Recommend a Battery powered grinder with cut off wheel?

[The Heretic]

It seems a relative has failed to pay their storage bill and is either homeless or in jail again or something. Anyway, we have been notified by the storage co. that they are going to sell her stuff if someone doesn't come pay the bill.

That leaves the rest of us with the task of cleaning out their storage unit and salvaging/storing what we can (I have offered numerous time to store some of her stuff but the offer has been refused as she is paranoid I will steal he junk ).

So, I don't have bolt cutters and not sure they would work as I don't know if she put a good hardened lock on it or not. I have a small air powered grinder/etc., but it is not powerful and the discs I have for it hardly cut anything much less hardened steel and I can't count on power at the site to run the compressor (which itself is pretty anemic).

I have been thinking about getting a good battery powered grinder with cutoff wheel just for these kind of situations (and others).

Recommendations?

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[BillM]

Do you already have cordless tools? If so--maybe stay with the same brand? I've pretty much settled on 18v DeWalt. Pretty handy to be able to share chargers/batteries.

You can usually buy just the tool if you already have batteries etc.

 

[The Heretic]

The only battery powered tools I have are a couple of cheapy off-brand tools that were given to me as a present. I do not have anything name brand or powerful or late model with high voltage lithium - just a couple of cheap battery screwdrivers of HF quality.

Selecting a name brand of quality with interchangeable batteries is an important consideration as yes, I would want that. So Milwaulkie? DeWalt? 18V? 20V? More?

 

[jbett98]

I've been using Makita for many years and find them more ergonomic then other brands. The batteries last a long time if you follow their directions when recharging.
I would look on Craigslist for the best deal if you're not looking for any certain brand.

 

[DirectDrive]

It seems a relative has failed to pay their storage bill and is either homeless or in jail again or something. Anyway, we have been notified by the storage co. that they are going to sell her stuff if someone doesn't come pay the bill.

That leaves the rest of us with the task of cleaning out their storage unit and salvaging/storing what we can (I have offered numerous time to store some of her stuff but the offer has been refused as she is paranoid I will steal he junk ).

So, I don't have bolt cutters and not sure they would work as I don't know if she put a good hardened lock on it or not. I have a small air powered grinder/etc., but it is not powerful and the discs I have for it hardly cut anything much less hardened steel and I can't count on power at the site to run the compressor (which itself is pretty anemic).

I have been thinking about getting a good battery powered grinder with cutoff wheel just for these kind of situations (and others).

Recommendations?

If you want this to be an investment toward other cordless tools go Makita and don't look back.
I'm in construction and we see on a daily basis what works.
Makita is top dog.

There are others that are OK but Makita is the clear leader.

I about peed when I first saw this in action...

 

[peternov01]

I use corded stuff on my truck and all that is a makita great quality and it typically is ac/dc so i would buy makita for the quality. My carpenter buddy likes dewalt cordless, but if i was just gonna get a one time buy of a cordless to not use again i'd get a harbor freight one or a ryobi/porter cable/kobalt

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

dewalt or milwaukee is what we always used in construction. we used the commercial line of tools not the homeowner lines.i use milwaukee at work as a automotive tech and dewalt at home.

rigid has lifetime warranty on batteries but im not sure how "good" the tool is.

makita has stepped their game up a lot in the last 5-10 years.

cordless tools make life easier and a lot of the more popular brands all use the same battery for their whole line so of you do eventually see yourself buying more cordless tools then thats something to take into account when buying a cutoff wheel.

EDIT: most batteries are lithium now and also id try to stick with brushless motors

 

[teflon6string]

We've all seen what people discover in abandoned storage rooms. Ironically, you'll probably find a battery powered cutoff wheel in there after you breach the door, and "That's a hundred dollar bill all day!"

 

[SOrez]

Do happen to have a potable generator and a corded angle grinder?

 

[billdeserthills]

I use a Dewalt 18vt cordless model DC550B die grinder at work, which can be fitted with a cut-off wheel, but there is no guard for the cut off wheel, and if the wheel starts to fragment you will be sorry when the broken pieces hit your body. As a locksmith I cut off lots of padlocks in storage places. All have an electrical outlet somewhere on the property, so if I can't pick the lock open, I can always get my long extension cord & a plug-in angle grinder outfitted with a 4"-5" cut-off wheel and go to town...(I get my angle grinders from Harbor Freight)

 

[Kristina]

As above, I'd call or check and see if there is an outlet nearby then just pick up a cheapo Harbor Freight angle grinder. As much as I love me some quality tools, if you aren't going to use it much, or ever again, HF is the way to go.

Though chances are the storage place probably has an angle grinder for this kind of situation.

For what it's worth, at work (industrial maintenance) we use a mix of Milwaukee and Dewalt, with the Milwaukee stuff far outlasting the Dewalt. Also their customer service has been superior.

 

[cigars]

I went with the rigid 18v 4" angle grinder. Mostly because I'm already pretty heavily invested in the Rigid products. I wasn't disappointed with it though. The thing screams through metal and will open a storage locker no problem. Can't beat the Rigid warranty either. Plus, AL of the 18v series batteries are backwards comparable with all of there 18v older tools. As the others offered, if you're near Beaverton you're welcome to use mine.

 

[Kruel J]

+1 for Makita. I have 8 of their cordless tools including a grinder and they are all reliable tools.

 

[uscsoldier]

Ryobi makes a brushless one, I have gone 100% ryobi and I love it. Lots of people will knock it because it's not dewalt or one of the other big brands. My Ryobi get used a lot and are amazing, the price is much much more realistic than the other brands and their battery warranty is 3 years. I use my stuff hard and almost daily, the interchangeablity of the batteries is great, ryobi make tons and tons of tools and 95% take the standard 18v batteries. I've converted several full time construction guys over to the Green ryobi side not sure where you're located but you can use mine if you'd like
Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Cordless 4-1/2 in. Brushless Cut-Off Tool/Angle Grinder (Tool Only)-P423 - The Home Depot

 

[Kruel J]

I'm in Hillsboro and you are welcome to use mine if you are near me.

 

[teflon6string]

Do happen to have a potable generator and a corded angle grinder?

If all I had to work with was my cheap old Harbor Freight corded angle grinder, I'd be inclined to call the storage unit office and ask if they had a nearby power source for a drop cord.

 

[bolus]

On a side note, this guy from Canada has a ton of videos on youtube where he tears down powertools completely and comments on everything (the type of plastic used, how the gears are made, how the electronics placed, even does battery testing to show how the labels lie, everything) and lists all the points of failure. Even the expensive pro-tools

He also swears a lot and is funny as well.
AvE

 

[jbett98]

If you go the Habor Freight route, don't buy their cut off discs. Buy some quality ones from a welding supply house or other tool distributor.
The HF ones have a tendency to explode in your face at high rpm.

 

[The Heretic]

So it turned out that this particular relative finally paid her bill rather than have her junk sold off. At least we know she is alive somewhere.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will probably get a Makita later this year when the money starts flowing in from the timber sale. I was a bit taken aback by how much the batteries cost - about as much as the tool.

 

[DirectDrive]

So it turned out that this particular relative finally paid her bill rather than have her junk sold off. At least we know she is alive somewhere.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will probably get a Makita later this year when the money starts flowing in from the timber sale. I was a bit taken aback by how much the batteries cost - about as much as the tool.

Watch for the "kit promotions" that offer the 3rd battery.
Typically drill motor, impact driver, charger and 3 batts.

White is consumer grade
Teal is commercial grade
Black is brushless