Metabo’s Vibratech Grips: No White Fingers
By Chuck Cage
Last year the European Union began to recognize and legislate to prevent “white finger syndrome:” the numbness and nerve damage that can come from long-term exposure to vibration. If you’ve ever used a palm sander for a few hours straight, you’ll remember how your hand felt like it was still vibrating when you stopped. Now imagine using something like an angle grinder for hours every day over the course of a career.
In July of 2005, the EU established new rules to limit workers’ exposure to vibrating tools by limiting the number of daily use hours based on the level of vibration produced by the tool. Metabo, which sells a large number of tools in the EU as well as the U.S. and worldwide, responded by developing their Vibratech grips to reduce tool vibration.
The Vibratech grips are significantly thicker than standard grips and completely isolate your hand from the vibrating tool with a specially selected and applied dense vibration-absorbing polymer. On angle grinders, this reduces vibration on the side handle by a whopping 60%. So, workers in the EU can work longer with Vibratech-equipped tools.
Even in parts of the world where the regulations don’t apply, a tool that vibrates less is easier to control, more comfortable to use, and less stressful on the hands and arms.
Vibratech grips are available on Metabo’s full line of angle grinders and can be ordered as spare parts to retrofit the Metabo angle grinder you might already have. Part numbers are available via the link below.
Vibratech Grips [Metabo USA]
