Customer Reviews

DEWALT DW402 4-1/2-Inch Small Angle Grinder with Paddle Switch

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After years of working with metals and different tools, I have to say, this Dewalt is the BEST. The weight is perfect, the tool is tough and one of the most versitile grinders I've ever used. Plus, who doesn't love yellow?

I bought this tool when installing a wood floor on a concrete slab. I needed a grinder to remove glue and wood residue on the concrete before screwing in the 2x2 subfloor. Using this tool and a DeWalt wire wheel, the job was done in no time! I had this tool out of the box, wheel installed, plugged in and in use in 3 minuites. This tool is worth the money, and I am sure will come in handy for lots more dirty work during my years as a home-owner.

This is a fine quality tool that's not afraid to work hard or get dirty.During a recent roofing job while installing some flashing. I used my grinder with a masonry blade to slot the chimney. It worked flawlessly.With it's small size and 3 position handle you can really get into some tight spots.Add the switch lock and the spindle lock and you've got a real winner.My yellow grinder is now orange from the brick dust but,it's not complaining.I do recommend this tool it's works as hard as you do. Now get out there and grind away.

I originally bought this tool to grind fiberglass on my boat, but have since found many additional uses for it around the house. I have used it to cut ceramic tile, cut out steel window frames for replacement, and enlarging wood frame openings for replacement windows. Combined with 24 or 36 grit discs, it is very aggressive and works quickly. The grinder is small enough to fit in most tight places and light enough to hold over head for long periods of time. The 3-position handle makes the tool comfortable to use in any position. This has turned out to be one of my most heavily used power tools and it has held up so far.

My wife bought me this for Christmas last year. (You gotta love tools for Christmas.) The grinder is great for everything I have used it for. Cutting steel, grinding welds, grinding some concrete and masonry. The only thing that it doesn't work for is the lack of a guard that is designed to work with diamond wheels. I needed to cut some concrete and I needed to use a diamond wheel to do it, come to find out you've got to drop a good chunck of change for a different guard. Well, I figured out another way to get done what I needed, didn't buy the new guard and still like the grinder. It should have come with a guard that would work for whatever you are going to use it for. That said, if you're not going to ever use diamond wheels, this grinder works well and I have no reservations recommending it.

I love my little grinder , its never missed a lick . I am as hard on tools as most pros and to be honest I own 3 of these !
I keep one for welding , 1 for masonry , and one for heavy grit sanding .I rated 4 stars because of the pain in the wrench safety ! I have disabled all 3 of mine .

I've been around these things for 40 years, see the bigger ones every day at work. Some lazy helper is always wanting to use a 4 1/2" instead of a 9", that's why they don't last long in a welding shop, they burn up with heavy use.
Do I like this grinder? You bet! It has plenty of power, fits my hand and I love the paddle switch. It grinds welds, cuts brick and tile, brushes off paint and rust, removes wedding rings etc.
To those reviewers that cried about the type 2 guards being too costly why not just modify the type 27 guard? If you can't do that you ain't much of a craftsman. And who is so dumb or lazy that they can't blow the dust out from the switch and motor? Doh!
I think I've seen all the 4 1/2"ers that are available and used most of them. This is the one I bought for my home use.

I bought this tool with the sole intention of cutting concrete for repair work around the yard. OK, OK, I know it's not the best tool for the job, but why else would they sell the diamond wheel and supply instructions for this exact use?

The fact that the guard supplied isn't rated for the 4 1/2" diamond wheel was a shame, I should have looked at the price of the "additional accessories" before I bought this thing, it turns a reasonable purchase into one I would reconsider. So, casting safety asside, I used the standard guard. In all, it's a fair grinder. I cut through 3" slab no problem, ground the edges on a set of brick pillars. The switch then started to get 'sticky' from all the dust... it cleaned out well enough, but it was an annoyance.

I should have bought the Bosch.

I have two problems with the design of this grinder:

(1) the guard - It will not accomodate a cutoff wheel or diamond blade. Dewalt recomends that you buy their Type 2 guard (for a price almost as much as the grinder itself.) The result is that most people take off the guard, exposing themselves to injury. Also, to adjust the guard you need a Phillips Head screwdriver.

(2) the switch - I cut a lot of stone with my grinder and the switch went out prematurely because of all the dust. Other grinders have a better designs where fans blow the dust away from the switch.

The porter cable grinder also has the same limitations as this Dewalt. I have since purchased the Bosch grinder. It solves all the problems listed above.

Angle ginders are made primarily for grinding metal, not cutting concrete, diamonds, cutting down trees or for use as a fan or trimming your beard. This tool excels at grinding metal. Most of the bad reviews are from people who tried to use the tool for something it was not designed to do. So they gripe!! duh.........