Aldi Angle Grinder sparking – is there anything I can do?

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

when Aldi opened in Harrogate they had a 125mm 1100W angle grinder on sale for 14.99.

It would have been rude not to buy it, really…

I've used it a bit until now, but I've been stressing it recently. I'm trying to cut out a section of a 300mm girder (10mm thickness).

It did quite well with the first cuts, but now it doesn't like me any more. Not sure I blame it.

The symptoms were poor power, lots of blue sparks from the commutator and heat…

I've taken it apart, cleaned the commutator with solvent and fine sandpaper and between the copper strips with a toothbrush and a stanley knife.

There is a bit of burning on one edge of a strip which seemed raised above the rest, so I've cleaned that up and attempted to file smooth with a diamond file.

I've replaced the bushes with a spare set.

At first it seemed to work OK. A bit more blue flashing than I remembered, but plenty of power. Sadly, that hasn't lasted long. The blue arcing has increased and the power has dropped. It's nowhere near as bad as before, but it seems to be getting worse.

I've stopped for now and decided to ask the audience.

I know I shouldn't expect a lot for 15 quid and I know I've tackled a job which is more than it's proibably designed for, but it is 15 quid.

Any advice for what to try next?

Iain

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Probably dead. At that money its a throw-away.

Way back I had one of the big ones from Aldi on recommendation of a mate in the building trade. He got about 3 months of occasional use out of his, being hard on tools, and I got about 5 years out of mine. General conclusion is that all these bargain electrical tools really, really don't like being overloaded. Run them light and baby them a bit and they last OK. Lean on them and they die pretty fast. Lidl are usually higher price and seem to be a step up from Aldi.

Personally I use Lidl / Aldi as testers to see if a tool gets enough use to be worth paying real money for then keep an eye on folk like Lawson HIS et al for a brand name on clearance. Need to be careful from folk like Screwfix as many of their offerings come from name brand consumer ranges which are rarely much better than the "import and slap badge on" lower end consumer orientated ones. Just more expensive. That said I know of professional builders who price new sets of decent consumer end battery powered kit into bigger jobs figuring that works out cheaper than looking after expensive pro end DeWalt et al. The lower end ones hold up well enough for one maybe two jobs. They don't get nicked and if they do get dropped off the scaffolding its no great issue.

Clive.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I think you have broke it, time to buy a new one unless you can rewind an armature. Sorry I can't be more helpful than that. Testing is only going to confirm it is fubar.

Mike

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Girder? A 300I've seen identical angle grindidentical from the outsiders from the outsideJ? Cutting it all the way through? Once or twice?

Advice? Buy a 300mm angle grinder of about 2 1/2kW and of good parentage.

Use it appropriately, or get someone who does know how to use it, to do the job for you.

I'll not bother to ask when Aldi opened their store in Harrogate. Maybe it was fifteen quid once, but it is now scrap, or at least an uneconomic repair…

Repeat after me "buy cheap, buy twice"

A bit like CF, I've seen angle grinders that look identical from the outside but of entirely differing quality when opened up for inspection. Saying that, my last makita screwdriver was a POS. Batteries good, charger good, machine carp. An unexpected outcome. Back to 'Bodge', 'High Tachy' or even 'D Wolt' if I ever need another.

[HacksawParticipant @hacksaw]

Aldi….15 quid 1100watts

Lidl 19.99 variable speed ,2 year warranty , 2000 watts .

Buy one every time they come up on offer …use newest reciept to claim a new one if the oldest one cooks.. Obviously , i wouldn't do it because i'm honest ..

Now , if you then buy their Air powered D A sander , which is very air hungry.. (and disappointing if you've only got a 2 hp compressor ) , you can take it to bits and graft the head easily onto the grinder ( you got for free ) and have yourself a variable speed 2000 watt D A !

[norman valentineParticipant @normanvalentine78682]

Keep your receipts. B&Q have a two year guarantee, I'm not sure about Aldi and Lidl but it will be at least one year.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

The last Lidl one I got had a 3 year warranty plus you got a spare pair of carbon brushes

I'm not a heavy user though, just now and then

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

That's kind of what I thought.

I doubt we have the receipt (potatoes are rarely under warranty!) and I'm certain the time to find it isn't worth the 15 quid I'd get back!

I do have a B&Q 8 inch angle grinder which wasn't hugely more and laid a large patio very nicely (Stone not girders, obviously). But it's too big for this job.

Unfortunately, I've about hit my budget for this month and I still have to sneak in some purchases at the Crystal Palace show (there must be some bit of tooling I'm desperate for…), so a decent quality replacement may have to wait.

Thanks.

Iain

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

The grinder might have lasted a bit longer if you had changed the brushes earlier. I would be using a 9" for a job like that. Any power tool- always run light at full speed before stopping, this cools the motor and can double the life.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Posted by Iain Downs on 10/01/2017 07:30:19:

Unfortunately, I've about hit my budget for this month and I still have to sneak in some purchases at the Crystal Palace show (there must be some bit of tooling I'm desperate for…), so a decent quality replacement may have to wait.

I am sure you meant Alexandra Palace, might be a bit quiet a Crystal Palace but could save you money.

Mike

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