Grinding, Milwaukee-Style
By Sean O'Hara
One of the reasons we like going to talk to the folks at Milwaukee is because we get to see all the latest tools and paw all over them, with direct access to the folks designing and building them a few feet away. Melissa here isn’t a tool rep in some booth trying to sell you snake oil — she’s a hardworking advocate of portable band saws and grinders, and her knowledge in this area is vast.
Smart-ass media people (like us) like to ask a barrage of questions to the folks presenting. It normally starts with one or two and rolls into a firing squad of sorts. Some fold and call for help — and others, like Melissa, get a big grin and start tearing into detailed answers.
For instance, when asked why Milwaukee had 15 corded grinders in their lineup and why on earth any manufacturer needed that many, Melissa explained that switches, amp draw, form factor, motors, guards, and vents were the basic differences, and she ran through the dizzying array of choices and who they were designed for.
Some things, like switch types, are simply a matter of preference. Different guards can accommodate either 6” or 10” inch wheels. Because people hold their grinders differently, Milwaukee positions the vents in different places to keep your hands from covering them, and some even feature L-shaped cuts in the slats to halt the flow of particles into the motor. Generally speaking, the larger the amp draw, the larger the motor and the more hardcore the grinder is. Price also seems to scale with the power — no shocker there.
After she answered all our questions, they shut off the slides and let rip with the sparks — which was much more fun. We were glad that the Milwaukee crew didn’t just talk about the tools but also got down on some bare-knuckle grinding action themselves.
We learned there are a ton of Milwaukee grinders out there, all of ‘em built to be solid from motor to casing, and one of them most likely fits your needs. Pricing in the line ranges from $60 to a few hundred bucks. Now, if we just had a chart that lined out all the grinders and showed their features and performance specs, we’d be set. Perhaps Milwaukee will add that to the lineup next time around.
Milwaukee Grinders [Milwaukee]
Street Pricing [Google]
June 19th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Chicks + Tools = Hotness
June 19th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Did you ask if they plan on making all their tools in China now? Or will a few still be made in the West?
June 20th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
She should tie her hair back when she’s using a tool like that.
Duncan.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
One of the things I like about Milwaukee tools is that replacement parts are easy to come by.
This makes as-is eBay or Craigslist purchases worthwhile: If you buy a broken Milwaukee tool you can probably fix it fairly inexpensively.
June 21st, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I sometimes think that the stuff that shows up on eBay and Craigslist may have “walked” off one of my jobsites or those of other hardworking contractors. I know that some of the tools offered for sale there are legitimate - may even represent dealers’s or manufacturer’s overstock or discontinued items - but I nonetheless refuse to buy from these places. I also prefer to buy for local tool services - who follow-up with authorized service.
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:09 am
I strolled through Lowes a month ago. I was shocked to see a DeWalt 4.5″ angle grinder made in China! I did not check Milwaukee’s grinder. Maybe Bosch’s tools are still made in Germany. Why pay the made in USA price of Dewalt and Milwaukee if its made in China? I know I have heard the argument that the Chinese can build good stuff and build crap and everything quality level in between. But the point is, why pay $80+ for a Chinese angle grinder with DeWalt stamped on it? Most people buy expensive brands like Milwaukee because 1) They are a quality product 2) They are supporting American jobs. If they choose to build their products in China and no longer employ Americans to build them, I might as well go to harbor freight to buy two twenty dollar grinders instead of the $80 Dewalt.
My two cents…
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:18 am
Did she tell you how many ideas they got for their grinders from someone who they hired from the yellow team then they fired after he designed the new series? that would have been a great conversation.
Chevy-Milwaukee is owned by TTI now, you can expect to see a lot of things made in Asia. It’s just how it is. For the most part the big boys have their own manufacturing facilities in China and are NOT just having some fly by night facility stamping a name on a tool.
June 22nd, 2009 at 12:56 pm
@Chevy_Man
Here’s a list of some of our recent tool purchases with country of origin:
COMPANY PART_NO NAME COUNTRY
BOSCH 1773AK CONCRETE SURFACING GRINDER GERMANY
BOSCH 12524-03 CORDLESS HAMMER DRILL KIT MEXICO
BOSCH 1365 14INCH ABRASIVE CUTOFF MACHINE GERMANY
BOSCH 1775E 0601775739 TUCKPOINTER GRINDER GERMANY
BOSTITCH SX150K-1 NARROW CROWN STAPLER USA
BOSTITCH LHF97125-2 FLOORING STAPLER USA
BOSTITCH 650S4-1 CONSTRUCTION STAPLER USA
BOSTITCH PN100K IMPACT NAILER KIT (5 PC.) TAIWAN
BOSTITCH SB150SLBC-1 HOUSE-WRAP CAP STAPLER (18GA.) TAIWAN
BOSTITCH MIIIFS FLOORING STAPLER KIT (15 PC.) USA
BOSTITCH MCN150 METAL CONNECTER NAILER TAIWAN
BOSTITCH SX150-BHF-2 FLOORING STAPLER USA
CRAIN CUTTER CO. 795 TOE-KICK SAW CHINA
CRAIN CUTTER CO. 820 UNDERCUT SAW CHINA
DEWALT DW887 DIE GRINDER USA
DEWALT DW433 BELT SANDER MEXICO
DUO-FAST EIC-3118A STAPLE GUN - UPHOLSTERY USA
DUO-FAST EWC-5018A STAPLE GUN - CARPET PAD USA
GREX (GREX POWER TOOLS) P635 PIN NAILER TAIWAN
HITACHI KOKI - USA LTD. NV45AB2 COIL ROOFING NAILER JAPAN
HITACHI KOKI - USA LTD. NT65MA2 ANGLED FINISH NAILER TAIWAN
HITACHI KOKI - USA LTD. SV12SG ORBITAL SANDER - 1/4 SHEET CHINA
HITACHI KOKI - USA LTD. N5024A PNEUMATIC STAPLER - 1 INCH CR. TAIWAN
HITACHI KOKI - USA LTD. N3804AB2 PNEUMATIC STAPLER - 1/4 IN.CR. TAIWAN
HITECH USA - EVOLUTION X230 METAL CUTTING CIRCULAR SAW TAIWAN
KETT TOOL COMPANY KD-440 POWER SHEARS - 14 GAUGE USA
KETT TOOL COMPANY KD-495 POWER SHEARS-5/8 FIBER CEMENT USA
MAKITA AN611 COIL SIDING NAILER JAPAN
MAKITA 1806B POWER PLANE JAPAN
MAKITA PW5001C ELECTRONIC WET STONE POLISHER JAPAN
MAKITA 9227C ELECTRONIC SANDER/POLISHER JAPAN
MAKITA 9032 FILING BELT SANDER JAPAN
MAKITA 6339D 8036053 CORDLESS DRILL USA
MAKITA GA7021 ANGLE GRINDER USA
MAKITA 9565CV VARIABLE SPEED ANGLE GRINDER USA
MAKITA BDA350Z CORDLESS RIGHT ANGLE DRILL JAPAN
MAKITA BSS611Z CORDLESS CIRCULAR SAW CHINA
MAKITA BJV180Z CORDLESS JIG SAW ENGLAND/UK
MAKITA BSS501Z CORDLESS TRIM SAW CHINA
MAKITA BTW450Z CORDLESS IMPACT WRENCH JAPAN
MAKITA BGA452Z CORDLESS ANGLE GRINDER CHINA
MAKITA BJR182Z CORDLESS RECIPROCATING SAW CHINA
MAKITA BST221Z STAPLE GUN - CORDLESS JAPAN
MANGONE RB-6 PEX STAPLE GUN USA
MILWAUKEE 6460 CIRCULAR SAW MEXICO
MILWAUKEE 6523-21 RECIPROCATING SAW USA
MILWAUKEE 6238 PORTABLE BAND SAW USA
MILWAUKEE 0375-6 CLOSE QUARTER DRILL USA
MILWAUKEE 1680-20 RIGHT ANGLE DRILL USA
MILWAUKEE 6394-21 CIRCULAR SAW CHINA
MILWAUKEE 2420-20 HACKZALL CHINA
MILWAUKEE 2401-20 CORDLESS DRIVER CHINA
MILWAUKEE 2450-20 CORDLESS IMPACT DRIVER CHINA
MILWAUKEE 6562-51 CAULKING GUN - CORDLESS USA
MILWAUKEE 2471-20 TUBING CUTTER - BATTERY OPRTD CHINA
MILWAUKEE 2451-20 CORDLESS IMPACT WRENCH CHINA
PORTA-NAILS INC. 460 T-NAILER (WOOD TO CONCRETE) TAIWAN
PORTER CABLE BN200A BRAD NAILER TAIWAN
PORTER CABLE FR350A ROUND-HEAD FRAMING NAILER TAIWAN
PORTER CABLE C3151 JOB-SITE AIR COMPRESSOR USA
PORTER CABLE 892 VARIABLE SPEED ROUTER MEXICO
PORTER CABLE 121 200607-49-21 OSCILLATING SPINDLE SANDER MEXICO
PORTER CABLE 371K BELT SANDER MEXICO
PORTER CABLE 513 LOCKSET MORTISING MACHINE MEXICO
RIDGID R82233 CORDLESS RGT-ANGL IMPACT DRIVR CHINA
RIDGID R3030 ONE-HANDED RECIPROCATING SAW CHINA
RIDGID R3400 FIBER-CEMENT SAW CHINA
ROTO-ZIP TOOL CO. RZ20 ROTO-ZIP SPIRAL SAW MEXICO
SENCO DS202-14V DURASPIN CORDLESS SCREWDRIVER CHINA
SENCO DS300-AC DURASPIN SCREWDRIVER CHINA
SENCO PC1195 MINI HAND NAILER TAIWAN
SENCO SC1XP SENCLAMP 25GA JOINT FASTENER USA
SENCO BC58 4A001N HOUSE-WRAP CAP STAPLER 21GA. TAIWAN
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:48 am
is Mellisa single? i need a woman like that !!!
June 24th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I’d like to second Duncan Margetts comment on the hair as well as add that she should be demo’ing with work gloves! Safety first! Always!
I checked the new Milwaukee grinder lineup and they are made in China. In fact, they look alot like the Ridgid grinders found in Home Depot. Ridgid, Milwaukee and Ryobi are now sister companies under the TTI umbrella…
Last I checked, Bosch and Metabo are the only grinders still made in Germany!
June 25th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Bosch / Metabo also make the Hilti grinder.
I wonder where Milwaukee got the idea(s) for the different types of switches. Did someone from the yellow team bring their field notes over with them? Sure sounds like it.
July 27th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Chevy man….I couldn’t agree more. I was looking for a new angle grinder and looked at the 4.5 Dewalt at TSC that was marked a “USA company in MD” (whatever that means) . But the box was marked Made in China. Dewalt is going to hear from me why they aren’t identifying their “proudly made in Communist China” tools.
I buy stuff made in USA because I want quality first and I want to support the USA second. I’m not about to pay made in USA prices to merely increase the profits of USA headquartered companies that manufacture in China. If I wanted cheap I’d go to Harbor Freight and buy their under-engineered Chinese stuff.