What to look for in an angle grinder?

I have to agree with this. I work with stone(tile and granite)... and I have used makita's for almost 15 yrs, and can say hands down this is one of my fav grinders. if problems occur is practically cause of the dirt/sand getting in the grinders bushings cause of daily use. 4-6hrs a day of grinding/polishing and this takes a toll on any power tool.

second best to this is a toss up between milwaukee or dewalt.

good luck!

 

I bought a Dewalt 18V cordless one about 13 years ago and will probably never need to touch a corded one again. Yes they do cost more but I bought a discounted multi-tool bag that was missing the flashlight for half of what the bare grinder would have cost at the time. It has as much torque a a corded without the damn cord in the way. I use mine at least once a week. Mostly with a cutt-off wheel.

 

I used to get cheap tools (harbor freight, ryobi) and I decided a few years back it's better to just get nice ones upfront. Go Makita or Dewault or go home.

No offense to @JaCado or anyone else intended.

 

No offense taken. I don't need an expensive tool I will use once maybe twice in my lifetime.
Others I totally agree buy the best or borrow your friends. Lol

 

I liked the Makitas when i did granite. We had the water attachments and the Milwaukees always shocked the shit out of me. They belonged to the shop and I didnt have to pay for them. But the one i own now is the good ol HF. Worked great for what I needed it for (not granite).

 

I use a HF grinder because I bought it back when I was a broke college kid. I figured I would just replace it with a quality one when it broke, but it hasn't broken yet.

One thing I would add that hasn't been mentioned yet, is regardless of what brand you like, get some protective equipment. Gloves and safety glasses, at least. Face shield if you wanna go all out. Don't remove the shield that comes on it. Don't misuse (like putting too much pressure on it, causing it to flex) cut off wheels, they can shatter and really mess your day up.