DEWALT D28402K 4-1/2-Inch Small-Angle Grinder Kit

I have a metal working sculpture studio so tools get put through their paces. I've been a Bosch fan for quite a while and I was just ready to purchase yet another Bosch grinder when the local welding shop suggested that I try this DeWalt. Before doing so I researched the comparative specifications and sure enough the DeWalt both on paper and in practice is a more powerful grinder compared to it's equivalent competitive Bosch. I was grinding down a metal bronze casting with a 4 1/2" sanding disc and half the life of the disc was used up by my Bosch so I just thought I'd try the same disc on the new DeWalt. WOW!!! I'm impressed. It was like my sanding disc just got a second life and everything went much smoother and quicker. HOWEVER, my one gripe is ergonomics and for long hauls of grinding this can be a very big issue.Ergonomics is a very personal thing and no one is going to REALLY know if a grinder is going to work for them until they've actually used it. I possibly need to give this DeWalt more time to get used to it (i.e. more then just an hours use) as no doubt it's seeming awkwardness may soon pass. However, I think I have a normal sized male hand and with gloves I found the paddle to be annoying. There is no way for 20 minute stretches of grinding that I want to hold a paddle lever down in the ON position applying constant pressure. Therefore one is going to want to use the paddle set lock which b.t.w. unlike the Bosch isn't right on the paddle as you have to use your opposite hand to set it and it's just a relatively small pin if you have gloves on. Once the paddle is locked into the ON position you don't dare touch it because it will release such that you're back having to apply constant pressure. If you lock the paddle and want to avoid touching it then you need to move up and grip the barrel in front of the paddle and my normal sized male hand doesn't have enough room to comfortably grip the barrel without touching the paddle. Yes I'll eventually create some awkward positioning to overcome this but for long stretches it's going to be very annoying and tiring to say the least.Once again this ergonomically may not be a problem for some but for me it is. I like the extra power so I'll stick with it but I wish companies would do more market testing before they release these products and or if you can't make and effective tool where one size fits all then maybe consider (not unlike clothing) small, medium and large versions..............absurd you say? Why Not? It's all about comfort in the end whether it's clothing a car a bike a tennis racquet............why not our tools? We have different sized grips for a lot of sports equipment why not handheld tools? Ok......maybe I'm straying off the subject at hand, but this tool wasn't a home run in the ergonomics department but definitely a home run with bases loaded in the power department.REVIEW UPDATE:I just went through about 16 pieces of recently cast bronze that were pretty good size and needed a lot of grinding time. I wanted to give equal opportunity to the Dewalt before passing final judgement. For short stretches (i.e. minutes) I think it's the go to grinder. However, for any long term work 10 minutes or more it is NOT the tool of choice. I'm not advocating Bosch (it's just that I have(3)of them to one Dewalt) as I haven't tried other grinders but ergonomically there is absolutely NO COMPARISON between the Bosch and the Dewalt. For long stretches of work I'll have to settle for the Bosch. On the Bosch equivalent paddle switched grinder you can use your full hand to grab the bezel of the grinder without accidentally releasing the paddle lock whose trigger was appropriately place at the very rear of the main bezel and in an emergency works PERFECTLY as a quick release. To hold the Dewalt without triggering this paddle lock I have to hold it minus (2) fingers.....well they're there but with virtually no pressure....I feel like I'm holding a tea cup not made for a man (i.e. a MUG). The other significant issue for long stretches is the heat generated by the Dewalt. More powerful therefore more heat and it's substantial. I can grind for 10 minutes on my Bosch and barely notice the heat but not so on the Dewalt. When I change out disc the locking mechanism to prevent the spindle from rotating is far easier to negotiate on the Bosch. For some reason the Dewalt stuck their spindle lock (or whatever it's called on the back side of the bezel and I have to configure my hand and fingers in a manner that is awkward......at least so after you've done the same on the Bosch. Mind you to any of you die hard Dewalt users this may all seem like hogwash because you've fallen in love with your tool and no one is going to convince you otherwise. However, I can assure you that for long haul grinding I'll take comfort over power any day. It's not like the Dewalt is 30-40-50% more powerful but it is I'd say in the range of 15% to 20% max if that. For short periods I'll definitely use my Dewalt to get it done and get it done quickly but for the long haul work it'll be sitting on my workbench.Ultimately I think it's 3.5 stars versus 4 stars just by the fact that for me it's not going to get used as much as my other grinders when it comes to long haul grinding. If you're not in this group then you'll possibly love it as long as you don't mind holding down the paddle switch.3rd Review Update:Something that should be noted is that it just came to my attention that many people use both hands with this grinder as they engage the additional handle. I on the other hand have to have one hand free to hold my sculptures therefore all of my complaints about ergonomics. If you can use both hands then the lever hand might not be as much of an issue as you can use the other hand for exerting most of the force towards grinding. With that said the next thing that really bugs me is the ever so TINY paddle lock pin. This pin engages the paddle switch to hold it in the ON position thus freeing up both hands to push and not have to constantly hold the paddle switch in the ON position. Unfortunately this pin barely sticks out beyond the body of the grinder and if you're using leather gloves then it's almost impossible to push it in with the opposite hand that is holding down the paddle lever. I have to constantly take off my left handed glove to then set the pin while the grinder is going full bore and then try and get my left glove back on with only that hand. The comparable Bosch grinder has a really nice sized paddle switch lever lock that no matter what size of hand or what glove you can still set this lock to the ON position. If Dewalt had just made a wider button and or extended it out beyond the body by 1/4" or more versus it's current 1/8" out beyond the body would then be great. To set this pin you actually have to push it in past the housing of the grinder therefore you need the very tip of your finger to do so and or very thin gloves. I've only used my grinder about 40-50 times and already the pin is not locking the paddle switch so apparently it's failing.........bummer!!!!I just have a really hard time trying to understand how any company doesn't give these out to 100 people to test such that they get the right feedback before they go into full production. Once again it's like you've got a race car with a lot of power but very poor handling so for long hauls I find that it wears me out and I just reach for something that is more ergonomically friendly and is less hassle even though it's going to have a little less power and thus take me a bit longer to get to where I'm going but the drive becomes much more fun.Same experience as others...........it gets very hot as I guess it should with all that extra power.

So, this is the first angle grinder I've ever bought (or even used), so take that into account with this review. That said, I am pretty handy and have a decent collection of power-tools from Bosch to Porter Cable to Ryobi, so I have a reasonable idea of different grades of quality.I bought this specifically for a project that I'm working on that required to to cut/grind a small cable channel into a stucco covered exterior concrete wall. I was mounting a TV on the middle of the wall and was just creating a small nook to hide the AC and HDMI cable.For that task, this tool was amazing. Using a masonry grinding disc, it ground down the stucco and concrete so easily and smoothly. I went through two grinding discs (about $3.00 a piece), and the tool functioned flawlessly. I attached the side handle and occasionally reverse mounted it when I wanted to switch hands or work in an opposite direction.The grinder worked smoothly and was plenty powerful for the task (again, don't have much to compare it to, but I can't imagine you'll be using it for something much more difficult than grinding solid concrete).It also felt comfortable in my hands, and I never had a fear of it kicking away or loosing control of it, which I was a bit concerned about. It feels solidly constructed, using metal construction where it matters and hard plastic on the shaft. As mentioned, the included removable handle was also nice to use and added a very steady feel to the operation.I will also say that I chose to buy it on amazon since the case was included, which wasn't true at my local Home Depot (despite it being the same price). Cases are always nice, and this one is plenty durable with a nice enough handle and two closing latches. plenty of room to store and carry the grinder and a few discs.Couldn't be more pleased with the purchase.

The angle grinder worked great. I am not sure I can add anything to my review about the how it works. What sold me on buying this were a few reviews that I saw that said how they used this. So that is what I am going to do in hopes that it will help someone else out who has also never used a angle grinder before.I used it to enlarge the cut-out for a cook top. That required me to cut the granite that was already in place. I was very happy to have the extra amps in this while cutting. A few things that may only interest me about cutting a granite counter:*With the guard on, you will not be able to do a complete cut out because even though this is a 4.5" grinder, it only cuts just over 1" deep if you go straight down. Thankfully, I was only enlarging. So I cut my straight line from the top - made a few passes (doing several passes is the way to do this), then came in from the side to completely cut my 1.25" granite.*If cutting granite in place, you definitely want to do a practice run outside before actually cutting your counter top*If cutting stone, use at least a P100 mask - and if cutting inside, buy a plastic painter's tarp and enclose yourself as much as possible. Of course you need some air to breathe, but you would not believe how much dust is generated. I taped a vacuum hose to my arm while cutting. That did not work as hoped (I was hoping it would suck up the dust as I cut), but it was nice to have it there so I could stop and then clear the area some.I am sure I will find other uses for this, but I was very happy with how this performed. The extra amps and case, and well, the current sale, make this a better buy than the model below this.

Purchased for friend to use at work. Durable and good value.