Greetings all,

I have been looking to pick up a couple of die grinders, straight and 90
degree, finally going to bite the bullet. I know IR is the top of the line,
however I do not use one all day every day. I have been looking at Sioux,
Nuline, Florida Pneumatic and Chicago Pneumatic. I have used a Sioux
before, seemed like a good tool. I am a bit leery of the Nuline due to the
cheap price. The Sioux and Fla. Pneumatic are in the same price range, so I
guess those would be the ones I am favoring.

Any opinions/input anyone might have would be greatly appreciated,
Jim C Roberts


PS I will be using the grinders for polishing/finishing metals, mostly
stainless steel.

I've had a Sioux 90 for a few years now and love it.
Lane

"Jim Roberts" wrote in message
. ..
Greetings all,

I have been looking to pick up a couple of die grinders, straight and 90
degree, finally going to bite the bullet. I know IR is the top of the
line,
however I do not use one all day every day. I have been looking at Sioux,
Nuline, Florida Pneumatic and Chicago Pneumatic. I have used a Sioux
before, seemed like a good tool. I am a bit leery of the Nuline due to
the
cheap price. The Sioux and Fla. Pneumatic are in the same price range, so
I
guess those would be the ones I am favoring.

Any opinions/input anyone might have would be greatly appreciated,
Jim C Roberts


PS I will be using the grinders for polishing/finishing metals, mostly
stainless steel.

I realize this is a valid point, but I'm always surprised that folks
concentrate on CFM so much. I built my own compressor from dumped parts.
Probably about 4 CFM into a 20 gallon tank.

I just grind for a minute then go get a drink of water and beat the dust out of
my pants as it charges again.

GTO(John)

I'm more worried about the air supply you will need. The die
grinders vary from about 7cfm to more than 15 cfm. Cheaper ones
seem to take more air. And 15 cfm at 90 psi is a LOT of air.
Think 30 amp/240 volt circuit.

aaah, guys.... 15 cfm at 90 psi is well within the range of a 3 to 5 hp
compressor - I have a 5 hp quincy that is rated at 19.5 cfm at 160 psi (If I
recall correctly) - on the other hand, I've seen hardware store type
compressors with "5 hp" ratings putting out as little as 3.5 cfm at 40 psi -
the thing to watch out for is that cheap motors don't cost very much (to
coin a phrase), so these "homeowner" compressors use a small compressor
(because compressors are expensive) and a too-big motor - Lots of these
units (see the ones at harbor freight, or home depot, etc) that have 5 hp
motors would put out almost the same amount of air with a 3/4 hp motor. So,
ignore the horsepower and look only at CFM/pressure to get a true picture.
(and, I have my compressor on a 20 amp/220 circiut - you certainly don't
need 30 amps)


"GTO69RA4" wrote in mes sage
...
I realize this is a valid point, but I'm always surprised that folks
concentrate on CFM so much. I built my own compressor from dumped parts.
Probably about 4 CFM into a 20 gallon tank.

I just grind for a minute then go get a drink of water and beat the dust
out of
my pants as it charges again.

GTO(John)

I'm more worried about the air supply you will need. The die
grinders vary from about 7cfm to more than 15 cfm. Cheaper ones
seem to take more air. And 15 cfm at 90 psi is a LOT of air.
Think 30 amp/240 volt circuit.

I'm more worried about the air supply you will need. The die
grinders vary from about 7cfm to more than 15 cfm. Cheaper ones
seem to take more air. And 15 cfm at 90 psi is a LOT of air.
Think 30 amp/240 volt circuit.

Jim Roberts wrote:

Greetings all,

I have been looking to pick up a couple of die grinders, straight and 90
degree, finally going to bite the bullet. I know IR is the top of the line,
however I do not use one all day every day. I have been looking at Sioux,
Nuline, Florida Pneumatic and Chicago Pneumatic. I have used a Sioux
before, seemed like a good tool. I am a bit leery of the Nuline due to the
cheap price. The Sioux and Fla. Pneumatic are in the same price range, so I
guess those would be the ones I am favoring.

Any opinions/input anyone might have would be greatly appreciated,
Jim C Roberts


PS I will be using the grinders for polishing/finishing metals, mostly
stainless steel.

Couldn't agree more with John.
I fell victim to the "5HP" Campbell Hausfeld at Home depot. Sure it
was the biggest portable unit I could find but for the life of me, I
do not know how they measured HP - perhaps at the pump pulley.
Anyway, I rebuilt it last week. New head and new motor - 5HP 220V! The
motor itself is 3 times heavier than the original motor which has
"spl" stamped in the HP rating box on the tag. Stands for special I
guess. Anyway you can see it at www.228mill.com/tinker.htm

As far as the OP's question about die grinder - Buy once, Buy Well.

I spend more time doing the things I need to do to fix the stuff I
need to do the job with.

Good Luck

Tom

"william_b_noble" wrote in message ...
aaah, guys.... 15 cfm at 90 psi is well within the range of a 3 to 5 hp
compressor - I have a 5 hp quincy that is rated at 19.5 cfm at 160 psi (If I
recall correctly) - on the other hand, I've seen hardware store type
compressors with "5 hp" ratings putting out as little as 3.5 cfm at 40 psi -
the thing to watch out for is that cheap motors don't cost very much (to
coin a phrase), so these "homeowner" compressors use a small compressor
(because compressors are expensive) and a too-big motor - Lots of these
units (see the ones at harbor freight, or home depot, etc) that have 5 hp
motors would put out almost the same amount of air with a 3/4 hp motor. So,
ignore the horsepower and look only at CFM/pressure to get a true picture.
(and, I have my compressor on a 20 amp/220 circiut - you certainly don't
need 30 amps)


"GTO69RA4" wrote in mes sage
...
I realize this is a valid point, but I'm always surprised that folks
concentrate on CFM so much. I built my own compressor from dumped parts.
Probably about 4 CFM into a 20 gallon tank.

I just grind for a minute then go get a drink of water and beat the dust
out of
my pants as it charges again.

GTO(John)

I'm more worried about the air supply you will need. The die
grinders vary from about 7cfm to more than 15 cfm. Cheaper ones
seem to take more air. And 15 cfm at 90 psi is a LOT of air.
Think 30 amp/240 volt circuit.

That is not a 5 HP compressor at the hardware store as you state. It
also
indeed DOES NOT state it's 5 HP. It most likely states 5 HP "peak" or
"max", or "instantaneous" or something to that tune. This is very
different from 5 HP continuous. I have a 6 HP "peak" shop vac that
plugs into a 110 V outlet. You can do the math. It is not 6 HP
continuous and it does not state this. The interesting part is that
the instantaneous HP rating is usually in very large easy to read font
were the term "peak is usually in small print next to it.

As for air tools. I've used both cheap and quality tools. The better
tools usually do use less air to do the same work. Other benefits
that I find
are that quality tools run smoother with less vibration, are better
balanced, have more power, and in some instances, can be much much
quieter. Some production grade tools have built in mufflers making
use of the tool
much more tolerable for long periods of time. Take a look at Dotco
tools if you
are looking for top of the line. Ebay or second hand shops can yield
used ones
at more attainable prices.

"william_b_noble" wrote in message ...
aaah, guys.... 15 cfm at 90 psi is well within the range of a 3 to 5 hp
compressor - I have a 5 hp quincy that is rated at 19.5 cfm at 160 psi (If I
recall correctly) - on the other hand, I've seen hardware store type
compressors with "5 hp" ratings putting out as little as 3.5 cfm at 40 psi -
the thing to watch out for is that cheap motors don't cost very much (to
coin a phrase), so these "homeowner" compressors use a small compressor
(because compressors are expensive) and a too-big motor - Lots of these
units (see the ones at harbor freight, or home depot, etc) that have 5 hp
motors would put out almost the same amount of air with a 3/4 hp motor. So,
ignore the horsepower and look only at CFM/pressure to get a true picture.
(and, I have my compressor on a 20 amp/220 circiut - you certainly don't
need 30 amps)


"GTO69RA4" wrote in mes sage
...
I realize this is a valid point, but I'm always surprised that folks
concentrate on CFM so much. I built my own compressor from dumped parts.
Probably about 4 CFM into a 20 gallon tank.

I just grind for a minute then go get a drink of water and beat the dust
out of
my pants as it charges again.

GTO(John)

I'm more worried about the air supply you will need. The die
grinders vary from about 7cfm to more than 15 cfm. Cheaper ones
seem to take more air. And 15 cfm at 90 psi is a LOT of air.
Think 30 amp/240 volt circuit.

I have been using the Harbor Freight cheapies for several years. @ $9.95 I
can afford to have several with the most used tool installed. I've used
these thru the construction of two helicopters, a trailer, and misc smaller
projects. To date they have been trouble free.
Stu Fields
"Jim Roberts" wrote in message
. ..
Greetings all,

I have been looking to pick up a couple of die grinders, straight and 90
degree, finally going to bite the bullet. I know IR is the top of the
line,
however I do not use one all day every day. I have been looking at Sioux,
Nuline, Florida Pneumatic and Chicago Pneumatic. I have used a Sioux
before, seemed like a good tool. I am a bit leery of the Nuline due to
the
cheap price. The Sioux and Fla. Pneumatic are in the same price range, so
I
guess those would be the ones I am favoring.

Any opinions/input anyone might have would be greatly appreciated,
Jim C Roberts


PS I will be using the grinders for polishing/finishing metals, mostly
stainless steel.

On Wed, 5 Nov 2003 23:05:23 -0500, "Jim Roberts"
brought forth from the murky depths:

Greetings all,

I have been looking to pick up a couple of die grinders, straight and 90
degree, finally going to bite the bullet. I know IR is the top of the line,
however I do not use one all day every day. I have been looking at Sioux,
Nuline, Florida Pneumatic and Chicago Pneumatic. I have used a Sioux
before, seemed like a good tool. I am a bit leery of the Nuline due to the
cheap price. The Sioux and Fla. Pneumatic are in the same price range, so I
guess those would be the ones I am favoring.

Any opinions/input anyone might have would be greatly appreciated,
Jim C Roberts

I went with mostly CP when I wrenched for a living. For spares, I got
Rodac, etc. and could instantly see the difference: less power, more
air consumption. I still have every one of those tools and all still
work, 30 years later. (I hardly use them since '85, when I stopped
being able to toss transmichigans around.

I'd be willing to bet that the FP, Nuline, and Sioux are all
Chiwanese tools just like this one for EIGHT BUCKS:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=53177
(Buy eight of them for the same price as the Sioux and get free
shipping + $5.95 handling, of course) Or just get 2, one for
spare parts.

I have one of these HFT critters but have rarely used it since I got
a Makita 4.5" angle grinder, a 1" belt sander, and a good hacksaw
blade. It's often quicker to hand saw a piece than to wait for the
compressor to fill up. You need a full tank for any air tool other
than a nailer or stapler.


and this for $35:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=42248

Why pay more for the same item with a different sticker on it?
And since you won't be using them all day, even if they take more
air to use, they will still work for you.

My 4¢ (inflation)


-- Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Turkey and Drive --

I have a broom-wade die grinder, long one, its very good for porting
cylinder due to the length giving lots of leverage and control, a CP
(made in japan) normal 1/4" (6mm) compact die grinder, and cheapy
(Chiwanese) right angle die grinder and pencil die grinder (1/8", 3mm)
as well as other UK bought Clarke air tools such as drill, sanders etc.
The quality ones have never let me down but the only cheap one to cause
a problem was a orbital sander where the pad bearing needed oil. These
are not used professionally which might tell the difference. All air
motors are oiled after use and run off oiled lines if possible. In my
case the cheapness of the Chinwanese items means I can use them and if
they go wrong new ones bought (none has had to be replaced yet) which is
telling of our curent western disposable society. Most frequently used
items are higher quality though.

Jim Roberts wrote:

Greetings all,

I have been looking to pick up a couple of die grinders, straight and 90
degree, finally going to bite the bullet. I know IR is the top of the line,
however I do not use one all day every day. I have been looking at Sioux,
Nuline, Florida Pneumatic and Chicago Pneumatic. I have used a Sioux
before, seemed like a good tool. I am a bit leery of the Nuline due to the
cheap price. The Sioux and Fla. Pneumatic are in the same price range, so I
guess those would be the ones I am favoring.

Any opinions/input anyone might have would be greatly appreciated,
Jim C Roberts


PS I will be using the grinders for polishing/finishing metals, mostly
stainless steel.