacturer of angle grinders is Interskol. The production base of this manufacturer includes the Bykovsky Electric Tool Plant (abbreviated as BEZ) and the Interskol-Alabuga complex in the Republic of Tatarstan. True, some models are made from foreign parts, so they can not always be called domestic. Some of the products of this company are produced in the workshops of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, where all components and electronic components are manufactured. There are also production facilities in Spain and China.

Another domestic enterprise producing high-quality angle grinders is the Konakovo Mechanized Tool Plant, but it specializes mainly in pneumatic devices. It is also worth mentioning the company Fiolent, which has recently been confidently advancing to one of the leading positions in the Russian market. The fact is that the tool produced by this manufacturer is quite reliable at a low cost. True, this brand has not yet become popular.

And finally, one of the most popular grinders - Lepse, tools under this trademark are produced at the Kirov JSC EMZS "LEPSE". According to the reviews of those who happened to work with this brand, high-power professional angle grinders are extremely wear-resistant. As for small grinders for household needs, they do not always cope with the tasks assigned to them, but here, most likely, improper operation takes place, since such angle grinders are not even suitable for grinding welding seams.

Which Bulgarian is better? First of all, pay attention to reviews about the manufacturer. However, all the companies listed above have already proven themselves in the Russian market quite positively, although each has the most successful directions. Yes, at KZMI electric drills and corded screwdrivers are considered the best, but grinders are at an average level of quality, but very inexpensive. Izhevsk angle grinders are trouble-free in operation, and although breakdowns do occur, they are easy to fix thanks to affordable and inexpensive spare parts. grinders Lepse often unnecessarily noisy, not protected from dust and jamming, they are too heavy, but they work well even in the most difficult conditions and do not break for years. As for the company Interskol, they are the most successful in precisely small tools for domestic needs with nozzles up to 125 millimeters.

Large or small grinder - which size to choose?

Even for beginners who pick up a power tool for the first time, it is usually clear that the more powerful the device, the heavier and larger it is. With regard to the grinder, there is another factor - the diameter of the nozzles that can be used depends on the power of the machine. Appropriate dimensions are attached to the protective casing, and a disk with a diameter larger than the allowable one simply cannot be delivered. So which angle grinder to choose? It all depends on the nature of the work that you have to face.

If you plan on sawing brick and concrete and sanding as well as cutting thin sheet metal, a 600 to 900 watt tool will suffice. But with thick welding seams, low-power grinders, as we have already mentioned, will not cope, as well as with thick steel, therefore, for channels and I-beams, it is better to choose an angle grinder from 1 kilowatt and above. Also, power matters when choosing nozzles. If you need a large thickness, you will need a disc about 23 centimeters in diameter, a small nozzle within 12.5 centimeters will not do the job.

As for the most popular discs for domestic use, these are just diameters from 115 millimeters to 125. Accordingly, small grinders are needed to work with them. This option is very convenient, since you can work with small angle grinders with one hand, just holding it by the body (this will not work with a professional tool). That is why the rating of grinders with 125 mm discs is very high. Also, in order to cope with the grinder without resorting to the second handle, it is advisable to buy a device with speed control.

If the angle grinder is equipped with speed control, it is undesirable to exceed the permissible load or work longer than the recommended active period (15-20 minutes), otherwise the electronic speed change unit may fail.

For small angle grinders, there are very convenient nozzles with a diameter of 125 millimeters with the so-called "Velcro", on which you can attach and, pressing, instantly fix the emery wheels, equipped with an appropriate coating on the back. These sanding attachments are suitable for both wood and metal. As for other discs, metal coated, abrasive or petal-shaped from overlapping pieces of sandpaper, their dimensions and thickness depend primarily on the size of the protective cover, without which it is categorically not recommended to work.

What to look for when buying an angle grinder?

First of all, the tool must be wired. The cordless angle grinder is convenient, but its operation time is very short due to the strong resistance of materials during cutting and significant friction during grinding. Therefore, if mobility is needed, the wireless device must be used as a backup, and the network must be the main one. Now about how to choose the right angle grinder. Make sure that it has a soft start, that is, a gradual increase in speed, and not a sharp one, otherwise there is a risk that one day, when turned on, a disk with an imperceptible defect will fly apart. Also pay attention to the RPM limit. If you purchase a tool without changing speeds, and take nozzles only within the specified limits, otherwise the result will be the same - the destruction of the disk during operation.

A rather important factor when choosing is the presence of automatic shutdown of the brushes in those moments when the power supply is briefly interrupted in the network. This will save the tool from breakage due to a sharp decrease in speed and, at the next moment, the same sharp increase. Another very convenient feature is the fixation of the start button, it is far from being available on all tools, which is due to the safety of the operator, but for long-term work this option is very important so as not to tire the hand. By the way, start-up fixation is usually present on angle grinders, starting from the medium power level, at very small ones it is not necessary.

Some models have a rather interesting ability to remove and put on the casing without the use of wrenches, which can also be an important criterion when choosing a tool. The fact is that it is the complexity of installing a protective shield that prompts some operators to neglect it when replacing discs frequently, which leads to injuries. Be sure to focus on the presence of dust protection on the grinder, at least for the brushes, so that the tool does not jam during operation. But it is better if the entire stator is protected by the housing, that is, the main part of the angle grinder, to which the rotor is attached. However, if the question is how to choose an angle grinder for the home, and not for the workshop, you won’t have to deal with a lot of dust.

Bulgarian for domestic needs- summarize

So, if you are not a professional, and you need to make a choice of a grinder for work in the house or in the garage, and not for repairs or construction, but for various small tasks, for example, to remove old varnish from furniture, choose a small tool. Ideally, you want an extremely lightweight grinder that can be held effortlessly with one hand without resorting to an additional handle.

Adjustment of the speed of rotation of the nozzle is necessary, if only because the 2nd or 3rd speed is enough for grinding with emery wheels, the 6th tool is already poorly controlled without additional fixation. And many chores around the house force the other hand to hold the work surface or to be held by the operator on the stairs. If you have a suburban area, mobility will not be superfluous, and the best angle grinders for this option are rechargeable. But you should choose those that come with a spare battery so that while you work, you have a backup battery, after installing which you can charge the main battery. However, if you have a multi-meter extension cord, it will be much more productive to use the network model.

And, finally, if it is not supposed to cut large parts, a rather low-power angle grinder with a maximum nozzle diameter of 125 millimeters. Actually, she can also cut metal, the depth of the cut will be about 4 centimeters, which is not bad when performing small household tasks. The main thing is to measure the power and size of the disks. The larger the nozzle at low power, the higher the load on the tool.